Gemma Turns Three

Gemma turned three on Friday, and I have to say, it hit me something fierce. As the baby of the family, the third child, and I think our last, she is rapidly moving away from her toddler stage, and coming into her own. She has evolved into the comedienne of the family, and there is never a dull moment with her, ever. She strives to keep up with her older siblings, yet she still loves to cuddle. And while she may be tough, behind all those “no’s” there’s an extremely affectionate little girl. I really could go on for days about my baby, but to keep it brief, I will tell you her smile, laugh, and personality bring us all joy, and our family is truly blessed.

In January she started school twice a week, which has been a major development for her. So much so that I am actually bummed we didn’t start her sooner. Now she has her own friends, and comes home each day, excited to tell me what her and her buddies did that day. It’s pretty neat considering her original friends were Siella’s and Ryder’s peers. For this birthday, we had a small gathering of her local friends at the nearby New York Kids Club. To announce the shin dig, I turned to Minted, our trusted source for invites. On my computer, I let Gemma choose the print she liked best for her party. We decided on a princess theme, so these Princess Crown Invitations were just perfect. That and purple is her favorite color. Since I do everything last minute, I opted for a rush delivery, so they arrived in less than a week’s time. I was extremely impressed with quality of their premium paper, and of the color quality of the photo I provided.

The following day, Gemma and I stuffed each invitation into her school friend’s little cubbies. We added some of Siella’s and Ryder’s friends to the roster too for Gemma’s big princess birthday. My mom prepped each and every favor, because that’s totally her thing year after year. For the girls, she included a Sophia the First kite, along with princess crown and wand; and for the boys, a Spiderman Kite and a sword.

Although our birthday venue took care of most details, I still like to add a theme and color tones to the party. With that in mind, Minted offered princess themed circle garland, party crowns, stickers, table confetti, and personalized table runners. For an extra cute touch, I added some greeting signs reading “fun ahead,” “sweets” and “treats,” and of course, a “Happy Birthday” banner. Our Thank You Cards even matched the theme to tie everything nicely. And let me tell you the party crowns were a huge hit!

There was no mistaking that Gemma knew everyone was there to celebrate for her. She waited patiently for her friends to arrive, and telling them all “it’s my party today” as they walked through the door. It was truly the sweetest.

Once the festivities began, it was non stop kidfest for the entire hour and half party. They romped in the play gym, crawling through obstacles, balancing on beams, bouncing on the trampoline, dancing, and coloring a special banner for Gemma. It’s safe to say they all had an absolute blast!

The party ended with pizza and a beautiful pink princess cake from Butterfly Bakery. Goodie bags were met with little smiling faces, as most of them left wearing their crowns, with wands in hand.