My baby turns 3!

Peter had his first ever family birthday party! While we were all in Texas for Kirsten's wedding we went ahead and had a big bash for him. It was also a great excuse to get together in a no-pressure, no-stress zone after the wedding. It was great to visit with everyone for a few hours and just relax. And Peter had a great birthday!

 And of course he had a Poopy Hat cake (Poopy Hat = Darth Vader. Hoarsly whisper "pooooo-peeeee" a few times and you'll see why Peter calls him Poopy Hat.).

 He was so excited about those candles he blew them out before we'd finished singing to him.

 I had promised Jonathan I would get as many pictures of myself and other people as possible. That was a HUGE promise, I HATE pictures of myself. But I did it. See! I do exist!

 Emma was our unofficial designated photographer. She took some AMAZING pictures of the night. Hopefully she'll share a bunch of them on her blog so I can steal them and post them here. Or maybe she'll just send them my way? *hint*hint*

 At the very last second I told the kids to hop on the couch for a cousin picture. That's all of them on the May side! Look how big they are getting. I can't handle how fast they are growing. Nor can I handle the cuteness. Could there be a more cutely crowded couch??

 These girls were best buds all weekend. At the reception the night before they found each other, grabbed plates of food, and sat at a table together and had giggly girly conversation all night. It was just adorable.

And the aftermath:

 Emma's going to kill me for that photo, but it accurately describes how tired we all were after the evening was over. Haha!

 I can hardly believe that my baby is such a big boy. Three is HUGE!! We've been through a lot over the last few years with him. I am so glad to have him in our family. He is such a happy, jolly little character. He makes me happy all the time, and makes me laugh just as much. He flashes his dimpled grin and I have a hard time saying no to him. I'm so incredibly grateful he is healthy and that we aren't spending so much time in hospitals and with doctors. He scared me so badly last summer. It was a terrifying time, and there are some moments and feelings I never want to repeat. I am so glad he is well! I am so glad he is growing, even if it is so fast! I am so glad he's climbing, and jumping from jungle gyms, and swinging so high, and showing me how strong he is all the time! I am so grateful he is here, my happy, dapper little dude.

Happy birthday, Peter Pumpkin! I love you!