More Birthday Fun!

Well, "birthday month" is almost over.  Here is the final birthday post!  Grace and I hosted a family BBQ on Sunday.  Lots of food, lots of fun and of course... lots of Barney!!!

 

Picking the last of the raspberries from the back yard.  She LOVES raspberries!!!

What's a party without bubbles??!

 

Guess who showed up to the party??

Grace decided to help Barney hand out the popcorn this time

She got a little braver by day two!!!  I think I actually see a smile on her face!

 Little K-man was eager to give Barney a hug, so cute!

 

And then all the cousins lined up to say hi to Barney and give him a hug.  They acted like they weren't interested but I'm thinking different!!!

 

Sunday was my brother Bill's actual birthday so Grace presented him with a cupcake and candle while we sang

The two young ones shared a tender moment on the deck each eating their own ice cream cone.  They are so lucky to have each other since all the other cousins are so much older.

Our neighbours Dan and Erna joined us for cake and coffee

 And then we had an unexpected guest show up!  My nephew M. drove from Toronto for the party.  He's living several hours away now but was in Toronto all week doing a show at the Ex.  How wonderful it was to see him!!!!

Grace received a lacrosse stick from her aunt Carolyn and family.  Now we just need to get one of her cousins that actually play the game to teach Grace.

 

Grace loved all of her gifts, including the new scooter, but her favourite I think was when she opened up Baby Bop.  Baby Bop is a character from Barney and it is definitely her favourite.  We could hardly get her to part with Baby Bop to open the rest of the gifts!

 

Birthday Parties Oh My!

Grace celebrated her birthday big this past weekend with two parties, one for friends on Saturday and one for family on Sunday.  As you could probably guess, both were Barney themed! Luckily the weather held out for both days and we were able to be outside, a much better scenario for Saturday than having a dozen kids and their parents in my living room!!!LOL

Here are some pics from the friends party on Saturday. Family photos to come in a day or two.

 

 

Popcorn, Barney's favourite treat!

 

 Pizza, BJ's favourite!  You have to watch Barney to know what I'm talking about!!

 
Having fun at "the park"

And then, from around the corner, a large purple dinosaur appeared.  Who could that be??

Well, Barney of course!!!!

 Some of the children were a little unsure like Grace above.  Some warmed up quickly!!!

Barney handed out popcorn to all the children

This was as close to Barney as Grace would get!!  It's funny, she was so excited about him coming to her party.  I sort of pumped it up for a few days to prepare her and every day I would ask her who was coming to her birthday party.  She would answer, " L. and H. and J. and Barney and A. and A. and the list would go on and on.  Then when he arrived, she was so excited to see him, she was terrified but she wanted to be close to him.  She even sang the theme song, "I Love You."  So sweet!  But hug him???  No way!!!

yummy cake!

Checking out her new Barney video

"I Like to Go Fast!!!"

"Hold on!  I like to go fast!!!!"

What happens at Grandma and Grandpa's house.... stays at Grandma and Grandpa's house!

 

 

Birthday Fun!

Well, here she is, my three year old.  Where has the time gone?  It feels like yesterday that I was bringing home a tiny 13 month old baby who still fit into 6-9 month clothing.  Now she's tall for her age and strong as any 10 year old!!!! 

The morning started with our usual snuggle in bed before we headed downstairs.  A present was waiting for Grace on her chair and it didn't take her long to discover it and start ripping it open.  She got the hang of this birthday thing pretty quickly!!!LOL  After a nice breakfast on the deck, we headed out for a day of fun.

Grace and I spent the day at Centre Island to celebrate turning 3.  It was a fantastic day and she was very excited about the outing.  Luck was on our side because we had no traffic and we found parking relatively easily and close by (if you have seen downtown Toronto lately along Queen's Quay you will know why I am saying this!!!!). 

We spent the day totally indulging ourselves in all of Grace's favourites:  driving cars, splashing in the water, eating popcorn and ice cream!  We ran into our travel partners from China, Rhonda and her son Adam.  It was great seeing them again as I hadn't seen Adam since China.  It's so cool to see how the children have grown.

We were having so much fun in fact that by the time I looked at my phone, it was 5:00!!! We hadn't even left the island yet!  We were supposed to get a phone call from Grandma and Grandpa at 8 and as I gathered all our stuff together in a more organized way and headed for the ferry line-up ,  I reconciled the fact that there was likely no way we were going to make it home by 8:00.  Luck was on our side however and we caught the first ferry back.  Traffic was light and as I merged onto the Gardiner, I dared to hope that maybe we just might make it home in time.  As it turned out, we sailed home easily and were relaxing at home just after 7.

Grandma and Grandpa called along with Aunt Anne, and messages from Aunt Marie and Aunt Lynda.  Grace reacted pretty much the same way each time.  She insists on holding the phone, then simply sits and smiles.  After the phone calls, we spent a little extra time snuggling in the rocking chair, singing songs and just loving each other.  A great way to end a great day!

Opening her birthday card from Grandma and Grandpa

On the ferry to Centre Island

Beep! Beep!  She told me she liked to drive this car fast!!!

Grace kept getting in trouble for putting her hands in the water, but really?  Who could resist!!??

Happiness is a new Barney video!!!

Talking to Grandma and Grandpa on the phone.  Grace won't let me hold the phone but most of the time she won't say anything to Grandma and Grandpa either, just listens and smiles!