The birthday party started outside with Jillian playing in her tunnels:


Thank you to Mason's daddy, Brad, for taking this adorable picture of Jillian! (and many other pics throughout this post!)


Thanks to Kate's mommy, Erin, for taking this cute picture!


After I reminded Jillian about what fun she has getting in and out of the individual tunnels, there was no stopping her! (The wind was really strong so they weren't staying together as a unit so well)


Kate got in on the fun, too! I suggested some tunnel races, but I don't think they ever, officially "caught on"...


Mitch didn't seem to mind posing for a few pics while hanging out in the play area!

My mom showed up after a bit, and like all the other guests, she came to the party through the back gate...unlike all of the other guests, I didn't make it to her in time before she set her gift on a table outside (I was trying to bring gifts inside as guests arrived)...


Jillian exclaimed, "PONIES" and thought that it was gift-opening time...I quickly realized that this would be an excellent time to try a game, so as to post-pone gift-opening till later, when we could go inside...


Richard and I started preparing "Pin the Rainbow on Cheer Bear" for the kiddos...



Picture of Cheer Bear before being "decorated"


As you'll see, each child had a rainbow with their name on it...


Jillian placing hers on the board...(Kate was the only child that would let us cover her eyes with a bandana...we think that she could still see out from under it, since she put her rainbow almost exactly where it was supposed to go) :)

It ended up really cute, having all the kids' names all over Cheer Bear - they each got to just put it wherever they wanted. And voila! Gift-opening crisis (in a windy backyard) averted!


Neighbors next to "Pin the Rainbow on Cheer Bear" ... Heather, Cameron, and Caree (also a neighbor) - maybe they're talking about what a great job Richard did with drawing Cheer Bear??? ;)


Even though Dad and Cathy weren't able to make it to the party (they had an out of town commitment and we'll be celebrating Jillian's birthday with them this next weekend), they were there with us in spirit...and in lawn chairs, tables, and a pavilion! Translation: we were able to borrow some outdoor stuff from Dad!


A rare shot of Olivia not swinging! Love the outfit!


Karen, Olivia, and Aaron coloring Care Bears pages as a family :)



Jillian hangin' out in the fort portion of the play area :)





Thank you, again, Brad, for adorable pictures like the one above! LOVE IT!!!


Jillian's birthday outfit :)

After a while, we decided it was time for cake...we brought it outside...




...and decided that it was just too darn windy!

So inside it was!


(Yes, that's 4 candles...you have to have "one to grow on"!!!)




Jillian sitting through the Birthday Song...


Try as I might, the child just didn't show much interest in blowing out the candles. She just kept saying she wanted to eat the cake with a spoon! So Richard and I "helped" her blow the candles out and proceeded to cut the cake for everyone...


It was the first time I've tried this cake recipe for a large birthday cake, rather than for a bundt cake...Jillian and her guests still seemed to like it! In fact, Jillian was insistent upon finishing her cake before heading outside to eat with the other guests...we eventually convinced her that she could continue eating out there with everyone else...





Jillian enjoyed her Care Bears birthday cake, while Olivia colored some Care Bears pictures :)

A while later, I asked Jillian if she was ready to go in and open presents. Her response? "No. I need to finish my cake." What?! What child needs to finish cake before opening presents? It was a huge piece or anything? I think Jillian must have just been relishing every little, teeny-tiny bite!

We somehow convinced her that she could finish the cake later, but that we needed to keep things going and move on to the next "event" of opening gifts...

So, first thing's first.
Back to Grandma's gift to Jillian:

A singing Care Bears Birthday Card...

and a trike!

Jillian was super excited to get a trike and kept asking for Daddy to put it together. Somehow, we managed to move on...

Grandmom, Granddad, & Christopher (Richard's family) got Jillian the most adorable, talking My Little Pony, named "Pinkie Pie" - this thing is SO cute when it announces, "I'm PINKie Pie!!! I LOVE to crawl!" The funny thing is, Jillian kept kissing the pony after it would say, "Chase me, mommy! Chase me!" We finally realized that it actually does sound like, "Kiss me, Mommy, kiss me!" We tried to explain to her what she's saying, but she still insists on kissing her. It's pretty cute...but even cuter when Pinkie Pie says, "I love you, Mommy," and Jillian immediately says, "I love you, too!"

They also got Jillian and electronic drum set...you might remember that last Christmas, they got her a standard drum set. No, I don't think it's a coincidence...Granddad used to play drums, and so did Daddy. Daddy no longer has his drum set(s), so it was understandable later after everyone left when Jillian actually thought these new drums were Daddy's and that "he's so nice to share his drums!" Richard felt bad that she thought this and made certain that she knew that they are HER drums :) I'd be lying, though, if I said that I don't often hear him in there, goin' to town on some serious drumming! Catching him in the act is hilarious!


Lots more present-opening...and much like last year, it's not a fast process. Jillian is pretty tame when it comes to rippin' into gifts! We're working on it...maybe she wants to be gentle with the paper to save it for future use? We've tried telling her and showing her that she can just go nuts and rip into it, but she's very dainty and delicate about it all...









After so many pictures of Jillian at her birthday party, Mason's Daddy finally managed to get a cute pic of his little one :)


Thanks for a great birthday party, everyone!


It was super fun and we loved having so many wonderful friends and family help up celebrate Jillian turning 3!!!

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