Five Years

After about the age of 26, it's normal on one's birthday to reflect on the past with a touch of nostalgia and melancholy. The future stretches on ahead with no major delineator posts, except perhaps collecting Social Security and qualifying for the Early Bird Special. Who wants to contemplate that?

So this week, I'm looking back. Frankly, I'm shocked how quickly the years have flown by.

Even with the visible passage of time wandering my house in princess pajamas, 5 years has snuck up on me so fast. Not that my 'baby' is a five-year-old ... but that 5 years ago was a neon-encrusted year for me. Huge changes, loss, new friendships, soul-searching. I can remember it all very, very clearly.

Yet those intervening years have dulled the neon, making that banner year more of a speed-bump and less of a brick wall. When I consider those I lost - my beloved Grandma for one - what used to be agony has dulled to a tender ache. I miss Grandma Dollie still, and wish she could have seen her little great-grand-daughter grow, but I'm no longer reduced to tears when I see her picture. Concurrently, the new friendship I forged in those troubled times has matured, and become a comfortable relationship I can depend on despite the 1800 miles separating us.

And so the passage of time has been, well, a blessing. Even while etching faint lines around my eyes, slowing me down and adding a few pounds, it has blunted pain and softened hurt. Whatever I think about that new number under "age", I'm grateful to be older.

What Fun!

We had such a blast with Rachel's party yesterday. Messy cupcakes, presents, dancing game with our friends, and of course swimming!

I've uploaded some of the photos to flickr to share, but here's a small sample too. I'm not in any of them...between coordinating and taking most of these pictures, it just didn't happen. Oh well. :-)


Rachel loves this hula skirt from her new swimsuit

















Cupcake messiness! That blue icing took forever to wash off. Thank goodness we went swimming after!

Birthday Fun

Perhaps I'm insane, but I kind-of like planning kid's birthday parties.

My youngest is having her birthday party tomorrow, and we are (gasp) pretty much ready. Her initial request for a party was "Enchanted Princess" (she saw the recent movie, and loves all things princess). However, with extra family coming in and a preschool full of new friends, we decided to forego the usual at-home party this time. Instead, we're having a "Little Mermaid" (still a princess!) Pool Party. Cake, presents, and splashing kids - should be great.

One of the best parts of my kids' parties is the planning. With my husband a stay-at-home dad for now, we live on a tight budget. Most parties are at home, with a theme, games, friends - but not a lot of fancy or store-bought items. Oh, we do get the fancy napkins and plates, maybe a tablecloth or banner - but beyond that, it's usually handmade by me. And that's a lot of fun.

Admittedly, a lot of work too - not nearly as much as the post-party clean up though!

Still, I'm rather proud of my creations for previous parties. I've hand-drawn The Mystery Machine (Scooby-Doo) and Darth Vadar - both on posterboard, both later hung in the birthday-kid's room. When our youngest son turned 6, we did Jedi Training School...and I created capes for everyone out of some thrift-store salvaged sheets. Those silly things are still wandering around our house!

I've baked and decorated more cakes than I can count - but some stand out, like the Spiderman (with great webs) and the Batman car cake. Do you know how hard it is to get icing to turn dark gray? Somehow, I managed to turn a cake into a road, with grass on the sides, and plant a LARGE BatMobile on it for the birthday boy. Still patting myself on the back for that one.

This party is different...our entertainment and 'decorating' is pretty much already done - we're in a big pool after all. So what's a crafty mom to do, creative skills thwarted for once. Ahhh...the glimmering of an idea...

A Princess Theme Songs CD! iTunes, here I come - at least the computer-geek side of me is happy now.