Jillian's Birthday Party

Princess Jillian celebrated her 3rd birthday this weekend with a princess birthday party. Her best friends came to help her celebrate, and everyone had a great time. We had the party at our house, and there were 5 little girls, 2 little boys, and lots of grown-ups. We borrowed a "kid table" from the kids' old school, so the little princesses were able to eat and play at their own table, which they loved. All the girls dressed up like their favorite princess - we had 3 Cinderellas, an Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), and a Barbie princess. Sadly, Aurora didn't stay long - she is our neighbor, and not used to such big crowds (and afraid of men), so she wasn't having much fun. Her mom took her home, but we saved a piece of cake for her, which we took to her house later.

We had tons of fun decorations - a pink Princess banner hung on the front door so everyone would know where Princess Jillian lives, and there was a Princess banner on the wall in the living room. We cooked hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill, with chips and fruit.
Once all the princess had arrived, they started their party project. They each colored a little canvas bag with a princess on it. While they were busy with that, the boys (Jake and his buddy Lincoln) colored their prince crowns. Jillian, of course, colored Cinderella.

After they finished coloring, they played with stickers. I think everyone in the room had a princess sticker on by the time they were finished.
Jillian found a pair of Cinderella gloves. She thought they were for her, but they belonged to one of the other girls. She sure was excited to try them on though.

The real owner of the gloves decided she wanted them back as soon as she saw Jillian wearing them!

Jillian and her friend Hannah! (They were both wearing the exact same costume.)

Jake enjoyed coloring his crown, and he even left it on for more than a few seconds.

Time to eat! Each girl got her own Princess sport bottle for their drinks. I know Jillian thought it was cool, and the other girls enjoyed them too. Jake was MAD that he didn't have a sport bottle, and got really angry when I tried to give him his sippy cup that he'd been using all day. I felt bad for him, so I let him go to the sippy cupboard and pick out a fun one.

Jillian's favorite teachers, Miss Jeannie and Miss Ros, were able to come to the party. Jillian talked for weeks about inviting them, and she was so happy that they came. All the girls at the party met at school, so it was nice for their teachers to be able to come. We all love Miss Jeannie and Miss Ros.

The two best friends, Jillian and Yasmine!

And the third Ya Ya Girl, Hannah! (We didn't plan for them all to be Cinderella, but I was happy it turned out that way...)
And Hailey, the Barbie princess. Lincoln is in the background, loving being around this many girls! (Actually, I think he kind of hated it, but I told his dad that in about 15 years, he'd kill for this kind of access...)

(Yeah, its tough to get four girls to stand together and all look the same direction...)

And the big group hug!

Finally, its cake time! Jillian later told me that the cake was her favorite part of the party! (Which is funny, because she only ate like two bites of her piece.) The Cinderella had a light under her dress, which Jillian thought was SO cool. We also served ice cream with the cake. The princesses got to eat theirs out of plastic Princess dessert cups.

Blowing out the candles. She was NOT happy that Hannah helped her blow them out! I had to tell her it was good luck to have help.

After cake and ice cream, it was time for Jillian to open her presents. I tried to help, but she didn't "need" help. Until Ms. Ros offered to help, that is...

She's very excited about these flip flops! She loves flip flops, and in the past, she has had several pairs - none of which fit her well. So she'd always want to wear them, and we hardly ever let her. But these, in addition to actually being the right size, have a strap that goes around the back, so they'll be easier for her to walk in. I know that she'll be asking to wear them soon - even if it is still super cold here.

After the last present, she was off to give hugs. I think (hope) she gave a hug to everyone in the room.

After Jillian opened her presents, we handed out the treat bags. The girls got magic wands, bracelets, rings, a tiara, a marshmallow lollipop (like a Peep, on a stick...), and m&m's, plus they got to take home their canvas bags they colored, their water bottles, and their dessert cups. The boys got these cool spinny things that light up. I should have gotten Jake a wand though - he's always stealing Jillian's. I underestimated the appeal of a magic wand, apparently.

Once the official party was over, Jillian wanted to show her friends the play house. She said, "come on girls, I want to show you my playhouse!" Then she led them down the hall, and when we got to the playroom, she said, "here it is, do you like my playhouse girls?"Pile on in!

There were four princesses and two princes in this house!

Jillian had a great time! I was so happy to be able to have such a fun party with her - she loved dressing up and she loved seeing her friends all dressed up too! Jillian is a lucky little girl to have such good friends.