Lila is THREE

It is so hard to believe that our little Lila-Pop has turned three. We were able to have her Lollipop birthday party on her actual birthday, which was fun and very efficient, in my opinion. I did my preparations for her party a little at a time... I made large lollipops in May when I had a little extra time the last few days of school. I made large wrapped "hard candy" one night when Kevin took the boys to the movie. I sewed little pennant banners here and there while Lila napped and before I knew it I had quite a few cute decorations! I got some adorable decoration and food ideas from Glory and her Glorious Treats blog, which Laura shared with me. Glory's ideas were fantastic and easy to duplicate. Others came from a cute article in Parent's magazine that a childhood friend, Kristin, sent me when she heard what I was doing. The cake idea came from a student (thanks, Keri!), who texted me the photo from her little sister's candyland birthday party and also told me all about their own great projects at her party.

The cake is a whole little story/bit of drama in itself. I ended up having the cake itself made at Target and I did the fun part (the decorating!) myself. It was one of my smartest decisions when it came to the party; a time saver and a money-saver too. In fact, it was a money saver even before I got it for free (yes free, minus the thirty minutes of stress I "paid"). Baking a big cake isn't cheap when you need to buy things like the cake pans too. When I showed up to get the cake (five hours after it was supposed to be done) they had overlooked it and not done it at all! I was calm (really, I was!) and the people in the Target bakery worked hard to make it right. They pulled a lady out of the Starbucks section who could ice cakes and had her ice a cake to my specifications (all green!) and had it boxed up less than thirty minutes after I had first asked for my cake. That's customer service; it's not just about being perfect but making it right when things aren't done properly! That being said, I think the cake was a hit and Lila, before drifting off to sleep for her nap, listed it as her favorite thing. Yes, even before presents!

We had several good friends attend Lila's party with their precious boys and girls and of course enjoyed some family time too. You can't have a Phillips party without a few cousins there to join in the fun! The water slide was the final touch and enjoyed by all. That thing was the tackiest but best investment we have ever made for the kids when it comes to summer fun. The hoses are duct-taped on but it works and provides so much fun.

The secret star of the party was our deck, recently completed by Kevin. It had its grand debut today for the party and really made the party easier. It was nice having so much space to set things up outside and so many places for people to sit. We have true seating for ten but the various ledges make great seating for little ones with their legs dangling! It was wonderful having it done before the party. He worked very hard on it and I loved being able to really use it.

Hopefully these photos will show how sweet our birthday girl and how well some of the ideas I borrowed turned out. Thanks to all who could attend and to all of those who helped in various ways!