Olivia's Birthday Party

Avery attended Olivia's 3rd birthday party today. It was scheduled to start right when she normally takes a nap and she started dance class this morning so I was afraid she was going to be too tired but she ended up having a lot of fun. (notice a theme in that kind of worry for nothing?)

We have never been to Chuck-E-Cheese with Avery so this was quite a fun experience for her. And she kind of kept looking at us as if to say, "hey! where has this place been my whole life? Did you two know about this?" It's just that once you introduce Chuck-E-Cheese to a kid you can count on going over and over until you start to know all the words to the songs they play. And then the trips there end with tears. Your tears. But we made an exception for Olivia because we just love her so much and Avery always has a good time when they get together.

One of the great things about the party was that when Olivia was opening her gifts (which she did at a champion speed!), she genuinely seemed to appreciate each one. She oohed and ahhhed over almost everything. She hugged stuffed animals and looked at the covers of movies. That was really cool to see. What a great little kiddo!

Here are some of the pictures from the party...

Avery and Olivia both do their best to NOT look at the camera and smile at the same time. This takes talent and a lot of practice, folks. It doesn't just come naturally.

And then there is the ONE person look and smile trick. This is when two kids get together and conspire with each other to really mess with your head by having one do exactly what you want but the other hold out so that the picture you want is never fully realized. Again, great practice and coordination is required for this trick. They practice right from birth, I believe.

Clearly these two girls are not related to their mothers in any way that matters. This is not what Lauren and I would be eating if given the choice. I actually had to pull Avery away from the veggies to go play the games. Where did I go wrong?

Of all the rides and games they had at Chuck-E-Cheese, the slide with the fake steering wheels and mazes was her favorite. It didn't require a single token. Go figure.

She finally threw me a bone! Not exactly the photo I was going for, but I will take what I can get.