Cora's 3rd Birthday

As of 2 weeks ago, I am the proud momma of a 3-year-old!

Obligatory yearly chair-with-elephant photo

Semi-obligatory comparison photo collage
(I would also like to point out that the chair was never in the same place for each of these)

Of course we had a party. It was Minnie-Mouse themed.

Dollar Tree helium balloons for life

Not enough characters to do alliteration like last year, but I just made it work

Pensive birthday girl

A bow-shaped cake (and a mom/baker who needs to invest in a real cakeboard)

She managed to blow out exactly ZERO candles and Mom and Dad had to step in to help

We also did a 'pin the ring on Minnie' game that I found at Party City. We only had a few kids there (we use her birthday as an excuse to have wine and invite B's aunts and uncles over/one of her besties was sick), and I didn't get any pictures of the kids playing it. But she got a princess dress-up kit, and that was a hit.

See? Even her grandma was excited

I decided that 3 years old was a great time to start yearly interviews, and I ended up asking her these questions about once a day for a few days because she basically answered with whatever was in front of her face the first time around. 

Height: 38 ¾" (85th percentile)

Weight: 36 lbs. (90th percentile)

Nicknames: Honeybunch
What is your favorite color? Purple (based on what she wears, it's pink, but she said purple)
What is your favorite animal? butterfly
What is your favorite book? the Jasmine one
What is your favorite TV show/movie? Minnie
What is your favorite song? Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
What is your favorite food? cottage cheese
What is your favorite drink? milk
What is your favorite breakfast food? oatmeal
What is your favorite snack? graham crackers
What is your favorite outfit? heart dress (it's really just a tunic)
What is your favorite game? the Hello Kitty one (she just got it for her birthday)
Who is your best friend? changes between Londyn and Izzy (both daycare friends)
What is your favorite thing to do? "ummmm... I don't know"
What is your favorite thing to do outside? swing
What is your favorite holiday? Christmas (she's still not quite sure what a holiday is)
What do you like to take to bed with you at night? soft kitty
Where is your favorite place to go? daycare, Grandma's house
What do you want to be when you grow up? a doctor
What did you do on your birthday? had a party, blew the candles on the cake
What is your favorite prayer? Thankful Heart (from VeggieTales, but her daycare modified it into a grace before meals)

At her daycare a few weeks back, they had asked all the kids in her class what they want to be when they grow up. Then they taped it on their locker. Her answer has changed since then, thankfully . . .

Aaand one more picture of the birthday girl, for posterity's sake:

Saying "cheese" while eating 'toasty cheese'