The Par-Tay Day

So my follow-up to Emma's 3rd birthday party is long overdue, I'm well aware. Thanks so much for making me feel guilty everyone... Okay, BUBBIE B. But the fact of the matter is, I'm just too damn tired to blog these days. I wish I could blame it on a faulty thyroid, but no... And it's not even lack of sleep. It's just... unruly children? No... they're great. Loud, sure. But pretty easy. Family problems? Absolutely. Oh... I dunno. Perhaps I'm just a tad whiny today. Anyhow, it's about all I can do to keep their fingers out of the electical outlets. Well, just Michael. Emma fortunately has zero interest in seeing her hair stand on end.

All that being said, I'll re-cap Emma's party quickly, and mostly by way of photos. Thank God for photos... they make wordless blogs much more worthwhile.

So I know I told you all that her party was held at a very out-of-the-way Pumpkin Farm, and that I made everyone drive way the hell out of their way so we could have an authentic Dress-Up Halloween-type bash... and that we did! Sadly, it was FREEZING outside! Just the day before it was like 80 degrees, then... BAM! Like straight down to 50. Which normally would have been quite pleasant had we just been coming OUT of winter, but this being the VERY FIRST COLD DAY of the season, made it that much colder. On the bright side, it didn't rain. And it was supposed to. That would be my glass-half-full take on the situation.

And without further adue, may I present you with Princess Emma-La:



Don't mind the Princess' unfortunate hair-do.. For some reason, Jeff took it upon himself to brush out all her curls, then put the hood on her jacket on, so she ended up with a very bad hair day. Why people without curls insist on style the hair of people with curls I'll never know... Clearly, they haven't got a clue!! Fortuntely Auntie Lori was there with her emergency hair band & piled it up in an oh-so-almost-chic messy ponytail.

Here's my little spider-boy, stuffed in a wheelbarrel:



Then, thinking he was so cute in there, I made Emma get in too. I jumped in behind and it made a surprisingly nice family shot... Okay, fine. It's a good shot of me, nevermind that neither kid is actually looking at the camera.



Take a look-see at Baby Alexandria... Can you believe the cuteness of this kid?



Here she is with her mother, my sister, aka Auntie Lori:



And some more of Michael... cuz his costume rocked my world. Seriously. It did.





Here is the honorable mention roll of some of Emma's oh-so-cute friends:

Hunter:



Madison:



Shayne:



Briar: (if I had known about this name before I named Emma Emma, I would have totally fought for it... LOVE IT! Probably doesn't hurt that she is stinkin' GORGEOUS!)



Here is Jeff, Michael, and Jeff's sister Lisa on the wagon/hay ride thing that came included in the party package. It's pretty much the only photo I took on the ride cuz it was kinda really bumpy. More just like proof that it was part of the party for future memories. Or something like that.



Michael, enjoying cake with his peeps:



And, of course, the all-important CAKE PHOTO-OP:







We decided to open presents at home. For a couple reasons, but mostly cuz when a three-year-old starts opening, and hits upon one she REALLY likes, all others get pushed to the side. Then everything grinds to a halt. And when you only have the party room for two-hours, this poses a problem... (speaking of which, next year I may need to solicit someone for their condo party room... hint, hint...)

It seems this was, once again, the Year of Dora. Clearly, Emma was disappointed.



Dora board games, colouring books, story books, and how can I forget, the FOUR FOOT TALL INFLATABLE DORA PUPPET THEATRE! Thank you Auntie Lori! Don't be surprised when I come over with a do-it-yourself-ginger bread house!

The other big theme this year was dress-up - by way of nightgowns (cuz my daughter no longer wears pajamas), dresses, tiaras, and jewlery.

Here she is moments after after opening some such gifts:



And, finally, here she is after decking herself out in an outfit that came in her new "treasure chest" of costumes. Dare I say it, but don't you think she resembles an 80-year-old hooker in Miami? I'm just sayin'...