Behind the Scenes at a 3 Year Old Birthday Shoot

Behind the scenes at a 3 year old's birthday photo shoot:

Because said 3 year old is resisting photos, have her become the photographer. Help her take photos of her sister and two of her cousins with the rainbow backdrop designed to fulfill her own request for a "rainbow party."

Add 1-year-old cousin. The 3 year old discovers photography of small children is no easy task.

The 3 year old still resists the photographic process.

Add Mommy to the mix to try and appease 3 year old. It appears to be working.

Oh wait! Maybe not. That's a pretty sad face for a birthday girl.

Try adding older sister. We may not be centered among the "rainbow," but at least we're happy!

OK. Back to trying a solo shot. Wait ... is that a hint of a smile?

Yes! Yes, it is. 

The balloons are moving, but the girl is in focus. We'll take that as a victory!

The smile is getting a little cheesy. It must be time for the paparazzi to give it a rest ... at least until it's time for cake. 

Our Labor Day weekend included a birthday celebration for our youngest granddaughter, Brooke Jaylin Ladd. Three years ago, she arrived at 6:57 AM, Thursday, September 4. She weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces, and was 20 inches long.

My, what a difference 3 years makes!

A colorful parachute added to the rainbow theme.

Yesterday, on her birthday, her Mommy described Brooke as "spunky, sweet, sassy and someone who pushes all boundaries."

 

And we love every bit of her!

Happy Birthday to our favorite 3 year old!

Her Mommy made her a rainbow cake.

Brooke added the candles.

She got a little shy about being the center of attention during the song.

She got a little bit close to the flame to suit parents and grandparents. (Kinley appeared ready to help her blow out the candles. The rest of us were ready to grab her away from the fire.)

She discovered all the beautiful and yummy rainbow layers inside. (Job well done, Mommy!)

We are blessed to have these little people (and a bunch of big people from both sides of the family) in our lives! There were parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, all there to celebrate a special day. Here's to an amazing year, journeying toward Year 4!

Happy Birthday, Kansas!

Happy Birthday, Kansas! You look pretty good for 154.

Randy is standing in for the Wonderful Wizard of Oz today. He's doing five mini-magic shows for Stafford Schools' Kansas Day celebration. He will miraculously reveal this cake during one of his tricks. (His assistant was busy behind the scenes yesterday making and decorating the cake. Thankfully, his assistant doesn't have to wear a skimpy outfit like those TV assistants!)

As a high school junior, I visited New York City. Cab drivers and waiters had similar responses when they found out we were from Kansas. "Oh! Dorothy and Toto!" they'd exclaim. And they'd want to know about the last tornado we'd been in and were sure our lives were lived in black and white.

As a Kansan born and raised, I'm glad to celebrate the day our great state entered the Union, January 29, 1861, and became the 34th star on the U.S. flag.

Under the Homestead Act, any person 21 or older could choose 160 acres of land on which to farm and/or ranch. If the homesteader could live and farm on this land for five years, they could own it. Randy and I are the fifth generation in our families to live and work the Kansas plains. We credit those adventurous forefathers who dreamed big dreams under a big Kansas sky.

For more on the pioneers who settled this great state, click on my last year's Kansas Day post.

A Party Fit for a Princess

It was a party fit for a princess.

Kinley turned 3 years old on December 30, but we didn't get to celebrate with her until last weekend. For Kinley's 1st and 2nd birthdays, Mommy picked the theme. This time, Kinley channeled her love of "Frozen" and all things princess. It doesn't hurt that "Frozen" seems to be down every aisle of every store.

As I said in my Christmas letter, my son-in-law has had to "Let It Go" that their home will be a princess-free zone. (When they were expecting Kinley, we were told no outfits that said "Daddy's or Mommy's Princess." We still don't buy those shirts, but it doesn't keep "princesses" from the Ladd Castle.)

Kinley picked out the napkins and the decorations. Then she helped Mommy decorate the homemade cupcakes for both her preschool and her family party. Grandma made some snowflake cookies. Jill also made some hot chocolate cookies and decorated them with snowflake sprinkles.

Jill made tags for the food that went along with the theme. The baby carrots were Olaf noses. There was Elsa's Snow Dip, Reindeer Salad, Troll's Tossed Salad, Magical Fruit Wands, among the cute labels!

Kinley got a bike fit for a princess, though it will probably be better to ditch the princess dress before attempting to ride it for real. There's even a royal carriage basket to transport a dolly.

We got her a dollhouse. It was such fun to listen to her make-believe conversations while having the dolls do everything from dance at a wedding, to going to bed, to going to the potty (on a toilet that actually makes a flushing sound!

Kinley and her cousin, Hannah, spent time in the owl tent that Grandma and Grandpa Ladd gave her. I see camping in their future (their future - not mine)!

Listening in on the conversations and giggles between Kinley and Hannah, who is just a month younger, is another fringe benefit of the birthday festivities.

She got a boatload of other presents, too, including the costumes and accessories the two young models are wearing. (Grandma neglected to record all the gifts in photos for posterity.)

Grandpa Randy did a magic trick before we all sang "Happy Birthday" (TWICE), and Kinley blew out her candles.

Brooke did not sing or blow. But just wait until next year.

All in all, it was a lovely day at the Ladd Palace.

Kinley and Hannah weren't the only princesses.

She may not sing or blow out candles, we did give Princess Brooke some pretty wings, even though Kinley thought she was too little. (It probably won't be the last time Brooke hears that either!)

Brooke supplied her own rattle wand for the occasion and seemed to like the wings just fine. 

Kinley is 3!

Photo by Terra Herring Photography

This year, Kinley Marie Ladd doesn't have to crash the party because she's the guest of honor.

Three years ago, our little immediate family was scheduled to have Christmas 2011 at Jill and Eric's house the final weekend of December. Jill and Eric weren't traveling for Christmas that year, since they were expecting their first baby January 12, 2012. Brent was home from his graduate studies at the University of South Carolina.

We were planning to arrive late in the day on Friday, December 30, so we could begin our celebration after Jill and Eric arrived home from work.

Instead, we got an early-morning phone call. Kinley Marie Ladd was crashing our Christmas party. This was one party crasher we were glad to welcome!

She was born at 4:30 AM, December 30, 2011. She weighed 5 pounds, 15 ounces, and was 20.75 inches long. She was about the size of her Christmas stocking. (Grandma had already replaced the sonogram photo with a newborn photo in her stocking by the time she arrived home from the hospital.)

It's hard to believe how much she's grown in these three years. Grandpa added her 3-year-old height to the wooden growth chart in the dining room when they were here for Christmas. She is taller than her Mommy at age 3, but shorter than Uncle Brent.

 She's now a big sister.

 

 She loves swinging ...

... and helping Mommy in the kitchen. 

She likes music.

And she loves books. 

 Sometimes, she pretends to be a kitty cat.

 And she loves all things PRINCESS!

Uncle Brent supplied one of her favorite Christmas gifts here - an Elsa doll.

Mommy and Daddy won Christmastime points with her Elsa costume and the Princess Playdoh set.

Today, she's taking cupcakes with the Frozen theme to preschool. We're looking forward to Saturday, when we can celebrate the joy that Miss Kinley has brought to our lives the past three years.

Happy Birthday, Kinley. Grandma and Grandpa are so glad you crashed the party 3 years ago!