Nathan's 3rd Birthday!

Nathan's 3rd birthday was on April 30th and he wanted a pirate party. We decided to keep things really simple this year for both of the boys' birthdays, so we just had Nana, Papa, and my brother's family come over for dinner, cake and ice cream. Even with just the 11 of us, Nathan thought it was a real party and was so excited for his cousins to come see him.

When I asked Nathan what he wanted to eat for his birthday, I was thinking about dinner. His response was: "CAKE!" My neighbor gave me a magazine a few months ago that had a cute idea for a pirate cake, so I thought I'd give it a try. It was my first time baking one of their birthday cakes before, so I wasn't sure how it would turn out. My mom gave me an awesome chocolate cake recipe (Nathan requested that his cake be chocolate), and I went from there. The final result...

For Nathan, all it takes is a chocolate cake, some balloons, and a few presents to make his day special. He's pretty easy going, which works out well for me! We kept the dinner menu simple, too: hot dogs (Nathan's request), hamburgers, a fruit tray, a veggie tray, and chips (a special treat at our house).

Time for cake!

I love how all the kids get so excited for presents, even when they know the gifts aren't for them.

Nathan and all his loot

I almost can't believe my baby is already 3 years old. Pretty soon he won't be "the baby" anymore, which is hard for me to imagine. He has been my little buddy when Tyler was at preschool and I have so enjoyed our one-on-one time together. He makes me giggle all day long with all the funny things he says and the way he acts out entire scenes from his favorite movies. He's "in character" a lot of the time, and he's quick to correct us when we call him Nathan and not Mario (as in Super Mario), or Po (from "Kung Fu Panda"), or Luke Skywalker, or Darth Vader, or Cubby (from "Jake and the Never Land Pirates"), or Leonardo (the Ninja Turtle). He is my cuddle bug, always ready and willing to give hugs and kisses, and I hope that doesn't change any time soon.