Charlotte's Birthday in Pictures



In light of our upcoming cross-country flight to Palm Springs, we had an airplane theme. The pink decorations are clearance-section Christmas decor that I got at Target for 90% off (which means that whole look cost me a whopping $2.40). The runner is from Charlotte's cocktail party (last year) that her Nana made her. Bummer you can't see the bejeweled embellishments on the ends. 

Planes. I bought a plane template (intended for quilting, I think) from an Etsy vendor, then I cut these from scrapbook paper.

And used them to decorate.

It took two tries, but I finally got a made-from-scratch pink plane cake. After plane failure #1 (cake stuck in wings), I told Chris cake #2 was coming out of a box. He begged me to try again from scratch, so I did. It's not the most beautiful cake, but goodness, it's insanely yummy.

For dinner, Charlotte got her favorite: Chicken nuggets.

Opening her first gift.

Light-up Sketchers! I've been waiting to give these to her for ages.

Her "big" gift from Mommy and Daddy was a portable DVD player. Again, we've got that long flight ahead of us. . . . She also got a Handy Manny DVD to go with it.

We gave her the Tiana doll she had pined for at Christmastime, but we mean parents had said no . . . .

And Uncle Jason, in an act of retribution, gave Charlotte a drum and rhythm set. (We gave our niece one about 5 years ago, and he promised payback. And of course she LOVES it.)

Omi and Grandpa got into the spirit of the airplane theme and gave Charlotte some plane picture books and this talking airplane toy.

Obviously, a hit.

Blowing out candles.

Cake! Note the use of the left hand for feeding. Hmmmm.

On the night of her actual birthday, we opend Round 2 of gifts after we all got home from school and work. The school informed me that all the kids sang "Happy Birthday" to Charlotte during circle time, and she was SO proud to wear her new twinkle toe shoes to school. She was a smidge tired at the point of this picture, but she insisted on putting on the pink jacket her Omi sent her. And, well, the blanket.

A happy, low-key, family-oriented birthdy for our girl. Maybe next year we'll throw an actual party. I want to do pony rides in the backyard, but SOMEBODY (who came up with no other options for a rural-area, late-January party) doesn't want his lawn screwed up. I've got one year to convince him . . . .