Happy 3rd Birthday!

*warning - pic heavy post*

On Saturday, our sweet girl turned three. We celebrated the day with lots of hugs and kisses, and ended the evening eating a delicious meal with dear friends.

On Wednesday, we had a party with a handful of very special friends ages three and under. As you can imagine, for the next several hours, our home was filled with lots of laughter, and it brought me so much joy to see Bethany have so much fun with her friends.

Despite her traumatic encounter with Hello Kitty a year ago, I went ahead with a Hello Kitty themed party. Being the good mom that I am, I of course made sure there were no life size versions of Hello Kitty around. ;)

Welcome!

 

I had two "stations" set up for the girls.

The first one was for Hello Kitty tattoos.

 

And the second was a Hello Kitty cookie decorating station with iced cookies, edible markers and baggies to take the cookies home in.

 

Soon it was time to fill our tummies with some party food. Party food is what these little girls wanted, and since it was a special day, I was more than happy to oblige.

After their tummies were quite full, they worked it off with some more running, jumping, squealing and playing. Then it was finally time for what they had really been waiting for.... dessert!

 

After getting their sugar high, the little girls were ready for some more fun in their new found play area.

 We managed to wrangle them in for a few minutes to take a group picture, and after many attempts, this was the best we could get.

Thank you dear friends for celebrating Bethany's 3rd birthday with us. We thank God for each and every one of you!

*a special thanks to my friend judy for taking most of these pictures!*

Eye Masks (Thankfulness Challenge - Day 22)

I am thankful for eye masks that help me sleep.

I wish I were more like my husband when it comes to sleeping. He can easily fall asleep anytime and anywhere, and sleep through most anything. I on the other hand, need just the right sleeping conditions in order to fall asleep and stay asleep.

One reason I have a hard time sleeping is because of the light that comes through our bedroom windows. Most mornings my sleep is interrupted at the crack of dawn, and this is where my trusty eye mask comes in.

Wait for it.....

Ta da!

For years I used eye masks my parents gave me which were black, plain and simple (they got them from their many trips aboard Korean Airlines back in the day). Those did the trick, but after awhile, the elastic would loosen or it would get worn down. While browsing the Sanrio store a few months ago, I spotted this beauty. Fortunately, I had some credit at the store from returning something Austin gave me this past Mother's Day.

Not only is it cute, but it's soft and comfy, and fits perfectly around my head. It was very well priced, and it's probably the most practical Hello Kitty item I own. My only regret is that I didn't have the forethought to buy an extra one just in case. I know I probably look ridiculous in it, but that's why I only use it at home people. :)

Hello Kitty

Here's something you may not know about me. I am a thirty-something who is still a huge fan of all things Hello Kitty (Sanrio). I usually satisfy my HK fix at Target's dollar section, or every so often I'll buy something small from the Sanrio store. As much as I adore everything in there, I can never justify spending more than a few dollars on my childhood fantasy. I say childhood fantasy, because growing up, I was one of the few girls I knew that was cruelly deprived of things from Sanrio (why, oh why?!).

Hm....that most likely explains why I've grown up to become an even bigger fan. Thanks Mom and Dad! :)

With the hope of saving my own daughter from the same cruel fate I suffered (yes, i'm being dramatic), I started collecting HK items for myself my daughter years ago before I even know she existed.

Now years later, I have quite an assortment of things to pass onto Bethany. Most of them are neatly stored away, but she has already gotten quite familiar with dear old HK.

Clearly my goal is to pass on this love of HK to her.... but this afternoon we had a minor setback while hanging out in Little Tokyo.

Here's a close up.
(sorry for the bad quality. it was taken on my iphone.)

Is it mean that I'm totally laughing, and that I love this picture?
And that as she was freaking out, I urged Austin to go ahead and take the shot instead of quickly stepping away to spare her from those seconds of sheer terror?

You be the judge. :)