Happy Birthday, Belen!

Belen turned 3 on January 25th! We had a small party for her the following Saturday afternoon. She was able to invite 2 friends and their parents. Unfortunately one of her friends was sick and unable to make it and while she was missed, Belen and her other friend had a great time. They played Elefun, and with the balloons...and they also did what all little girls do when they get together...run screaming all around the room!

We ate some yummy tortilla soup that had been stewing in the crock-pot all day. We've made the same soup every year for Belen's birthday just because it's so YUM and perfect for warming you up on a late January afternoon.
I made cupcakes for Belen's birthday instead of a cake this year. It was perfect and I believe some variation of the traditional cupcake may make it's appearance for most of Belen's birthday's in the future because they are so much easier for kids to eat. Plus, these cupcakes are AMAZING! They are made from a cookbook called "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. They are much lighter and fluffier than 'normal' cupcakes and have a melt-in-your-mouth quality that is phenomenal.
This is the first year that Belen was able to blow out all of her candles all by herself! After her party, we had the opportunity to take Belen ice skating for the first time! Unfortunately I didn't grab the camera on the way out so we have no pictures. But, I will tell you that the first time around the rink was quite traumatic for her. She made if off the ice, came and sat down by mommy and Camden for all of 2 minutes, then went right back out on the ice and didn't come in until it was time to go home! She did a fantastic job with significant improvement in the few hours that we were there.

Happy Birthday, Belen!

Love,
Mommy, Daddy and Camden