Fiona Turns 3!

On November 18, Fiona turned 3 years old. This sounds like a cliche until you've lived it, but we don't know where the time went. We know she's 3, though, because this age already promises to usher in some lovely changes: fewer tantrums, more responsibility, a greater sense of herself as an independent "big girl." (If this sounds like code for "we're giving her more chores to do around the house, and so far she's liking it," that's not far off!)

Here is Fiona on her first day of life:
Here she is eating breakfast (chocolate chip bagels!) on her birthday morning with Campbell:

There were some lovely gifts from family and friends. Her "big ticket" gift from us was a pink guitar, which she's been requesting the past 6 months.

Later that same morning, Fiona shared a cake with her preschool class.
And even later, she shared ANOTHER cake (following a delicious dinner in a Chinese restaurant) with Grandmommy & Granddaddy, recently returned from China.

Campbell was quick to pick up on the benefits of a sibling's birthday: everyone gets cake!

But that wasn't all! Fiona's birthday party with her friends was 2 days later. This year, Fiona had a very specific vision for her birthday. It was to be a "Sleeping Beauty party at our home with the girls dressed like princesses and the boys dressed in suits." We indulged some of that vision. During his recent visit, Boom had worked during naptime to create this amazing castle out of discarded boxes. Here's how it looked after we set it up on the eve of Fiona's party:
And here's how it looked when our girls discovered it the next morning:

Six of Fiona's friends (and assorted younger siblings) arrived for the party (the boys were NOT required to wear suits, although they all did look dapper). Everyone enjoyed playing in the castle, and Fiona was delighted to find a Prince Charming behind one door!

Everyone decorated their own crown.
And then we played "Pin the Crown on the Princess."
As per Fiona's request, the Evil Fairy Maleficent (i.e. Mommy) put in an appearance to place a "No Cake!" curse on the party, unless the guests all solved some challenging riddles by the Wise Wizard (i.e. Daddy).
That mission accomplished, we could all enjoy some cake!
Happy Birthday, Fiona! We love you very much and can't wait to see what the coming year holds.