emmy and elle's third birthday celebration
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Wow! I honestly cannot believe it's been almost three weeks since the girls turned three. I feel like the entire weekend was a whirlwind so I am just getting over the birthday celebration fog and able to write about their special day. I am so happy to honestly say everything we planned to do to celebrate our miracles went exactly as planned. From their actual birthday to their birthday party- each event and detail was perfect and they had the best few days celebrating!
Each year I am determined to have a birthday celebration wall in our home. I like to use different decor and colors each year but you can notice one recurring theme...polka dots. I am hoping to continue this tradition each year of the girls in front of their birthday wall wearing some sort of polka dots. I am totally amazed when I look back at the pictures from their first, second, and now third birthdays. They have grown and changed so much and it just proves to me again that babies don't keep. I highly recommend for you to start this tradition with your children because it will be such a keepsake! This year I invited our favorite photographer, Lindsey Lay, to come and take the pictures so Dave and I could actually be in a few too. It was a great session and I highly recommend Lindsey to all my readers.
The morning of their actual birthday on February 1st we made their favorite, cinnamon rolls! My little ladies have a sweet tooth and get so excited when they hear cinnamon rolls are on the breakfast menu. After a morning of playing at home we ventured off to our favorite place, The Davidson Playhouse, for their weekly Kindermusik class. Their teacher, Miss Beth, made it extra special by playing their favorite songs and having the entire class sing happy birthday to the girls. We have been attending Miss Beth's Kindermusik class at The Davidson Playhouse since shortly after the girls turned one. It's my favorite mommy and me activity and I encourage anyone in the Charlotte/Concord/LKN area to check her out! If you are from out of this region then please know Kindermusik is a national organization and check to see if there is a class near you! Any music and motion class is wonderful for your baby/toddler to take part in and I know my girls have learned so much in the last two years with Miss Beth.
After Kindermuisk we surprised emmy and elle by taking them to one of our favorite local restaurants, Kindred, in Davidson. Not only did we surprise them with the meal but also because their three favorite people, my parents and grandmother (Opa, Oma, and Omi) were waiting for us at Kindred! The little squeals we heard coming from the girls made the entire surprise worth it because they were beyond excited to see their family.
I cannot say better things about our experience at Kindred for lunch. The staff at Kindred went above and beyond to serve our family. So many times I feel like a hostess will look the other way when she sees a family with two small children walking through the door. This was not the case with Kindred. They were extremely accommodating and most importantly kind to emmy and elle. They sat us upstairs and immediately supplied the girls with a coloring sheet and crayons. They also brought to the table homemade, non-toxic, play-doh which happened to be in emmy and elle's favorite color... purple! The "kids meals" selections at Kindred are fantastic. All the food is kid friendly but with a classic Kindred twist. The girls favorite (mine too) were the duck-fat fries. AMAZING. elle especially was in love with her meal and I was so happy to see her enjoy every last bite. Kindred also surprised the girls with their homemade chocolate birthday cake with a candle for each of them to blow out. The cake was delectable and the icing was truly out of this world. Kindred was recently rated the number one restaurant in Charlotte and I can see why after our birthday lunch. We will definitely be going back as a family in addition to date nights for Dave and I. Thank you Kindred for your gracious hospitality!
On Saturday, February 3rd, ten of emmy and elle's girlfriends joined us at The Davidson Playhouse for an awesome birthday party. I asked the girls what they wanted this year for their birthday and they came up with, "princess Elsa Anna baker." Hmmmm.... this was a stretch but it's truly their three favorites; princesses, frozen, and baking. I reached out to the owner of The Davidson Playhouse, Tracy, and she made it happen with a Little Bakers/Frozen themed birthday celebration. Each of our guests were given an apron with their name on it and were able to decorate their own cupcake box and cupcakes. I was a little nervous about this since the ages ranged from 2-5 but Tracy made sure the entire craft went seamlessly. Each little lady was supplied with their own bag of icing and then they could decorate with sprinkles galore and beautiful, handmade, fondant sugar snowflakes. It was a blast! Best part is the guests could eat a cupcake during the party and take the rest home with their apron as their party favor.
Tracy also made sure the entire Playhouse was spotlessly cleaned and ready for our guests. A birthday party at the Playhouse comes with three hours of space rental so you and your guests will have plenty of time to party. The girls all had the best time playing and dancing. I feel like I never saw emmy or elle stop smiling the entire duration of the party. They also loved the Frozen decor that was supplied by me and Tracy. Everyone should keep The Davidson Playhouse in mind for their toddlers next birthday party. It would be the perfect spot for a party for ages 1-5. Tracy has different packages you can choose from (little artist was a close second for us) and the variety of toys and activities are endless. Tracy also has her own dance studio in Davidson, DancingKids. DancingKids offer all the fundamentals of dance while making it FUN to learn. They are mostly a recreational studio with a small competition team. She also does birthday parties at DancingKids and I have feeling we will be booking with her next year for emmy and elle's fourth birthday since our party at the Playhouse was one for the books!
Overall, I am so pleased with the memories we created while celebrating emmy and elle turning three. I still cannot believe they are three and will be blogging about that soon but I am so happy with all of our choices of activities and party for their third birthday. I have listed below a couple other places where we have attended birthday parties in the Charlotte area which were a lot of fun too. I hope this list helps! What did you do for your child's recent birthday? I love to hear new ideas so please feel free to share!
Birthday Party Ideas around the Charlotte Area
Little Flippers at the Lake Norman Dance Gallery
Discovery Place Kids- Huntersville
