Kyndall's 3rd Birthday!

One of the reasons I extended my trip to Tallahassee beyond the beach trip was so that we could celebrate Kyndall's THIRD (?!?!) birthday with our family.  As I mentioned, I didn't throw a big, elaborate party this year because we've been there done that the past two years and in all honesty, it's more for me and my own satisfaction than it is for her.  She's really too young to know the difference, and probably wouldn't care even if she did.  Our lives have been slightly turned upside down over the past few months and I just didn't have the energy or the motivation to plan a party.

Matthew flew down on Thursday night and spent the rest of the weekend in Tallahassee before driving us all back to Jackson on Sunday.

On Friday morning, sweet Mrs. Lisa sent a text saying that she left a surprise outside on my parents' lamp post for Kyndall.......

What better way to start your third birthday than with a GIANT bumble bee balloon??  She loved it!  Thank you, Mrs. Lisa!!!!

I couldn't let her third birthday come and go without doing something memorable, so Matthew's parents came over and we all spent the day together

Kyndall and Nonie

First on my list of fun things for the day was Kyndall's very FIRST haircut!!  I've been dying to have her hair trimmed for months now, but I decided to hold off until her birthday just to make it more special.  Plus, I really wanted Mary to be the one to cut it, since she's been doing my hair forever and a day and it only made sense for Kyndall's first experience to be with her!

We had quite an entourage, as Nonie, Poppie, Mommy and Daddy were all there to witness it.  Maybe it's overkill, but you only get your first haircut once!  

Waiting for our turn in the chair.......

Quick flash back to Kyndall's very first (of many) trips to Mary's shop---This was back in the summer of 2011 before she was even a year old!

Fast forward two years and now she's sitting in that same chair for her very first trim!  How did this happen??  =(

She did SO good!  She just sat admiring herself in the mirror the whole time and never gave Mary a bit of trouble!

 Daddy had the very important job of collecting the little pieces of baby hair to be kept in her scrapbook for gosh only knows what reason.  But, it's what you're supposed to do so we did it.  Nonie had a hard time with it all and begged us not to chop it off......

All done and looking so grown up

SO. MUCH. BETTER!!!

 After her haircut, we headed off to a very special birthday lunch where we met up with Grammy and Aunt Kelly on their lunch breaks

I love this little face so much!!

After lunch we somehow ended up at the new Bass Pro Shop that just opened a few weeks ago.  I vaguely remember some talk about how fun it would be to let Kyndall see the fish tank, but I'm pretty sure that was just a cover up since Matthew and his Dad were nowhere to be found once we stepped foot in the store.

Kyndall insisted that she needed to "dwibe" (drive) every single boat and ATV on the showroom floor......so, that's what we did.  Afterall, it was her day!

Kyndall liked this one......

Daddy chose this one, for only $131,000

And I chose this one, which was much more practical at only $60,000!

We returned to my parents' house for Kyndall to take a late nap which I hoped would ensure she'd be in a good mood for the evening birthday festivities that I had planned.

Once my parents got home from work and Aunt Kelly and Uncle Michael were free for the evening, I eagerly woke Kyndall up and told her we were going to Chuck E Cheese for a big family birthday celebration.  I just knew she'd be over the moon!  Wrong.  She insisted that she wanted to "stay home" (her words) and not do anything.  WHAT?!  We had to do something as a family to celebrate her third birthday!!  As much as I begged, she kept saying that she wanted to stay home.  I even threw out alternate ideas such as going to the bouncy houses or feeding the ducks at Lake Ella.....something.....anything to commemorate her big day!  Truth is, the birthday princess was just worn slap out from a busy week of socializing!  (That made two of us!)

Though I never though I'd have to beg my child to celebrate her own birthday, we finally convinced her to go out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse.  This was only made possible by the bribe of being able to sit on the "horsey saddle".  You'll see....

She loved being able to throw her peanut shells on the floor.  Simple pleasures......

As promised, there was singing, clapping, dancing, ice cream and a ride on the horsey saddle.......

After dinner, it was back to my parents' house for a few gifts........

Her card from Nonie and Poppie turned into a Minnie Mouse crown.  Is it just me or does she look more like the Pope than Minnie Mouse??

Yay for another monogrammed pocket t-shirt from Aunt Kelly!!!  This one is FSU colors!!  I got a matching one as well!  =)

Ripping through those gifts!

For several months now, she has been asking me to buy her "incruments" (instruments).  I held off because I knew her birthday was just around the corner.  Look at her excitement when she opened this gift from Aunt Kelly and Uncle Michael.......

Going along with the music theme, Grammy and G-Daddy got her this karaoke machine which she LOVED!  

Last but not least was this super cute Barbie bike from Nonie and Poppie!  Her very first one!

Finally, it was time for cupcakes and an official "happy birthday" song.  Kyndall and I had gone to Publix earlier in the week and I told her to choose any type of cupcake that she wanted.  She confidently declared to the nice lady in the bakery that she wanted "chocolate wif wainbow on top".  So, that's what we ordered......

Singing "Happy Birthday"

We ended the night with a performance by Kyndall and Aunt Kelly, followed by an extra late birthday bedtime!

Oh, I almost forgot.....She even got a happy birthday wish from her main man Mr. Cruz, by way of my Facebook page!!!!  How sweet!

It was a great day and even though we didn't have an official party this year, we still made plenty of sweet, lasting memories!  

I still can't believe that my baby is THREE years old!!!!!  How did this happen?  How did we get here so quickly??  If the previous three years have passed this quickly, how much faster will the next three fly by??  And the next.....and the next.....!  

Being Kyndall's Mommy has been one of the two most wonderful gifts that has ever been given to me, second only to being Matthew's wife.  She has opened my heart to a new kind of love that I never knew existed.  She has (at times) pushed me to my limits and made me want to pull my hair out, but she has also taught me about unconditional love and sacrifice.  She makes me laugh CONSTANTLY and fills my life with JOY.  I can't imagine my life without her and honestly, I can't remember what it was like before her.

And because I'm such a sap and I love comparison pictures, here's a little walk down memory lane in honor of her third year of life!

29 Weeks along with our sweet girl

My little 6 pound 5 ounce baby girl unexpectedly made her entrance into the world four weeks early!

My precious Grandparents, who drove through the night to Charleston, SC to see their Great Granddaughter born!  I will treasure this picture and that memory always!

First doctor's appointment at 3 days old

Playing dress up at one week old......

First Birthday Party!

FAVORITE picture EVER!!!

Second birthday party..........

When we returned to Jackson after the birthday festivities, she had her 3 year check up with her new doctor, Dr. Amy whom we already love after just one visit!!!  

Kyndall's stats were as follows.....

Weight: 28 Pounds (10th percentile)

Height: 3 feet (70th percentile)

Tall and skinny??  Who would've guessed it in this family?!

I posted this video on Facebook but it's pretty funny so I'm sharing it here as well.  Listen closely to Kyndall as she talks about her birthday and how old she is now.  We have never once told her to say this....yet she says it without a moment's hesitation every single time someone asks her how old she is.  

What happened to the baby from this video????.......

We are looking forward to seeing what this third year of life brings for our sweet girl, and also for us!  It seems that each new stage is even more fun than the one before so I'm excited to find out what challenges and adventures three brings us!  

We love you, Kyndall Anne Hughes!  Thank you for giving me three of the most wonderful years of my life thus far!