Party Princess!

On Wednesday, April 18th our little Lila turned 3!  What a whirlwind the past 3 years have been!  It seems as if only yesterday Mike and I were driving home from the hospital with a brand new baby girl in tow.  Yet at the same time we don't remember what life was like with out her?!

Little Lila is all about princesses, so it was only fitting that we have a "fairytale" themed party for our very own little princess!  And you can guess what most of her gifts revolved around!

The Birthday Girl!

I took the day off on her actual birthday to spend some quality time with her and she actually wanted to go to Connie's in the morning to spend some time with her friends and take her birthday cupcakes!  I told Mike that I felt a bit slighted that she already chose something over me, but if I am being honest with myself, it made me feel pretty darn good that she loves her daycare as much as she does!
She was so patient to wait until Daddy got home to open her gifts.  Once he got home it didn't take long before she was ready to rip into the paper and unveil her birthday surprises!  She is always so gracious and does the "ooohs and ahhhs" that just about melt your heart!  She even said at one point, "I always wanted one of these," when opening up one of her DVD's!

That's right...7 Princesses!

She couldn't be more proud of her armful of dolls!

Lila's friends Dylan and Danielle have a wonderful art station at their house that Lila gravitates towards when she is there, so inquisitive as to what it is.  We thought that was a must this year for her birthday!  She got the art station along with paints, markers, crayons, scissors and anything else you could imagine to make a really fancy picture!  We are taking requests for a one of a kind Lila Eddins masterpiece!

Ta-Da!

The last surprise from Daddy & Mommy was a new set of wheels!  We have debated on when to get her a bike and almost got her one for Christmas, but felt that it was kind of mean to get her a bike in the dead of winter where she can't use it, so her birthday seemed to be the perfect time!  She was eager to take a spin around the block with Daddy's help, of course!

We ended the evening with her favorite confetti cupcakes with pink frosting (only pink would do for this birthday girl)!  She was so excited to turn three, she had been practicing how to show people on her fingers for weeks! 

On Saturday, April 21st we held her actual birthday party with some family and friends.  We had a birthday lunch of turkey burgers and hamburgers and other delicious sides!  Lila's closest friends were there to help her celebrate! 

Getting the house ready for the fairytale party!

Celia, Ruby & Lila welcoming Sloan to her first birthday party!

 After enjoying a delicious lunch it was time for cake!  My Grandma Harvey is notorious for her yummy cakes and she created a cake suitable for a princess.  It was equipped with a beautiful crown and all sorts of sparkly jewelry!  She even brought a second cake to celebrate Mike's birthday earlier in the month!

The Princess and her cake!

Make a wish!

After lunch and cake it was time for presents.  To say Lila was spoiled is an understatement.  She got so many wonderful things.  A super fun car-style toy for outside, movies, dolls, books, a DVD player, a backpack for school in August, clothes and so much more!  Mike and I looked at each other a little puzzled as to where we were going to put it all.  After all the excitement the kids were able to go outside and enjoy the swing set and the beautiful weather we have been having and burn off some energy!

Not only are we so blessed to have such a beautiful, smart, wonderful little girl, we have a lot of family and friends who love and adore her!  Thank you to all of you who helped make Lila's day so special, whether it was attending her birthday party or wishing her a happy birthday from miles away it helped make this her best birthday yet!

The Birthday Circuit!

We have been super busy the past few weeks celebrating some very special birthdays!  A few weeks ago we headed to Des Moines to celebrate Audra's 1st birthday!  What a sweetie she is!  She did much better with her cupcake than Lila did at that age!  They had beautiful weather for a March birthday party and most of the day was spent enjoying the outdoors, who would have thought?! 

Lila was able to spend some quality time with Grandma Smith while we were in Des Moines.  I love that at this age she doesn't discriminate...especially when it comes to beautiful things like flowers (or weeds)! 

On Friday, April 6th we celebrated my dear friend Taylor's birthday.  Her 30th birthday fell on Easter Sunday this year, so we made sure to celebrate a bit early so everyone could be involved.  Friday several of her closest girlfriends surprised her with a limo to take us to lunch and then for a spa day, it was then off to dinner and out for drinks!  We had a fantastic time celebrating!

April 7th marked Mike's 35th birthday!!!  We spent a lazy day as a family, enjoying each other and Mommy spent quite a bit of time making a homemade birthday cake for the birthday boy! 

We had a low-key celebration with Jason, Jen, Celia, Ruby, my Dad, Laura, Carson and Cade!  We have taken total advantage of this wonderful weather and grilled every chance we have gotten.  Jason and Jen prepared a delicious meal for all of us to enjoy!  And of course for dessert we had that delicious cake and some ice cream...and sang "Happy Birthday" to Daddy!

Happy Birthday to you...

We try to make a big deal out of birthdays in our house! It is one day that should be special, just for you! When I was growing up a birthday was a special occasion and I hope to continue that tradition with the people that mean the most! 

Make a wish!

Easter 2012

Our Easter planning started last weekend with some traditional egg dying!  This was Lila's first time to dye eggs, so we were looking forward to see what she thought!

Super excited to get started!

Letting the dye settle!

The drying process!

TA-DA!  The finished product!

This weekend was a busy weekend for us as we had a lot of plans and birthdays to celebrate, but the Easter Bunny didn't forget about Lila!  In fact, the Easter Bunny didn't just come to her house, she got spoiled by that Bunny everywhere she went this weekend!

We woke up this morning to eggs hidden all throughout the house and Lila was quick to be on the hunt!  She found all her eggs and then her big Easter basket hidden in the laundry room behind the door!  Sneaky Rabbit!

A tradition in the Eddins household - Bunny Ears for everyone!

After our morning of Easter surprises we cleaned up and got ready to head to Wayne & Elaine's house for a delicious Easter dinner and even more egg hunting and Easter baskets full of goodies!  Lila is known for giving me a hard time to get a simple photo, as evidenced below...

Our Easter afternoon was wonderfully relaxed!  Lila had a fun time playing with her Aunt Maria and Dan.  The fun included a makeshift racing game with Easter eggs across the kitchen floor!  

We hope your Easter found you surrounded by those you love, making memories, and enjoying this beautiful spring weather!!!