Liam's 3rd Birthday Party!

Welcome to Liam's Zoo!!!

We didn't have any trouble picking a theme for Liam's 3rd birthday party. He loves animals and especially zoo animals! We had fun making the "Zoo Ticket" invitations out of card stock on the computer using pictures we had taken over past trips to various zoos. We found lots of fun party gifts from zoo books & stickers to dinnerware & a CD for Liam and his friends. We decorated the house with our "Zoo Tickets", zoo animal friends, personal zoo photos, balloons and Liam's own painted masterpiece of "My Trip to the Zoo" coloring pages (Thanks, Gandma!).

As our family and friends arrived, the adults mingled and the children played with zoo books, puzzles, toys and the zoo tunnel (cardboard boxes wrapped in gift wrap...thanks for the idea Ms. Dawn & Gandma!). Once everyone ate a delicious spread (Thanks, again, Gandma & Papa and Daddy, too!), everyone headed outside for free play. Daddy & Papa helped Mommy get the pinata up and going...what fun...everyone took a swing including Great Ganny who can really swing a bat! She told me later, "I didn't know there was anything in there!". The little ones enjoyed stickers, fruit chewies and some candy! After the Zoo Egg Hunt, we headed inside for birth-day-cake!...birth-day-cake!....birth-day-cake!!!!

Mommy made Liam's cake this year but kept it very simple. He asked for chocolate cake with white frosting so I made a moist chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting. I decorated it with green & orange icing, an elephant sitting on dirt (cocoa), a polar bear sitting on ice (mini marshmallows)and a lion sitting on grass (green sugar crystals) & it read "Happy 3rd Birthday Liam". He enjoyed his cake donning his animal friends, listening to everyone sing "Happy Birthday" and had a lot of fun blowing out his #3 birthday candle. He kept looking at me for approval to finally blow it out...too cute. It didn't take long for him and all his friends to dive in and finish off their cake which made Mommy feel good...it really was delicious!

We then moved to the family room so Liam could enjoy opening his birthday presents...what fun! I sat on the floor with Liam and was happy to oblige many lap friends who could barely stand the anticipation of what was in each new package. Liam was blessed with many wonderful presents such as generous gift cards and money (for summer activities), bug gear, books, clothes, stacking cards, games, puzzles, toys, a cool pint-size pool for the summer (which Liam wanted to open up right there in the family room!), animal collections, a new back pack for school in the fall, bubbles, place mats (including a personalized one which he loves to spell

L-I-A-M at each meal!), stickers, a handmade quilt, a fireman dress up outfit, a viewfinder, a "green" race car and driver and a new animal theme bathroom ensemble. WOW...our child is not deprived and is very loved! He shows his appreciation daily in the way he plays and learns with your carefully thought out gifts.

Thank you to each and every one who took the time to share in another wonderful birthday party for Liam. He talks about each of you often and truly loves his friends and family!