Happy 3rd birthday, Cora Beth!

Hard to believe, but my sweet little niece (who I swear was just born yesterday) turned 3 years old a couple weeks ago!  Poor sweetheart has a hottest-month-of-the-year birthday so my brother & sister-in-law are always trying to think "cool" for her birthday parties.  :)

This year, they had a POOL PARTY!

I promise you it was close to 120 degrees that day but everyone was happy to get together and celebrate this precious girl's presence in our lives for 3 whole years.  We all gathered to sing "happy birthday" to Cora Beth before the cute-as-a-button cake melted into a blob from the heat...

[baby girl is sometimes shy so she's "hiding" behind her hands while we sing -- *whispers* that's so we don't see her :) ]

And then we hit the POOL!

Cora Beth's "Nonna" (my SIL's mom) has a pool and it was quite big enough to accomodate as many adults as wanted to come in and the kiddos, too.  Honestly, I don't know how everyone wasn't jumping into the pool, as hot as it was.  With their clothes on, if need be.

Or off.  That's how my nephew, Bear, rolls...

[pweshus wittle bebe -- ::muah::]

But that's just me.  To be sure, I was in that pool just as much as I could be.  :)

And of course, Deacon enjoyed himself -- and everyone enjoyed him, too.  Eddie & Donna had a couple of floaties that we put him in and he just had a ball floating around to everyone, mingling, socializing.

Then it was time for presents!

At every party, Cora Beth gets more & more into all the different aspects of the parties, including the presents.  It's fun to watch her interact and show how much she's grown from last year's party.

[Bear was catching some zzz's while sister opened her presents]

I wish we were closer so we could see my brother and his family more often but we take what we can get and cram as much time as we can into the weekends that we do get to visit.  Cora Beth is such a joy and we're so blessed to have her in our lives.  Happy birthday, Cora Beth!