Rachel Turns 3!

Rachel's big day finally came! She has been so excited for her birthday. Nathan and I decided that we would get her a "big girl" bed for her birthday. We tried our hardest to keep it a surprise. We hid the mattress set in Hailey's room and Nathan put it all together while Rachel was downstairs playing with me. We wouldn't let her go upstairs at all because we didn't want her to see it. Our plan was to give her a pillow to open once Hailey and Kade got home from school. Then we'd tell her to go upstairs and put the pillow on her bed. Somehow she got upstairs. Nathan and I were downstairs and we heard her say, "Matt! There's a bed!" So, our plan was foiled, but she was happy.  

Nathan's parents came over for dinner (hamburgers and hot dogs, per Rachel's request) and cake/ice cream. Their present to her was a Dora sheet set. Rachel also received a magnetic "paper doll" set from her Aunt Gwenn. We also got her a Dora book. Grandma and Grandpa Wilkins gave her a princess birthday card with a super crisp $2 bill in it (a tradition dating back to my grandparents).

I made Rachel a Dora cake (I thought I took a picture of it from the front, but I can't seem to find it. It is just as well, it looked kinda funny anyway).  She took at least one breath per candle, but eventually got all three blown out. At one point, I thought she might catch her hair on fire she was so close to the flame.

Here she is in her new big girl bed.

After-the-fact note: She has fallen out of her bed at least 3 times and usually won't even sleep in her bed. I tend to find her on the floor in the middle of her room.