Magnolia's Magical Princess Unicorn Third Birthday Party

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February 3rd, 2017 at 8:14 pm a little 6 pound 12 ounces baby girl came into our lives & changed our world forever. The gift of Magnolia Caroline is never lost on us. Even when days are hard & we are tested, we have this bright-eyed girl to remind us of God's promises to us. As I trusted in God's perfect timing, as I prayed with all my heart & soul for a baby, I knew when our baby arrived I would always give all the glory to God. Every single day, every single moment of being her mother I am flooded with the deepest feeling of gratitude. My veins run with "thank you God" always! It's hard to think I would ever say I'm thankful for the fight to have her, but looking back, I know it changed me into a mother that knows & deeply remembers the ache, the fear, the heartache of life before her. Her beautiful soul is the greatest gift of our lives.

Three years now, three years of getting to know this girl that was made in the Heavens just for us! Her spirit is a gentle one & her heart is overflowing with compassion for everyone. She's always concerned with how others are feeling. She loves babies as much as we love her, and that is a lot. Her baby dolls & real life babies make her heart overflow. Singing & dancing happens on a daily basis, along with numerous "tutu" princess dress changes. She's very reserved & quiet around new people, but once she gets comfortable she loves to talk, sing, dance, & entertain. Cupcake & tea parties happen on a daily basis, along with her favorite game of "monsters" where we chase her through the house. Ohhhh, the way she laughs & screams when we play "monsters" is the most precious sound. Doc McStuffins is her favorite show & we have to watch it more than we'd like because it's very hard to ever say "no" to her. She gets scared easily & has a cautious heart, she takes after me in that regard. Magnolia is very in tune with how she is feeling & is able to express it clearly. When she eats, you'd think she was a 50 year old woman, so neat & so tidy, always using the napkin on her lap to clean her mouth as she goes. Girly-girl to the max, sometimes I think she might be even more high-maintenance than myself, and that is hard to imagine. Ryan truly got another "Wendy" when Magnolia was born & it always makes us giggle when she's even more extreme than me in her relationship with her daddy! She can shop ALL DAY LONG. The girl is obsessed with chocolate. Music is her love language & she often yells for "rap" from the backseat when I have country on the radio. Rap to her is anything like Taylor Swift! She's the most polite little girl, and uses her manners all on her own. On the morning of her party we came down the stairs and she saw the dining room table decorated all for her and she said "its booo-tiful, mom, tank you!" Oh my heart! After raising a happy, healthy, kind little girl, to raise a daughter that lives with a heart full of gratitude is my intention. To see gratitude shining through at such a young age makes me proud & grateful myself.

On SuperBowl Sunday we had our family over to celebrate the gift of Magnolia! The weather was unbelievable, like a warm spring day in the middle of winter. We even had our front door open for the entire party because the sunshine & warm breeze was intoxicating. On Saturday I filled the entire house with fresh flowers & Ryan helped me decorate with all things unicorn & princess. He's the absolute best #girldad!

The fruit & sweets board turned out so pretty I had to snap a photo!

The dining room table was the centerpiece of the party with the four layer chocolate chip cookie cake & pink + white sprinkled cupcakes. If you follow me on Instagram you probably saw us making the cake on Thursday. I always like to make the cake in advance & then pop it in the freezer. One less thing to worry about before the party.

The balloon arch color palate was inspired by the Meri-Meri paper plates.

My cakes are far from perfect in the decorating element, but there is joy in the art of making them for her.

I always plan to have at least 30 minutes before any party or holiday to snap photos. I followed her twirling & dancing soul around the house & front yard before everyone showed up & snapped away. Documenting our days, and especially the extra special days, is one of my most favorite things to do. On Monday, her actual birthday, she woke up and asked to do the party all over again. I was wishing the same thing. Parties go so fast & I'm grateful for all the photos & videos we have to look back on.

Stealing chocolate chips, her most favorite food of all!

Once all of her cousins arrived we sat around her little table & they put on jeweled earrings, glitter face make-up & unicorn + rainbow tattoos! I hope they all felt like little princesses. Then we did a treasure hunt where they found bracelets, unicorn rings, and princess necklaces!

With the sparkler candle we end up singing "Happy Birthday" twice. The second time for the candle she gets to blow out!

And then after cake, gifts! She got two big items this year. A dollhouse & a ride-on car!!!

The after party with her cousins. They ran around the yard barefoot in the warm sunshine before we went inside for a nap. And Ryan had Pizza Hut ready for pick-up before the SuperBowl started.