Super Parker Turns Three

I've been a little lax about posting lately. Please forgive me but a little restorative break is required at times. The holidays seemed to sneak up on me, partly due to a stomach monster that has invaded our house and won't leave. It has completely worn out it's welcome!

Invitation art was commissioned by none other than super Adrienne.

Anyway, slowly and surely I will make my way back to posting. Let's start with a little summary of my babe's third birthday.

A few things you should know about Parker:

: He has an alter ego: Parker Man, or Super Parker
: Spaceships, rockets, and capes are big hits for him
: He may or may not be his father's son as he does not care to have the birthday spotlight shine on him. In fact, when it does, he tries his best to deflect the attention with a very strong protest to move on.

: He has not responded well to me taking endless photographs of him. He may actually hate my camera ("No more pictures, Mama!"). This makes capturing him an especially crafty feat. I can really sympathize with the paparazi.

: We are big fans of small, intimate parties. We've done the big ones and much prefer a sweet managable gathering of little people; especially for my 'shy' guy. Incidentally, Parker's closest friends are all girls. He doesn't know or seem to care. (This may bode well for him in about 15 years.)

Cape and mask custom from Super Fly Kidz. Wristband from My Family Ties.

Simplicity was a big part of his birthday this year. We opted for a fun play date at one of our favorite parks in Laguna. We were rained out of our original party date but rescheduled to the following day (another advantage of a small group). It turned out to be a beautiful fall morning. Perfect for a picnic. We had hot spiced cider, deviled eggs and pumpkin bread with cream cheese dip for the adults.

The rocketship was the obvious meeting spot.

For the kiddos we had essential power packs with 'Super Parker Power Water" (I'm a big fan of DIY water bottle labels. Easy and fun.). We topped it off with our favorite sparkler candle (The spectacular affect was not all that pleasing to the birthday boy. I may have to tone it down for him in the future. Dang!).

The party favors with power gumballs, a mix of PJ's favorite tunes (He WILL NOT move beyond John Mayer's cover of Crossroads. I won't lie. I'm a little proud of his choices.). We also had custom wristbands made for each of his little friends. A big hit, I tell you!

It was a fun celebration of Super Parker turning three. We slipped in just a bit of attention on the birthday boy, but not more than he could stand.