Party Time! Ashley's 3!

When did she grow so big? Our little Ashley turned 3 on June 22nd! She is wonderful and an absolute joy in our family. We had a party with our family on June 21st to celebrate. (She was born only 29 minutes after the 21st or just barely into the 22nd, so we didn't feel bad celebrating a day early).

Ashley chose to have a Clifford the Big Red Dog party. It makes sense because she adores dogs! 

Unfortunately, Clifford isn't very popular anymore and is out of print. But, we made it work with all things red, I made a doggie cake and doggie cupcakes, and we covered the walls with printed up pictures of Clifford and tons of pictures of Ashley from birth to now.

My cupcakes took forever and they were pretty adorable.

There was no Clifford or Doggie Pinata at the party store, which was fine with Ashley since her second choice for a party theme was Dinosaur. She was super happy to choose a green dinosaur/dragon. 

Serious face McGoo! She loves to do that face when she's performing. She also loves to be announced, like: drum roll...here comes Ashley Rebecca Price! 

Andrew did a great job all week of understanding that it was Ashley's party and that everything would revolve around her. He's growing up a lot too. 

It was hard to blow out the candles with a mouth full of Starburst. 

 When she opened the first presents she said, Oh it's a puppy, I love it. It's just what I needed. Then after every present she said things like It's just what I needed, It's just what I always wanted, or It's just what I've been needing. It was hilarious. 

 The home run gifts were the vet set from Nana, sets of the puppies and kitties, and books from Gma Suzanne, Jars of Pickles (a favorite treat) from cousins, teddy bear from Andrew, and Bubble Lawnmower, Kung Fu Panda DVD, talking Toy Story Rex, and coloring books and crafts from mom and dad. The strike out gifts were the really cute princess dress up and purse from mom and dad. We tried. After presents we had an outdoor movie on a big screen and loved spending time with our cousins and family. What a party! 

 My 3 year old eating breakfast on her Birthday!

She had fun all day playing with her new things. 

 When Ashley first opened the lawn mower Andrew said, "I want one of those, but that's OK, I can share." And he has spent a lot of time 'sharing' it. 

 That night we had a fun BBQ get together because my dear friend Andrea and her family were in town for a super short trip. It was so fun and I was reminded of how much I love my high school friends and how great it is to be together! 

All that partying plus the regular fun of long summer days in the sun, sprinklers, and pools made for a tired little girl. It caught up to her the very next day and Miss Ashley zonked out while coloring.  

We ended our Party week with a Movie in our backyard with friends in the neighborhood. It was Ashley's chance to have another party with neighborhood kids, without throwing another birthday party, we called it her Tangled Party. We watched Tangled, ate yummy treats, and stayed up late so it was super fun! I was pleasantly surprised by the great turnout, all in all I counted 25 kids and their parents. 

There is so much to say about Ashley. She came into the world in a hurry, and she hasn't slowed down yet! She is sweet, sweet, sweet and I love her endlessly. She is a best friend to me and I love to be with her. She makes me laugh all the time, she is crazy, brave and wild, she is happy, sweet and kind, she is smart, talkative and imitative, she is polite, lovable and friendly, she is fun, funny, silly and ticklish, she is independent, curious and a wanderer, she loves animals, especially dogs, she loves going places and having adventures, she loves reading books together, cuddling, and sneaking into mom and dad's bed. She loves bugs, digging in the dirt, playing with water, taking tubs, trampolines, cooking, tackling, jumping in puddles, wearing rain boots, riding bikes, playing outside, climbing dangerously, jumping from high places, cousins, friends and nursery. She is a good sharer, a good friend and thoughtful of others. Her voice is the cutest; it is like a cute little chipmunk and yet so loud; she just loves to sing and she always speaks her mind. She gives the best tight hugs. She doesn't do well with cold, having her hair brushed, or being happy and nice if she is tired or hungry. She was an absolutely terrific 2 and now a tremendous 3. Ashley  is sunshine. Beautiful inside and out. Happy 3rd Birthday darling Ashley!