My experience with birthday parties for our kids goes something like this: for their first birthday, they get a big, over-the-top celebration. This includes a well-thought-out theme, hand-made decorations, an elaborate cake (courtesy of my mother), and beautiful invitations sent out to all of our family and friends. On their second birthday, I'm still recovering from the previous year so we host a small, family party and take them to a fun event (for Taylor, it was Disney on Ice). By their third birthday, I get the party planning bug again and throw another large, theme party. For Taylor, we hosted a carnival in our backyard with handcrafted games, prizes, and circus-themed snacks. Of course, I was so busy running around like a chicken with my head cut off that I forgot to take any photos (which is why that post never appeared on the blog). So this year, when we got to her fourth birthday, I said screw the party and asked her what she wanted to do. Her request consisted of a sleepover with her twin cousins and a trip to the local indoor bounce house. Fine by me. Since my sister was out of town the weekend of Taylor's birthday, my parents opted to bring my nieces up to help with the girls and celebrate with us. I love my nieces dearly but they are polar opposites and require a lot. of. work. Especially when you add a third wild child and a feisty one year old to the mix. I'll take all the help I can get.
On Saturday morning, we had Taylor's annual birthday breakfast of whipped cream (with a side of waffles and fruit) before heading to Tiger Bounce. The kids bounced and ran until it was time to head home and begin Taylor's birthday celebration. She tore into her presents one by one, receiving Barbies, baby dolls, and more accessories than we knew what to do with. After every toy had been unwrapped, we led everyone into the backyard where Taylor's last present was waiting. She came down the stairs to find this Fisher Price Dune Racer from Jake and I, and her face lit up just as I had imagined! The kids took turns driving and riding, making endless circles around the trees and trying not to run into the fence. Eventually, we had to drag them inside for cake and ice cream and ended our fun-filled day with popcorn, candy, and a movie that evening.
The next morning, the gang was up early to squeeze in every possible minute of play time before our guests to leave. Logan was in heaven playing with the big girls and would do anything to capture their attention, even letting them dress him up in tutus and jewelry. The big girls loved treating him like their real-life baby doll and argued over who got to push him in the baby stroller. Side note: my 30 pound "baby" is entirely too big to fit into a toy baby stroller. Since it was an usual 90 degrees outside, we blew up the pool and bounce house and had an impromptu backyard fiesta. The kids asked to have a picnic outside, so we snacked and swam our way through the afternoon.
Later that evening, we sat on the front porch steps and waved goodbye as our guests headed home. Taylor was sweaty and sunburned and thanked us over and over for the best birthday ever. Next year, we'll have another over-the-top birthday (because FIVE is a very big deal), but I think a small, simple celebration was exactly what our four year old needed.
Happiest of days, sweetheart. We love you more than you'll ever possibly know.
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