Where Does the Time Go--a tale of transformation

As I peeked in on Ramie last night, I said to Daddy 'Can you believe we have a 3 year-old?' It's hard to believe so much time has flown by. The chubby peanut who refused to sleep through the night is now a skinny little girl who loves to be 'fancy' and sleeps in a big girl bed w/ all of her wool-stuffed best friends.
We celebrated her birthday at Habitot Children's Museum in Berkeley--a place small enough that parents can relax, but with enough fun activities that kids could play for hours and still beg to stay longer.
17 of Ramie's friends ventured out to our little caterpillar's cocoon--we decorated with all the foods the Very Hungry Caterpillar ate in the story, along with a balloon caterpillar. Jama made an amazing cake complete with 'dirt' background and sugary sunshine. The kids ate fruit skewers and drank fruited water, then opened their favors--caterpillar clippies & Scrabble tile necklaces for the girls (made by Daddy, if you can believe it...albeit reluctantly) and appliqued tees for the boys w/ button caterpillars patiently attached by Jama.
Daddy drove several hours to a vegan bakery to get Ramie a 'real' cake (well, one that looks and tastes real, but without the milk and butter that makes her so sick.) She ate the HECK outta that thing!

(In case you're wondering what the heck Mama was doing this whole time--I was sewing Ramie's birthday outfit. Finished it after 2am the morning of the party. Last-minute, of course, and a ginormous mess, as everything was packed still, but everything was just perfect.)
Kids were running everywhere throughout the little museum--some working in the art room making fancy crowns, others playing with gooey oobleck. Branden could be found slathering paint on the wall (they actually LET you do this!) and Colin & Patrick whizzed by in teeny tractors donning farmer garb. Ashley and several of the boys were firmly planted at the train table, while some of Ramie's classmates made use of the facepainting station. As usual, Ramie was drawn to the kitchen/market where she 'ate' all kinds of goodies made by chef Siena. The water station was a hit. Any place where you could dump water directly onto the (drainable) floor is sure to attract the waterbabies. There, they played in water tables, activated water wheels & pinwheels, and practiced their car washing skills. Afterward, most of the hungry guests made their way around the corner to Amanda's--a little restaurant that pleases my crunchy side. Everyone munched on organic burgers and chicken sandwiches, baked sweet potato fries and salads.

We had a fantastic time--Ramie managed to stay awake for about half of the ride home, after which we all settled in for a long nap & breathed a huge sigh of relief knowing we could now turn our attention to unpacking and settling into our new home :)
Our little caterpillar has grown into a beautiful butterfly. She's the most amazing daughter we could hope for. Happy birthday, little girl!