Ainsley's 3rd Birthday!

On Saturday April 2nd, we celebrated Ainsley's 3rd birthday with a ladybug party in the backyard! This was her first "friend party". We invited 6 kids from her Sunday School class, 4 boys and 2 girls, and they all came! Here are the invitations I made. I found a sample online and took it to the scrapbook store in town, where the owner helped me get started. This one got something spilled on it, but I guess it will work for her scrapbook.

When we decided to do a ladybug party, my mom remembered that she'd made a ladybug cake for one of my birthdays. She found the recipe and some pictures from the party, and sure enough, it was from my 3rd birthday! I had never made a cake before, but I decided I wanted to try this one. My mom and I made a practice cake about a week before the party. The decorating was a little tricky but we learned what to do to make it easier the next time. Thursday night before the party Mitch and I made the cake and I decorated it on Friday.

Julie sent me instructions on how to make a banner like the one they used at Shepherd's party. I spent a few hours at the scrapbook store working on that and got each letter ready. Guy and Julie came over Friday to help us prepare and they hung it over the table for us.

Mitch worked very hard to get the back yard ready and it looked nice. Ainsley "helped" him water the plants on Friday. Here she is in pjs and rain boots, watering the concrete.

I had a friend make Ainsley a birthday shirt. Her little boy, Miles, came to the party. I thought the shirt was so cute!



The weather was perfect and all the kids played well together and behaved ~ it was a great party! We set up a few games for them to play like croquet (which we don't know how to play), ring toss, and the bean bag toss. We had out the little slide, the tricycle, some colors and ladybug coloring sheets, sidewalk chalk and the bubble machine. Mitch drew a ladybug on a poster board and we cut out black circles for them to play "pin the spot on the ladybug" (Mitch ran Ainsley into the tree). We kept it simple but they just ran around and had fun.



I wrote (or tried to write) "Happy Birthday Ainsley" in sidewalk chalk on the patio. The guests had already started arriving and I was in a hurry. I didn't even realize until someone pointed it out that I left out a letter. Someone corrected it for me.

We served some of Ainsley's favorite foods: goldfish, pretzels, fruit, red and black M&Ms and cake. My mom made some cupcakes as well.

Ainsley got some very nice presents from her sweet friends and family. Books, toys, art supplies, two dresses, two bows, two aprons, a swimsuit and flip flops, a bubble mower, an umbrella . . . She has loved all her new things.

It was a great weekend and we enjoyed having Guy and Julie here with us. The kids started a game the first night we were together, where they would chase each other up and down the long hall at GG's house. They laughed and laughed.   The cousins had a great time together and we were glad to have Guy and Julie's help and company for the weekend.