But She Was Still Hungry ...

Elsa's third birthday was Sunday, and it was a blow-out bash, as usual.

I decided to do a theme this year: The Very Hungry Caterpillar, from the classic children's book by Eric Carle. Elsa loves that book, and it certainly suits her, since the caterpillar is, well, always hungry. Here's the invitation to the party:

I may have gone a little overboard with the theme, but I had fun with it.

There's actually Hungry Caterpillar fabric available, so I made this banner ...

... and the table runner.
We had all the food that the caterpillar eats in the book: Salami (actually summer sausage), swiss cheese, giant pickles, cherry pie, swirly rainbow lollipops, ice cream, cupcakes, watermelon, hot dogs, and "nice green leaves" (salad). I think Elsa got a kick out of that. Of course, we had a few additional items as well: Excellent pulled pork and chicken cordon bleu that Bob made in his smoker, plus burgers.

I made a caterpillar cake out of cupcakes, plus one little five-inch cake for the head. I copied this cake that I found on the internet, but I actually think my caterpillar's face turned out cuter! The eyes, antenna, and feet are all made out of pre-made, pre-colored fondant that I bought at Michaels.

Not even Claire could escape the tyranny of my theme. I made her a dress and even found caterpillar rattles for her and Tommy.

But of course, Elsa's favorite part of the weekend was the presents!

This kitchen was Elsa's gift from Bob and me. I remember Ellen and I using our play kitchen A LOT, so I definitely wanted Elsa to have one. But Elsa's does some fun things that mine never did: a burner that "sizzles," a working overhead light, and even a real kitchen clock. Plus, this one's quite compact, which I appreciate, since space is getting tight even in our big playroom.

It was a beautiful afternoon and we opened gifts out on the patio. Here's Elsa checking out her new Madeline tea set from Tom, Tanya, Karina and Tommy—she's already spent hours playing with this tea set.

Also from Tom and Tanya, Elsa got some fun doll accessories. Elsa's baby Carol has been monopolizing Claire's swing and exersaucer recently, so nobody's more thrilled than me that Carol now has her own swing and crib.

Karina got a little upset about not being able to open any presents. But once again Elsa was "going with the flow"–she was perfectly happy to let Karina help her open a few.

Another favorite gift came from Sharon and Heather—this adorable antique doll carriage. Sharon bought it at an estate sale years ago for Heather, who played with it when she was a little girl. So we're very honored that they want us to have it now. We're happy that Elsa and Carol will be giving it another round of love and use.

Then there was this puppy from Katie, which came with a vet kit. Elsa must have been very concerned about the doggy's health, since checking him was the first thing she did when present-opening was done. Looks like we've got another vet on our hands.

Elsa also got this very nice easel from Opa and Grandma Heinrich (shown here the next day, when I eventually got it put together). It has a white board, a chalkboard, and a handy roll of paper that can be pulled down over the white board. The easel also led to one of our favorite lines of the night. As Opa and Grandma were leaving, I said to Elsa, "Tell Opa and Grandma thank you for the wonderful easel." Elsa repeated, "Thank you, Opa and Grandma, for the wonderful easel!" Then she immediately turned to me and said, "Mommy, what's an easel?"

Dinner! Elsa enjoyed eating like a caterpillar.

Elsa blows out the candles. I asked her a few days ago what flavor cake she wanted. She answered, "Caterpillar flavor!" Yummy.

Enjoying her green frosting.

Partying with Karina.

Claire wishes her big sis a happy third, by drooling. (Yes, she's still got the mohawk going.)

Baby stare-down.

We love you, birthday girl! We feel like the luckiest parents on the face of the earth. And thank you to everybody for helping us celebrate. Elsa sends countless hugs and kisses!