A Pink Party to Celebrate '3'

I'm not entirely sure how we've arrived at this milestone, but our sweet girl is 3! She was rather insistent on having a pink party, so on Saturday evening we did just that. With the exception of a few paper products, balloons and a bunch of fifty-cent tin pails, I was able to use things we had around the house for the decorations. We invited some close friends, grilled burgers, and enjoyed a lovely Colorado evening in our backyard!

We took a little self-portrait before the festivities. Miraculously, Truett went to sleep ten minutes before the guests arrived and didn't wake up until we had started to clean up. Have I mentioned what a sweet baby he is?

We borrowed the tent and a couple tables...if only we knew of someone with a pink tent!

I tend to put way too much pressure on myself in the food arena for these types of events. This time we kept it simple, and it was perfect! We grilled burgers, and had watermelon and a couple different kinds of chips. Dessert was cupcakes and cake-pops with ice-cream. We served pink lemonade in canning jars with pink straws. [Of course!]

I wonder why beverages taste so much better when served in cute vessels?

We hung balloons from the ceiling. I borrowed the idea from Lindsey. [If you ever need some brilliant party inspiration, check out her blog. She does some amazing things!] I made the streamers with paper I had on hand.

All the kids made foot-print butterflies. The girls made pink ones, and I had blue paint on had for the lucky gentlemen in attendance!

Maren and her guests...

Gauging on the popularity of the pinata this time around, I'm likely to include one in all subsequent parties. The kids LOVED it, which made it well-worth the work. I'll share more about my pinata project later this week.

Sometimes I wish I could freeze Maren right here in time. She is so full of joy, is a wonderful friend and hostess, and appreciates life to the fullest. We asked people not to bring gifts this year, as Maren has no need for any more toys. She didn't mind it one bit...a few bags of candy in a cardboard '3' was enough of a treat to last the entire evening. Seriously...look at that face!

Maren's face was priceless while we were singing to her before she blew out the candles. She was beaming from ear to ear with a hint of bashfulness thrown in for good measure. Clearly I was paying more attention to the plate of flaming cupcake than I was to the state of Maren's attire. This is the last time she'll ever be allowed to display that much skin at a party! *wink*

Is there anything better than birthday (cup)cake and ice-cream?

I have grand plans to actually pay a professional to take a good family picture of us...but that won't happen until later this fall. For now, this will have to do. Truett made an appearance for the last few minutes of the party...just in time to garner a few ooh's and ahh's from the ladies before they headed home for the evening. He's quite the little charmer!