3 Years And Counting...

HAPPY 3rd BIRTHDAY MARY CARLISLE!!!

I find it the right thing to do before you read any further to warn you this is super long and there are a TON of pictures! Agh! I couldn't help myself! This Birthday lasted ALL week long and she was so stinkin excited and so expressive I was snapping pictures like the paparazzi! hehe!!!

From her invitation pictures to school party to birthday party to Cinderella!

It literally was the BEST Birthday EVER!!!

turning 3 really is so much fun!!!

Planning and celebrating her birthday and seeing her genuine

happiness is forever more than I could ever want to give to myself.

Having kids helps me understand my parents more and more everyday and how they would always be so self sacrificing and want to give me the world.

I have never had so much excitement in my heart giving her all this love and celebratory fun!

It is a wonderful feeling giving your child that "ALL ABOUT ME" feeling on their birthday!

To create Mary Carlisle's Birthday Invitations I took her to the park in her favorite princess dress along with 3 PINK balloons...of course!

(The picture up above ended up being the one I used...

I love how it showed her genuine excitement!)

Once I got there I got nervous thinking she really hasn't held a balloon for a long period of time, and I should've gotten a 4th as a back up haha! If even 1 balloon is released this idea is gone for good! haha!

little did I know that she is like a balloon vulture and held onto those balloons so tightly her hands were turning white by the end of our mini photo shoot! haha!
Those things weren't going anywhere!!!

Truly, the two that stayed with us came home with us, ate dinner with us, read books with us and went to the bath with her!

This continued the next day until we finally snuck them out of the house because Keenan kept trying to eat the string...yikes! :)

It's a tough call as a parent...:) Make the birthday girl happy or keep your baby safe?! hmm...we went with a mini meltdown and saved a trip to the hospital! :)

Our Happy Birthday Girl

She is SUCH a HAM!

I know you won't believe me, but I did not tell her to do this! I don't even pose like that...I don't know where she gets this stuff, but it's hilarious!

birthday girl or not... mary carlisle ALWAYS checks on her baby sister to make sure she is a happy girl too!

Yes...that is my heart melting!!! :)

The theme of her party this year was...

I'm Turning 3...Come Tumble With Me!!!

the past two years we had a big party at our house. This year, I told Chad no more so off to the local gymnastics place we went and it was so much fun!

Tutu...Check!
Thank You Treats...Check!

Sunglasses...Check!




IT's PARTAA TIME!!!!

Wardrobe Malfunction!

i love how she thinks everything is so funny!

Sweet Keenan Had Too Much Fun Partying At Her First Birthday Party!

Good Thing For a Cozy Papa! :)

It's Hard to Tell Who had More Fun?! The Kids or the Adults!!!!

I For One, LOVED this place!

I'm highly considering a ground trampoline in my backyard! hehe!

The Birthday Fun Continued At SCHOOL!!!













Who doesn't love a good schoolparty?!




This would be the first school party for Mary Carlisle now that she is at Mother's Day Out...and we took advantage of EVERY opportunity to celebrate her Big Day!!!


Chad and I met at her school (which was a celebration in itself!) and we took the class cookies with LOTS of icing and capri suns! Yummy!

Mary Carlisle literally loves nothing more than icing...it's ridiculously funny! And since she hardly gets the sugary treat, we were making sure she got to enjoy every last bite! hehe!

The sugar was beginning to kick in and she wanted to run around in circles rather than get her picture taken...


Mary Carlisle is 1 of 2 girls in her class of 10, which is so funny because she is ALL GIRL! We have found it is actually a great balance...she loves to wear her tutus and dresses while playing ball with the boys...I couldn't ask for a better combo! :)

I LOVE THIS BEAUTIFUL BIRTHDAY GIRL!!!

The Highlight to her Birthday Celebration was a Surprise Visit from Cinderella!!!! Have you ever seen a more perfect Cinderella in your life!?!

My friend, Deedee, is so amazing and absolutely perfect for this role! Do you see her hair!!! She is the real deal! ha! I owe her my life for doing this for Mary Carlisle :)

What a great friend she is!!! It honestly was the icing on the cake!

When Mary Carlisle walked into our den to see Cinderella waiting to have cookies and a tea party with her she got SO nervous, she didn't talk for 20 min! Which is a rarity for her and only happens when she is extremely nervous...hehe! She finally loosened up and then she wanted to examine everything on Cinderella's dress and her bracelets...hehe! Mary Carlisle is all girl all the time! It is so fun!

LOOK AT HOW EXCITED SHE IS!!!!!

When it is all said and the party is done, the most important thing isn't the icing or the balloons, it is Mary Carlisle. I am still trying to figure out where the past three years have gone?! I feel March 12th, 2009 was five minutes ago and she entered our world and I was crying over her itty bitty beautiful perfect baby self and now here she is 3! There is no doubt I am going to be a wreck on her first day of kindergarten! ha! I can't even go to weddings anymore without crying thinking about it being hers... seriously!

Chad reminds me I have many many more years until that happens but I just can't handle it.

I am pretty sure it's a mother thing! :)

Again, I now understand my parents so much more and their desire to keep me happy and safe. Can I stick her and Keenan in a bubble forever? If anyone knows how I can do that, please contact me asap! :)

In all seriousness, Mary Carlisle has brought us 3 of the best years of our lives! I can't remember life before her and I can't imagine life without her. She is the sweetest big sister and so loving towards Keenan...I hope they are like this towards each other forever. She is the alarm clock to my day... I absolutely love it! She crawls into bed with me every morning and we snuggle until Keenan decides we need to rise. She finds humor in the smallest things and belly laughs until we laugh with her... I pray she always finds happiness in the small things! She is so affectionate and loves giving hugs and kisses... makes me want to hold her tight forever! She belts out "Jesus Loves Me", singing at the top of her lungs without a care in the world anytime, anywhere... I hope she has that confidence forever! She is so nurturing and empathetic for her age, that may be a first born trait, but it is so sweet to see her feel for others. Her eyes have the most perfect twinkle in them and I love seeing it when she smiles. Sometimes that means she is being a sweet lover and other times it means she is about to be a prankster! haha! She may favor my side of the family but don't let that fool you...she's got her daddy in there for sure! She loves a good prank! haha! Her 2 year old vocabulary was quite hilarious...

some of my favorite things she said as a two year old and would say several times on a daily basis are:
1) i love you so more!

2) he/she loves me ALL day long!

3) is that a good idea?
for example... "how about I drink milk, watch mickey, then eat a cookie.
is that a good idea?"

haha! Umm...no! :)

Without a doubt, she has made our love for life and world a better place.

WE LOVE YOU SO MORE!!!

Happy 3rd Birthday!

You Amaze Us Daily With All Of Your God Given Gifts!