Under the Sea

We celebrated "Under the Sea" with Katie turning three on Friday.  It was a lot of extra preparation for me this year, as we decided to have the party at our house and, of course, make her cake.  But it was so much fun!  My mom, Ricky, Gabe, and Megan travelled down on Thursday and were able to help occupy the kids while the cake was baked.  Then, Heather, Kyle, and sweet Sydney came late Thursday evening (after the kids were sleeping).  So, I had lots of help on Friday to get everything ready for the party!  Mark even took off work to help me get all of the last minute details handled. 

We decorated the dining room for the party while the kids napped, so when Katie got up from her nap, she was thrilled at all that she saw!!  This was the first party that we really "decorated".  It was much easier to decorate a smaller area than it would have been to have the party at the church again.  That was one of my main reasons for wanting to have the party here.  And, we think it turned out pretty well...

Several of Katie's friends were unable to come, but she still had a great time!  She and her friends played, colored, tried pinning the flower on Ariel, and loved the Under the Sea ring toss.  More than anything, they enjoyed their time together (and the cake, of course).  The kids were begging for cake from the beginning, so we quickly ate our pizza and started to serve the cake!  But not before the "birthday song" and candles...

And, of course, Katie had {too many} exciting gifts to open and enjoy from all of her sweet family and friends.  It was a great party!  I'm not going to say that I wasn't absolutely exhausted after it was all said and done, but it was worth it every time I saw the excitement in Katie's eyes and heard her {many} "Thank you for my birthday party, Mommy!"  You're welcome, Sweetheart!  We love you, and we will be looking forward to celebrating again with you next year :)