Grandma's reward for hosting Sydney's party: two chubby babies to squeeze at once!
an excited little girl
Super Why cupcakes
the kiddos making their own story books (aka "See how many stickers you can get on the cover and front page")
post-party relaxation.
Sydney is one lucky birthday girl since she gets to celebrate every year: with my family when we are together for the holidays, with Nick's family on or near her actual birthday and with her little friends. She is now officially obsessed with cupcakes and we made some this morning to support her habit (okay, and mine). Luckily she mostly just licks off the frosting and takes a bite or two of cupcake (hmm. sounds so familiar).
We had so much fun celebrating Sydney's special day and she loved every moment of celebration--especially the singing and candles. I wish I had somehow been able to capture her and her friend Joey together blowing out her candles with huge happy smiles, but I was delivering the cupcake. I suppose memories can be just as good as photos.
What struck me this year was how much time and worry a mama can put into a child's birthday party if she lets herself. The hardest part for me is the guest list. I want to invite everyone we know, but the Treefort, as you can guess from its name, has only so much party space and 2-4 year olds have a way of taking up more space than regular people. I lay in bed worrying about hurting people's feelings and still have this naggy feeling that we should have invited just a few more of her sweet friends that come with really wonderful mamas that I enjoy spending time with. alas...
I don't want to go crazy with my kids' parties and I feared that this year I may have gone too far, but it was really fun. I made all of the kids Super Why capes with their initials on the back and they all zipped around saving the planet (or at least my living room) and since then Sydney has slept in hers, napped in hers and run around yelling, "Super Sydney to the rescue!" so many times that I'm pretty convinced the capes were a good idea after all. And, since for me sewing often feels like a form of prayer, thinking about the person I'm sewing for in a quiet space, I felt like it was time well spent "praying" for some of the special little people in Sydney's life.
Sydney is one lucky birthday girl since she gets to celebrate every year: with my family when we are together for the holidays, with Nick's family on or near her actual birthday and with her little friends. She is now officially obsessed with cupcakes and we made some this morning to support her habit (okay, and mine). Luckily she mostly just licks off the frosting and takes a bite or two of cupcake (hmm. sounds so familiar).
We had so much fun celebrating Sydney's special day and she loved every moment of celebration--especially the singing and candles. I wish I had somehow been able to capture her and her friend Joey together blowing out her candles with huge happy smiles, but I was delivering the cupcake. I suppose memories can be just as good as photos.
What struck me this year was how much time and worry a mama can put into a child's birthday party if she lets herself. The hardest part for me is the guest list. I want to invite everyone we know, but the Treefort, as you can guess from its name, has only so much party space and 2-4 year olds have a way of taking up more space than regular people. I lay in bed worrying about hurting people's feelings and still have this naggy feeling that we should have invited just a few more of her sweet friends that come with really wonderful mamas that I enjoy spending time with. alas...
I don't want to go crazy with my kids' parties and I feared that this year I may have gone too far, but it was really fun. I made all of the kids Super Why capes with their initials on the back and they all zipped around saving the planet (or at least my living room) and since then Sydney has slept in hers, napped in hers and run around yelling, "Super Sydney to the rescue!" so many times that I'm pretty convinced the capes were a good idea after all. And, since for me sewing often feels like a form of prayer, thinking about the person I'm sewing for in a quiet space, I felt like it was time well spent "praying" for some of the special little people in Sydney's life.
3 comments:
such a great post. i love what you wrote about sewing. ..how it is prayer for you. what treasures those kids' capes are! and what a perfect party favor!
i hear ya about the anxiety that precedes our babes' birthday parties... especially, too, along the lines of the guest list. we always want to include everyone, but we are very limited with space, too. it is hard! we are gearing up for miles' 1st birthday in a few weeks, so these things are definitely on my mind.
happy belated birthday to your amazing little girl!
After a hard day (so much suffering going on in the world), this post was just what I needed. I loved the photos of your girl...showcasing all of her birthday celebrations. We sure love your big 3 year old! The capes are adorable, and so is the banner! You are such a super mom!
love you sis!
The capes are wonderful and I am sure they are being loved all over your town right now! :)
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