Pressing Rewind | Emerson's 3rd Birthday Party

I'm really playing catch-up here, hence the Pressing Rewind post (stolen from my friend, Kelly)....the funny thing is, I've had this post written for about 8 months, but it just needed some finishing touches!!  I finally got the time to add them in.

Yes, my friends, you read that right....THIRD Birthday!!  I'm trying to catch-up .  I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't post about Emerson's 4th Birthday until I finally blogged about her third birthday, I mean it's only been 24 months since the party!!  But now I have to post about both the third and fourth birthdays, before her fifth (which, coincidentally, is tomorrow).  So, I will get her third done before her birthday and the fourth will be done before her party on Saturday!!  So without further ado...Emerson's Third Birthday Party.

We celebrated at school on July 9th and I did manage to post about her actual birthday on the blog here. Of course I had another birthday shirt created by *Golden* and the kids munched on adorable ice cream cupcakes (to match the theme) created by Target.  Emerson was super excited, when she got home from school, to find her new swing set (too bad the video cut off in the middle).  I assure you, her reaction was priceless!!  Next up, the official party....

So, the next day, now, Two Julys ago, on July 10th (2010), we celebrated Emerson's 3rd Birthday with an Ice Cream Shoppe theme.  I had originally planned (yes, years in advance) to produce Emerson's Candy Shoppe.  But, after much internal deliberation, I decided two-and-three-year-olds with candy filled glass apothecary jars probably wasn't a smart idea.  So instead, we created Emerson's Ice Cream Shoppe, which was perfect for the HOT, July afternoon.

As always, I planned every detail and had so much fun doing so.  I love putting kid's parties together, and if I thought I could make any money doing it, I'd start my own business!!!  Emerson's Ice Cream Shoppe was a huge success.  The kids had a great time playing on Emerson's new swing set (a birthday present the day before from Daddy, Grammy, Papa, Mimi, Birdie and me).  Each child got a turn whacking at the ice cream pinata and eventually scurring on the ground for candy when Mr. Dale cracked it open.  And of course, everyone loved eating lots and lots of ice cream and cake!! All-in-all another great birthday party...

Check out the video below for all the birthday fun!!

The Invitation

(I bought the shell from a website and then designed the wording and layout)

Outdoor Decor

(Loved the ice cream cones I made to hang on the porch)

The Food

(BBQ Sandwiches, Chick-Fil-A nuggets, fruit, chips, and all the fixin's)

The Toppings

(all toppings fit for a great sundae, even the dipped cones that I had so much fun making)

The Cupcake Cones

(I loved these cupcake cones I made, but they all toppled onto the floor right before the guests arrived.  At least I got pictures, first!!)

The Cake

(I absolutely LOVED this cake...it was exactly what I wanted and so cute!!!)

The Favors

(Who doesn't need a drip stopper for all their ice cream cones and popsicles??)

The Printables

(Of course, TomKat Studio did a great job on matching printables to my invite)

Untitled from Brooke Dever on Vimeo.

Thank you to these great vendors:
Invitation Shell - Polka Dots and Pirates
Printing and Wording Design - ME!!!
Party Printables - The TomKat Studio
Birthday Cake and Favor Cookies - Abigail's Bake Shop (no longer in business)
Photography - JAM Photography
Favors - Amazon.com
Pinata - Birthday in a Box (.com)

Holiday Festivities | Christmas Day

Ugh...am I really still blogging about Christmas...HA!!  Here we go, again!

Christmas Day, 2011
Christmas Morning

We woke up Christmas morning ready to open some presents.  It's funny, I remember waking up as a child, super early on Christmas morning and waking my parents up, excited for the morning.  Emerson, not so much.  It seems like each year, she sleeps in longer-and-longer.  I think this year it was 8:15 am before we heard her stirring.  (Not that I'm complaining!!!)

After she woke up, we headed downstairs for our traditional picture on the stairs, then called her into the living room so she could see what Santa brought her.  The video in the post below, shows her reaction.  It also shows her traditional examining of the cookies left for Santa and also, the traditional eating of the cookies.

Christmas Morning, 2011 from Brooke Dever on Vimeo.

Checking out the goodies from Santa.

A new hula hoop!!

The best gift...her new PINK bike!!!

Opening some presents from Mommy and Daddy!!

New Dance Apparel

A Boogie Board for drawing

New bathing suits for swim lessons

Puzzles - the Solar System, Alphabet Train, and a United States map.

A jewelry box

Hogan getting a few presents of his own.

A bag full of goodies - a crown, some jewelry, leg warmers, etc. 

A Crayola pen for the Ipad

A new jacket

....and a Rockette Barbie Doll!!!!

...oh, and then there's the stocking!!

Hogan had a few more presents to open!!

Brunch at Mimi and Birdie's

We spent some time with Mimi and Birdie at their house on Christmas morning.  It was time for some present opening, fun and of course, a great brunch made by Mimi.  She always has my favorite, breakfast casserole....yummy!!  Emerson got a (prank) Justin Beiber toothbrush, some pajamas, a craft kit, and a drum set, along with a few other goodies.  Take a guess what her favorite gift was?

Do we have a budding photographer in our family??

A little biking between Christmas events.

Christmas Dinner 

Christmas night, we had everyone over to our house for a laid back evening of baked spaghetti, salad, and bread...and a little wine.  Ed brought the silly string from the night before and an all-out silly string war ensued.  It was lots of fun and EVERYONE got in on the action.

Silly string was everywhere.  I'm pretty sure I am still finding it in places around the house.  

Gabby made herself comfy on the couch....so sweet!!

Hogan made his way to the couch as well, but he had different intentions.  He buried himself behind Birdie, away from the silly string mayhem.

As if they hadn't played enough all night, the boys headed outside with Emerson for some throwing lessons.  

Wow, what a great holiday we had.  It's always nice to spend time with family, especially those we don't get to see often.  We are truly blessed with such wonderful lives.  The holidays really make you appreciate it, but I need to make it a point to remember it daily!  We hope everyone had a great holiday....until next year!