birthday girl!

we celebrated tyler's birthday with a fun trip to the city this year! i had the living room decorated in the morning when she woke up. i was attempting to be a cute mom this year, and i have to say that i know now that my talents lie elsewhere!





we are trying to break the thumb habit - and the best part is most of the time she's got her thumb in her mouth and her finger resting in her nose! she doesn't pick it, so i don't know why its more comfortable that way, but it sure looks great in pictures doesn't it???











why do we use ribbon on presents? its always the most frustrating part for kids!





she got a princess dress and shoes so of course we had to put it on right away. i loved the little toes peeking out!








my two boys waiting patiently for their food at lunch :) this shot cracked me up!





the servers brought tyler a dessert and sang to her. she was talking to everyone before that, but as soon as she got all the attention - she wasn't a fan! but isn't this the coolest dessert ever? it was VERY messy!








we went to the national park near the city later in the day, and the kids loved hiking around and running through tunnels.











i saved the cake for the end of the day, and she was SO EXCITED about it! it turned out okay, but NOTHING like the picture, and had it not been for my patient husband who helped me put it together, i would have been tempted to dispense with the cake altogether. this was by far the hardest part of my "cute mom" idea! :)











the day was hard for us parents, but the kids had a blast, so it was all worth it!