Rotten

My family still celebrates each and every birthday of each and every family member, not just kids. We have full dinners, with presents and cake, and even the oldest among us will sing the birthday song and blow out candles.

I love it. The kids adore it.

This year Rylie will have two birthday celebrations. A family dinner, which was held on her actual birthday, and a "party" with a few of her little friends.

I feel wierd about this. I don't want to "overdo" her birthday. So I feel I must explain. Why not just one party?

Our typical family dinners consist of at least 14 people (aunts uncles, grandparents, cousins). I just don't have enough room (or enough sanity) for more people, especially little people, who need lots of space to play and jump and be obnoxious.

I plan to do this only every other year. Next year she will only have the family birthday dinner.

And now, the pics.

Rylie's Third Birthday
November 28, 2010
Family Dinner

Rylie really, really loves birthday cake.

Sophie does, too.

Mommy and the usual cast of characters.

Ava and Rylie.

Tearing into her presents.

She received her very first Disney Princess dress. You can imagine the excitement.

Sophie got a present, too. A unicorn pillow pal.

Which she promptly rested upon. This kid LOVES pillows.

And after presents, all three of them got to dress in princess garb...

And spent the rest of the day playing (i.e. fighting) in Rylie's room.

Later that night, Daddy put together her first twin size bed. Mommy forgot that she no longer has any twin size sheets.

But we made do.

She was very happy with her new bed and the new quilt. Meanwhile, Mommy cried through most of the night and wrote a sad, long blog post about her baby girl turning three. If you are reading this, you probably know the one.

This Saturday is her second party. She is sure to be as rotten as the pumpkin currently sitting on my back porch.

And then Christmas.

I recently heard a seasoned mother describe birthday and Christmas gifts as "spankings in a box." Rylie gets both types of presents within one month of each other.

Poor kid doesn't stand a chance.