on the fly!: It's Official

McKenzie turned three last Thursday, and now that we've had her party, it's official. She's a full blown three-year-old. Her tantrums have given way to a sassy little attitude that is a little frustrating at times. As much as I love her determination to do everything herself, sometimes it would be nice to just put her clothes on, pick out her shoes and pull her hair back with no fuss. Yeah, that's not happening anytime soon. As frustrating as it might be now, I know that independent spirit will serve her well in the future. And I guess for now, it's funny to see her wear her dress backwards all day long and not give a care!

Her birthday celebration started a little early, as we enjoyed dinner and ice cream with Drew, Erin, Mere and Ben last Tuesday. Then, it was breakfast at Shipley's on her actual birthday with Mommy, Daddy, Dandy and LaLa followed by a movie (Brave) with Carter and Granmom. She claimed Harper's party as her own on Saturday (sorry Harper!) and then the weekend culminated with her painting party today. Needless to say, she's felt pretty special all week long.

The paint party idea began with a suggestion from Kelly and it was a huge success. As you can see from the pictures below (click here for even more), the kids had a great time even though it was 100+ outside! A huge thanks to Jenny for capturing so many great moments! And just so we don't forget, the morning started at 4:30am when our A/C went out. Thankfully, we were able to get a temporary motor installed in time for the party.