This year we made it back from Spain with plenty of time to spare before Elisa's big day. And boy, did I need it. Though I had the foresight to order a lot of the decorations and party supplies before our vacation, there was a lot of stuff I needed to take care of to get ready for our big girl's big day. This year Elisa really only one item: a reborn doll. These are the lifelike baby dolls designed with the utmost care and the price tag to match. We started looking at similar dolls a few months back and she seemed settled on getting a boy doll and liked one that had a baseball outfit. Considering the hand crafted ones run about $300-$400 on eBay and the like, I was pleased to find a knock off on Amazon for less than $100. Sold! Now what to get her to go with it and of course I needed a few fun things for Carolina to open as well. She had a spectacularly LOL birthday in Spain, but we hadn't yet found the latest and greatest Series 4 (isn't there ALWAYS a new series just when you think you've caught up??!). So I was happy to find a few things I knew she was going to flip about. I also decided a few weeks ago that it would be fun to hit the new pop-up installation Candytopia in the city for Elisa's main event on her birthday. Last year it was Coney Island, so how could you even top that? How about with so much candy you might barf? It was also helpful that this gave us a chance to make up for the fact that Carolina missed out on the end of the school year outing to the Dream Machine. What a fun day that was and she's been a little upset she keeps hearing about it from Elisa. So fast forward, I had a plan to take us out and about for a family fun day in the city. The presents were all wrapped and the tablescape was set, The birthday blow out could begin...
Candytopia was exactly what I expected it to be. It was a gigantic carnival of a place with large-scale candy-laden rooms themed as if to make your eyes and sweet tooth explode at the same time. The fact that each offered a literal treasure chest of goodies did a lot of offset the more museum quality candy artwork. My girls loved the interactive displays the most with the farting pig and spinning floor big hits, as well as the 100 swing and of course the marshmallow foam pit. Touching the gummy surfaces of the installations was a little bit gross (we were there on the first week, so imagine anything after us! GERMS!) but I have to admit the candyland dream was a decadent way to celebrate Elisa's big birthday. We had a quiet morning at home opening up presents before running into the city. Then it was time for lunch at both Shake Shack (them) and Mandoo Bar (us). Elisa got to have her hot dog AND dumplings and we ended up at Pinkberry getting fray despite the sugar crashing already happening. Keep them pumped, I say!
The evening ended with a run to the park for dinner and an impromptu ice cream cake from our local Carvel in Woodside to cap off a very sweet day. This girl is ten. My baby girl no more and it's very evident in her attitude that the teen years are fast approaching. I suppose I could be wistful about this age and about how fast it all goes. But for me as a mom, I have found my greatest delights in what's to come. I want to see more of this girl as she grows up into a young woman. She has never been an easy child, and I know the next decade will likely prove that even more true. But it's not in my nature to look back and mourn. We are here now and it's just where we should be. So happy birthday to this girl in a young woman's body. The year ahead is going to be the best one yet.
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