Birthday Girl

Miss Gracie turned 1 on April 5th! I was definately sentimental about it. I just LOVE the baby months. Granted, she'll still be a baby for quite some time, but the changes happen so fast now. Even in the last week she has become more interactive and communicative.

Her birthday party ended up not being what I expected. Hubby got sick the night before and was up praying to the porcelein god several times. He was pretty much dead to the world the day of her party. We had saved many party-related errands for that day, since we'd both be off. Which left me with all of them! It wasn't his fault though.

Our calendar is so busy that rescheduling her party was next to impossible. But, on the chance that it was contagious, I called everyone to let them know. Understandably, most people chose not to chance it. Everyone coming was family--but with our family it was supposed to be over 20 people. We had a similar party for Miss Rose's 1st bday too. It ended up being both grandmas, and all the aunties on my side--an all girls party.

I still went for it--made homemade meat sauce, homemade cupcakes & frosting etc. I want Miss Gracie to be able to look back at photos and see that we made a big deal out of her 1st birthday. I was exhausted by the end of the day to say the least. It turned out well though. I wonder if Gracie would have been overwhelmed by a larger party. Miss Rose was so excited during the gift opening that it scared Gracie and she just kept climbing into my lap!

What better birthday dinner than grilled cheese??



My sweet girls! This pose didn't last more than a second though.


This photo is my life! Miss Rose being crazy, Gracie attached to me...and I love every second of it!



My sweet birthday girl!


The craziest she got with her cupcakes. She would just swipe frosting off the top and suck it off her fingers.



Her car was a big hit! Now she can go for a ride while big sister rides her bike.

Thoughts on a Wednesday

My post today is a bit scattered so I've just entitled it "Thoughts."

Birthday party update
The birthday party went really well. We had almost 30 people in the house--crazy! Most of those are related too. Miss Rose was classic opening her gifts. Every gift she opened she called out "WOW" in this super excited voice. She got a pair of shoes and gave a "wow" when she took the first one out of the box, and then said "and another one" at the 2nd shoe. As if someone would have given her just one shoe!

I ended up finding a party favor I was pleased with. Target had some cute little kids cups (straw cups for the toddlers, tumblers for the preschoolers and acrylic for the big kids) that were $3 or less. I put some candy in each and that was it! I felt good that it is something useful and not toys that break.

Miss Gracie will be having a family only birthday dinner! She's 1 people...it will be enough!

Smart Girl
Okay, I have to share this story about my smart little 4 yr old. I think she has an almost photographic memory.

We were driving down a local street and passed by a lot with mounds of dirt where they are going to be building a new shopping center.

Her: "Mama, are they building a new Henry's there or something?"
Me: in a surprised voice "Actually yes, they are. How did you know that?"
Her: "Well, I saw a sign."
Me: "How did you know what it said?"
Her: "It was green and white and well, I just know some words."

Oh--like I shouldn't be surprised. She just knows some words?? HA! It's a store we go to often so I guess she's just learned what the sign looks like. It reminded me that probably before she was 2 yrs old, anytime she saw the "Babies R Us" sign (even on the back of the building) she'd say "Elmo" because she always rode in an Elmo car there.

Other thoughts
Why am I stressing over when to plan the 3rd and final child in our family? I realized that I need to focus on the children I have, and not compromise time with them in order to be ready for #3 in my own timing. That baby will come when the time is right.

I love learning! I am a school junkie. I am taking a course this semester and I am just eating it up! When we are getting new info in class, I'm just so excited. I am a nerd. And yes, it's a subject I really enjoy, but I honestly think I would be this way regardless the subject.

Birthday Parties stress me out

So, Miss Rose is turning 4 on Saturday. When I was growing up, I maybe had 4 actual parties with people other than my parents and siblings there. Birthdays usually weren't celebrated with extended families. I never remember going to my cousins' birthdays either.

But, I guess in the last 10 or 15 years things have changed. Birthday parties have moved up a whole notch or 12. So many people I know throw parties for their kids every year with many invited. Sure, it's fun. But it's also a lot of work. And as a parent--and this is just my own thing--I feel pressure to have this perfect party. Not that my 4 year old knows, and probably not that others are judging my party.

I had a draining day at work on Tuesday and found myself at Party City and Target at 8pm that night. I found out that...

1. Toy Story is not a popular birthday theme right now. But Miss Rose loves Buzz Lightyear. I ended up with bright green party gear to match Buzz. It's the best I could do.

2. All party favors are CRAP. We have so many little toys around and I know I don't need more, so I figure others probably feel the same. Not to mention the fact that party guests range from 1 year to 14 years old! I wandered the favors isle for 20min trying to find stuff that wasn't crap and wasn't expensive.

3. Target isn't stocking the art easel I want for Miss Rose. Neither is Toys R Us. What is that all about? Seriously now. Thankfully I found it at a local toy stoy. I guess after Christmas the stores don't have it.

4. Birthday parties give me ANXIETY! I drove home a MESS!

In the end I know that we are going to have fun. I'm thankful that my daughters have a healthy, functional extended family that want to be around and share these special occasions with us. I need to take a lesson from my dear husband and just relax.

Now...what am I going to do for Miss Gracies 1st birthday in 3 months? AHHHH. Breathe Corrina, just breathe. :)