the little princess's 3rd birthday

our little nahe girl turned 3 on august 30th (yes, about a month ago).  and for some reason i always feel under the impression that a simple family party will be just that - simple.  but when you have a husband with 10+ siblings, around 16 little nieces and nephews, it calculated to almost 40 people in the end.  and i know that's still not a whole lot of peeps, but i'm not one for party-planning in the first place.

and then i get caught up in these thoughts of extravagant pinterest party ideas...that are basically impossible or too much of a hassle to execute.  so we end up with streamers and balloons and a homemade sign that is printed out from the computer an hour before the party starts.  oh well, mission kinda sorta accomplished...we're having a party!  cheeeee hoooooo!!!

in the rush to get things finalized - I realize that I didn't even brush the birthday girl's hair before the guests arrived.  firrred.

that's right - we even had a professional balloon animal artist (because technically i paid the 14 year old for her services).



party planning is a lot of work.  teeny tiny details from tablecloths and strawberries for the cake, to larger details such making sure the shoyu chicken gets cooked.   needless to say, i sent Brandon to the store twice to get the detailed odds and ends that i forgot.  and while i cooked and prepped, he cleaned and ran errands here and there.  and then in the frenzied madness of everything, we missed taking pics of major moments of the party: blowing out of birthday candles, the piñata bashing, the yummy spread we devoured, the beautiful pink strawberry cake, the table full of gifts, and all the wonderful family and friends that made it all so much more meaningful.

but in the end, i think we all had a good time.  once everybody went home and all the leftover food was given away, i literally plopped on the couch and zonked out.  there was absolutely nothing left in me.

and it was worth it...this little monster - is worth it all.