This has officially been a week-long birthday celebration. Today, however, was the big day and we enjoyed every moment of Vivienne “turning 3”. Warning: I *may* have posted far too many pictures, but I wanted to embrace you into our May 24th as much as I could.

As per tradition, Ryan and I greeted a fuzzy-haired little girl with a birthday song. She had her own performance of her own prepared: two little birthday birds singing from one hand to the other looking for a worm from… me!

 

Check out this morning’s adorable birthday outfit. And the conversation that accompanied it:

 

Vivienne: “Does this slip help me not to slip?”

 

Mommy: “No, this is another kind of slip that goes underneath a dress.”

 

Vivienne: “Woops! I slipped!”

 

 

This amazingly dazzled bike is a gift from Ryan’s co-worker. Her daughter is one of Vivienne’s “big sisters”.

These flapping hands indicate just how excited Vivienne was to be the birthday girl!

 

 

And this is just a CRAAZZY photo that I had to include.

 

 

 In front of our neighbors’ highly coveted flower garden.

 

 

 

We took a family walk to the park… where Vivienne performed dances both in the sand and on the wood.

 

 

“Where was Ryan?” you may ask. Well, he was with us and he was having a great time, I promise, but you’d never know it from the one picture I took of him. He’s next on my photo-shoot list. Look for his spunky side in a near-future post. In the meantime, watch out for the guy wearing a Baby Bjorn at the park!

 

 

In the afternoon, we celebrated a “Blue Birthday” with Ryan’s side of the family. In honor of Vivienne’s favorite color, we  – rather, Dad-Award-Ryan – blew up plenty of blue balloons…

 

 

…and enjoyed a blueberry shortcake on a blue-checkered table cloth

 

 

The invitation read “Wear Blue”. Grandmom and Lia just happened to don the same shade!

 

 

A happy little birthday girl!

 

See that cardboard purse? It was THE HIT of the day. I’m surprised she’s not sleeping with it tonight.

 

 

After the party, we headed down to the Memorial Day Parade in which there were approximately 1,000,ooo,000 baton twirlers of all ages, shapes, and sizes. In fact, the Memorial Day Board of Trustees might be considering renaming the parade “The many-aged-shaped-and-sized-BATON TWIRLING Day Parade”.  Apparently, baton twirling is the thing to do around here. Find out how you can twirl a baton, too.

Here are three kids intent on the next candy-throwing fire truck…

 

…or some sweet moves by a faux Nittany Lion

 

 

After the parade, we stopped by the carnival for a funnel cake. Vivienne played her first carnival game…

Focusing:

 

 

Skillfully choosing three ducks:

 

 

Winning A TOTALLY AMAZING BLUE AND GREEN CATERPILLAR.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, VIVIENNE!