Turning Three!

 Josie's third birthday definitely produced some great Schneider family memories! She had soooo much fun at her pool party (and was completely oblivious to the crisis the night before when the made us have to switch the location at the last minute).  She tore through her presents like Christmas morning and then had Grandma, DD, Lou & I laughing so hard we were crying when she tried rollerskating for the first time.  And then, the funniest thing was the night before her party as we were lying in bed.  After we read books and turned off the light, we had this conversation:
Josie: "Mommy, how do I actually do it?"
Me: "Do what?"
Josie: "How do I actually turn three? When does it happen?"
Me: "I guess after you blow out your candles on your cake, that's when you're three."
Josie (worried): "Then will I just float away...because I'll be so big?  Will my clothes still fit? Will I need a bigger bed? Will my feet be as big as yours...?"
These questions went on & on. There's just nothing better than getting a glimpse of the world through a child's eyes!
Here are some of our favorite pictures from Josie's third birthday week!


THE POOL PARTY (Hanna Otto Armleder Aquatic Center, Over-the-Rhine)

The birthday girl:

The Schneiders:

The grandparents:

 The supernannies:

The swimsuit:

The fun:

The cake:

The song:

(You'll have to fill in about 20 or so of Josie's friends and their families because I didn't feel comfortable with putting other kids or their parents in swimsuits on the blog without their permission.) Also, let me say that this moment has been my favorite moment of all three of Josie's birthdays so far - standing there, reflecting on the last year, seeing the look of awe on her face, and hearing the sound of so many of her friends and family singing her into her next year. She is such a lucky little girl!

THE PRESENTS:  

The Wonder-capes: (Just another reason to love Etsy.)

 The first pair of skates:

 The inevitable:

 The funniest moment of the whole week:

 The Princess:

The Wonder Pets:

The sweetest smile:

HER "REAL" BIRTHDAY (Wednesday):

The Scooter:

The ErgoBaby:

The silly goose:

The candles:

The big moment:

The wish:

(She wished for a pet donkey! Thank goodness she told us her wish so that it wouldn't come true.)

The beginning of the sugar rush:

The End. :)

 Big, Big, Big thanks to all of our friends and families for making Josie's third birthday SO special. Thanks to everyone who traveled near & far and made last minute changes to their plans to get there.  Thanks for all of the wonderful thoughtful gifts and cards. (We really hope to get thank you cards out soon, but with the whole 'bed rest' thing, I fear it might be awhile.  Thanks for your patience!)

Above all else, thanks to all of you for loving our little girl as much as you do.  She is so fortunate. And we are so grateful.