Zoe turns 3!

We celebrated Zoe turning 3 on June 4th! I am a proud mom of a 3-year-old daughter! My heart, and certainly my eyes, can't believe just how fast she is growing even though I see her every day. I can still feel the baby smell, the coos, all the different cries (and she always had quite the lungs), and the cutest expression when she was 💩ing; but in a blink of an eye, my baby stripped out of the babyness into a sassy, confident little girl. Ugh, I seriously can't handle the fact that I can't pause the time for a moment or even slow it down just a little bit to embrace every moment.

I am so proud of her for all the transitions she had to go through - hopping around different houses (and state!) until our new house closed last summer, the big move from Houston to DFW, getting adjusted to a new house, and starting a new preschool - some of these moments were not easy on toddler emotions, but she handled it like a champion. I also have a lot to thank her for as a mom as this transition period was harder on me than I expected. As I was transitioning to a full-time SAHM after working for 9 years, sometimes she was more mature than I was when coming to accept changes. She has been a diehard mommy's girl and always sticks by my side. I am grateful for her love.

Her first birthday was celebrated via Zoom thanks to the pandemic; her second one was celebrated outside at a local playground with some of our family friends. I wanted this birthday to be personable, fun, and a comfortable environment being herself. Our large backyard ended up being a perfect place for the little kids to play while the adults get to chill a little bit. I initially toyed around with renting a bounce house, but I ended up going with water activities, which were perfect for TX scorching heat. We already had a kiddie pool that we bought last year but added a water table (from Costco, of course) to the collection. We also have a playset that kids can swing and slide on if they wanted to run around a little bit. Z really wanted me to buy a foam machine, but I vetoed that for future years 😆. I do foresee a foam party happening knowing his persistence.

And of course, before kids, I told myself I am not doing themed birthday parties, but here I am end up doing a Minnie Mouse-themed party because Zoe is super into Mickey Mouse Club these days. Folks, never say never. We had food ordered from Chic-Fil-A and Rudy's. Her cake was customer ordered and made by Sugar and Spice, a local baker based in Arlington.

I was thrilled that so many people were able to come. We hosted the party in the evening (4-6pm) because DFW is such a large metroplex and we were expecting friends coming from all directions. We invited Zoe's preschool classmates, the Arlington Mommy & Me meetup group that I am part of (which has been a great way to connect with other moms and do playdates), Z's colleagues, and our friends who live in the area. And of course, my mother-in-law (Zoe's "ah-mah") kept the tradition of visiting us every year around Zoe's birthday, which is always a special treat for the family.

It was so interesting to watch her awareness develop over the year. Even just last year, the idea of celebrating her birthday appeared to be a foreign concept for her; she was merely interested in playing despite the gifts and the song sang to her. This year, this awareness was much more evident in her excitement a few days prior to her birthday (and constantly asking if her friends are going to come over to hang out with her). She genuinely seemed excited about her birthday being celebrated with her family and friends. There was pure joy and anticipation that was building up.

I must admit, I was completely tired out after the party was over, and I spent most of the following day essentially recovering. Why is hosting a kid's birthday party so exhausting?! And while I'm sure a small, family-only celebration would have been just fine as well, I did feel a lot of joy in bringing Zoe's friends together for them to play. She has really been into "hanging out:" with friends lately and especially having them over at our house. Maybe it's an only child thing?

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/64c0a1_416e95b3486a49ef9be5b20ca44dc48e/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Oh Zoe, you bring us so much joy and laughter. You are smart, beautiful, strong, funny, and kind. We love you, sweet girl. Happiest birthday to our little girl. 💖