Charlie's 3rd Birthday Party

Lil Miss Charlie celebrated her 3rd Birthday this weekend. For the past month I have been asking "what do you want for your Birthday" and her response was always "a horsey cake". What  baby girl wants, baby girl gets (99.9% of the time). So here it is, Charlie's 3rd Birthday Hoedown:

 

 

The actual horsey cake was made by Aunt Jessie. Charlie is one lucky girl to have such a talented aunt :) Thanks for the cake Jes! It was delicious.  

 



 Each cowgirl/cowboy went home with a hat, bandanna, and stick horse. yee haw!

Last year we had lots of fun with the photo props, so I brought them back western style.

 

I love this next set.  I have to say, we have the cutest bunch of kids!! Don't ask me where Charlie picked up that horrid duck face expression. Even though I hate it when girls make that stupid face, it is a bit funny in these pics.

 And here are some other random shots of the day.

 

Thank you so much to everyone that came out and made Charlie's Birthday so special. I have to say, I think we are set on summer clothes for the next two years!!

 

Happy Birthday Charlie!!

 

 

Since this ended up being a Holiday weekend, the fun didn't stop after the party. The following day was Charlie's actual Birthday. So we decided to take a trip to Castlewood Park. This was our first trip to this park, and I think I may have fallen in LOVE.  Chuck may be a bit traumatized by our first experience, but I think I may be able to convince him to go back again.

We started off with what we thought would be a quick hike. 20 minutes tops, maybe? Apparently we missed our trail and ended up lost in the woods for 2 1/2 hours, with no water, poor hiking shoes, and a 35lb child to tote around on our shoulders. Oops, guess we should have studied the map a bit better (or if you ask Chuck- I should have studied it better). At least we got to enjoy some AMAZING views of the Meramec River.

There was also a nice beach. The water was a bit cold, but it felt nice on our sore feet. :) Cant wait to go back again!! ...now that we know our way around...

We had more fun in the water on Monday at Donze Lake. My future brother in law has lake front property on a small private lake about an hour south of St Louis. We enjoyed a relaxing day in some more cold water, cheddar brats, and even a quick ride on the jet ski.

I'm beat and have a long work week ahead of me. Hope Charlie is ready to go to bed early tonight!!