I think I can safely say now that the birthday craziness has passed, that the Frozen train has officially derailed. Ended. There is no more. Whew. Yes, I think our birthday party nailed that coffin shut and I am fully behind that. Just a few weeks ago, Elisa started telling everyone she was going to have a Barbie party which was news to me. But thankfully, she changed her tune just in time to embrace the Anna & Elsa theme I'd already planned. Decorations were purchased in June. There was no turning back. And I have to say, it was a swell affair. We had UFC chicken which was delicious, pizza and crudités, watermelon and chips, popcorn and Twizzlers. It gave me the chance to see just how much I overthink things once again. Keep it simple. Don't go crazy. I try to remind myself but I just love a party and all that fuss over the little stuff like baking the cupcakes and buying lots of candy and making it all available all the time. It's so fun to watch the kids flip out. Sure, eat that sucker before the pizza. Whatever. THERE ARE NO RULES. It's a birthday party for chrissakes. Let's have some fun.
Extra thank you to Duncan Hines for their Blue Velvet cake mix...easy peasy
I only offered to lead one game since most of the kids were running around the park like they always do (including Elisa), and I really didn't want too much structure. Why should parents have to get involved? Let the kids roam and play, I say. But the girls wanted to play Duck, Duck, Goose which we did with the Elsa and Anna wands to help tag the person. Carolina caught on pretty quickly and it was fun to watch all the kids clamor to be the chaser. It's a classic for a reason. After cake, Elisa lured Carolina back over to the sand box where she was busy playing with a handful of friends and I had to deliver her ice cream cake there because her plea to just "save it" was melting fast. I don't think I've ever seen a birthday kid who wanted less to do with her party. Elisa just isn't a joiner in that way. She's much more aloof, or independent, than I sometimes realize and although she's incredibly social, she isn't a limelight hoarder. She actually gets quite shy. So I had to really beckon her back a few times--to eat, to blow out her candle, to pass out goodie bags--and still, she never seemed to absorb it all. This only cemented my thoughts about her celebrating her birthday next year with just a handful of friends doing something fun around the city. Carolina, on the other hand, was the belle of the ball with her Ariel princess dress on and waving her wand over the crowd. She loved all the party shenanigans and kept asking to play Duck, Duck, Goose again after it was well over.
There were lots of things to remember about that day and how it all came together less than 24 hours after returning from our beach vacation. I will remember how Nacho really helped me by making several trips to get everything we needed (plus new balloons after ours fell) and to deliver it to the park without complaint. I tried my best not to feel flustered--it's a party after all so why all the stress? But I was running late as usual to get there to decorate and set up. If it wasn't for my cast of stellar friends jumping in and making it happen, it very well might not have. Carmen, Jessie and Kathy didn't bat an eye at throwing on table cloths or laying out the veggie spread. They are good women and I so appreciate the help they offered. It's hard to do it all, and luckily, I didn't have to. But what I will remember most was not the buzz of the party, but rather the way Elisa wrapped a protective arm around her sister when it was time to sing happy birthday and blow out the candles. We were having trouble getting the 3 candle lit since the wick had been used before and was nearly gone. But Elisa softly touched Carolina and pointed to her 6 candle and told her they could blow it out together. Just thinking about that makes me want to squeeze them both. They are sisters through and through, and the love they show one another is greater than anything I could have imagined. It made perfect sense that this party would celebrate them alongside their favorite Frozen princesses. True love reigned again that day. It might not seem like much, but for me, it was the moment I'll think about for a long time.
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