Party Season

We are very fortunate to have a few stay-at-home parent friends who, despite our lifestyles being completely different, welcome us into their nurturing network of family and friends, and invite us to their parties and play dates. Though we don’t get to participate in the latter, it warms my heart that they still include us in their activities.

So when one of those friends sent us an invitation to go to their 3-year-old twin girls' Princess and Prince Birthday Party, I was super excited. And so busy that it didn't occur to me until two days before the party that – oh my gosh! - I needed to find some princessy and princey costumes because isn't that what the kids are supposed to wear to a Princess & Prince Birthday Party? Thankfully, three people in my neighborhood’s kid’s group answered my post to borrow a crown or tutu or princess dress or whatever they could spare that would fit the theme.

When I brought the accessories home that Friday afternoon, Harper and Mateo were wide-eyed and curious. So we put a tutu on Harper and asked her to spin and showered her with compliments of “Oh, Harper! You look soooooo pretty!” Mateo, wanting to get in on the praise, pipes out “Imma be pretty, toooooo!” And, so, well, you know what had to happen.

For the party, I ended up using a borrowed princess dress for Harper, secured to fit with – I’d like to say it was safety pins, but no, it was tie-wraps. For Mateo, I simply repurposed his pirate shirt and sash from Halloween (incidentally, HOW MUCH HAS HE GROWN SINCE THEN?) and put the sash across his chest to symbolize the prince that he is. “Mateo, you are sooooo handsome!”, we said. Overall, I thought it was pretty fast thinking and resourcefulness on my part, a day before the party. Now at least my kids wouldn’t be the only ones not in costume. Whew!

As always, Jennifer was working that Saturday, so I dressed the kids, packed up our bags, and got us all into the car for the forty minute drive out to the suburbs, anticipating all the excitement that a Princess & Prince Birthday Party filled with balloons and food and friends and toys and a castle bouncy would provide. Because how is this scene not heaven for a two year old?

What I did not anticipate, however, was arriving to the party and hearing the crickets chirp as I walked into the house with the only children dressed in costume. The only children BESIDES THE BIRTHDAY GIRLS.

Turns out all those play-date looking pictures in the Pottery Barn Kids catalog and the Law & Order episodes that show kids’ parties at Central Park or some high-rise penthouse before it’s discovered one of their parents was embezzling money from the preschool trust fund? Those are for ILLUSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY.

As soon as we entered the foyer, though, the Princess Birthday Girls saw one of their own and began pulling and tugging for their little princess “Hawpuh” to come with them to do princessy thing. And Harper is looking at me like ARE YOU KIDDING ME? NO ONE IS THE BOSS OF ME!

And that's practically true.

It was a royal time, indeed, and a good time was had by all, not the least of which was their very first cupcakes (notice where Harper took her first bite). Mateo could have cared less, but Harper? Baby crack.

To think this all went down the weekend before the Chuck E Cheese's Incident at cousin Emily’s birthday party.

So, yeah, it was the Princess & Prince Birthday Party, then the Two Day Emily Party, and then this past Monday was my birthday!

Last week, Jennifer asked me what I wanted for my birthday, and to be honest, I hadn’t even realized my birthday was upcoming because, oh, I don't know: illnesses, potential job loss, career decisions, potential home sale, taxes? I responded quickly, like some word association game, and said “to sleep in!”

And here’s the thing about Jennifer: SHE MADE IT HAPPEN.

Last year, a night at a nearby hotel came as mixed-emotion birthday surprise because it was the first time I’d been away from the kids. This year, I was all, CAN WE ASK FOR LATE CHECKOUT? And: do we have any Tylenol PM?

I slept until 11. ELEVEN.

On Monday, my actual birthday, I received several calls and texts and emails and I was totally feeling the love. And when I got home from work that evening, Harper and Mateo met me at the top of the stairs with these art projects that our thoughtful nanny had planned. If you look closely, you can sort of make out the “M” (left) and the “H” (right).

Up in the next few weeks? Rodeo! Mother's of Multiples Egg Hunt! Easter! And Mateo and Harper’s second birthday.

Comments

[reanbean]

I love that you took the kids in costume! I'm pretty sure that I would have done the same thing. I mean, it's a princess party. Why wouldn't you dress up?

And Happy Birthday! I'm so jealous of your sleepover at a hotel. That sounds fantastic! Sadly, I can't remember the last time I got to sleep past 7am...

[Gettysburg Mom]

Happy belated birthday!

I bring little girls dressed like princesses to the grocery store and eye doctor, so I totally would have brought them to a Prince and Princess party.

That stinks if she's always working on Saturdays. I used to have to work the Saturdays and that's when all of the fun stuff with kids happens. I got a little bummed that my husband got to go to all of the fun parties while I was working.

[Stacy]

I have been missing you on Facebook and thought I would stop by to see what you have been up to! Love that you dressed them up - I would have done the same. Plus that party scene was out of this world - no wonder Mateo wants to go to parties all the time.

I can't believe that we are approaching their second Birthdays - how time flies! Hope to see all of you on our May visit.

blessings,
stacy