Once Upon a Time

Once upon a time, my little girl turned four...

The one passion I share with several close friends is the need to celebrate life - to celebrate the child.  So when I asked Alex earlier this spring what she wanted for her fourth birthday party, her thoughts included the words: pink, purple, sparkle, princess, dress-up, castle, and Rapunzell.  And she wanted it to be at home because to her, "that's where the best parties are."


I set up an enchanted party board on Pinterest to gather my varied thoughts into something tangible.  I wanted the party to feed her imagination, to be welcoming to both boys and girls, and to truly allow children play openly and unstructured.  And so the thought was born to make it a storybook fairy tale, which would force books, not Disney princesses, to be the focus of the party.

I found the perfect invitation from the Etsy seller Perfectly Touched - an 10" x 6" sparkly castle invitation.  The seller left the inside blank so that I could complete the wording.  The best part? Not only did I save time and money, but the purple and silver tones of the invite set the color theme for the party!

I will admit that I'm one of those crazy, creative, crafty people, and this party ignited a flame within me.  And like my mother, I wanted to put my personal touch on every detail - all because I have a girl that is so grateful for the handmade.  On the list of items created: Rapunzel hair wig, unicorns (from stick horses), treasure stones, knights costumes, gift boxes.  Dude, I was burning the creative candle on both ends. My kid was gasping daily.
I saw a page in Parent's magazine that suggested alternative Easter baskets including one that was crafted to look like a castle.  So I experimented with $.60 gift boxes from Michaels where I hand-cut the top edges to look like a castle, painted them grey and finished them off with a faux stone design.  I filled them with shredded purple fill, chocolate coins, handmade treasure stones, ring pops, and Tobos thematic figurines.

I found these books at Michaels and scattered stacks of them around the tables.

And I used tea cups on the tables filled with silver gum balls in lieu of apothecary jars.  (I think every child asked if they were gumballs and then slinked off with one or two in hand.)

And then my friend Shannon lent me this ridiculously funny frog prince for the table just because.

As for the children's area, I wanted everything to be at their level - the tables, the dress up area, the moon bounce - creating the fantasy from their vantage.  I placed two low 4'x8' tables  together and surrounded the perimeter with smaller chairs; it was not a round table, but at least a setting for a feast.  The table was decorated with white and pink linens, silver chargers (Michaels $1), and golden goblets filled with sparkling cider.

I surrounded the table with a staked canopy that was covered in ribbon, tulle, flowers, and butterflies punched out of vintage children's books.

I had another crazy thought to paint a mural for the background; understand that I don't paint and the project made me sweat.  I sewed 2 twin sheets together and then used basic acrylic craft paints to create the scene.  And knowing my girl, I added details like purple flags at the top of the castle, Rapunzel's hair flowing from a window, and flying lanterns drifting away from the castle.

Witness the power of prayer.  Booyah, I can paint!

And lastly, the cake.  It was based on the book "The Princess and the Pea." 

Now for the important details…the children.  At this point, I will use very few words and let the images speak for themselves.

I feel so grateful to be in the presence of children.  I cherish their ability to find the joy in the basic.

I have a feeling that she will not forget this celebration for a long time.  And that my dear friends is what it's all about - carving deep grooves into her childhood.


I am grateful to my friend Cindy for helping to staple up not only a million butterflies, but for also capturing many images.

And she lived happily ever after.  The End.

Four.

And suddenly my little girl is 4. 

Count those fingers.  She's so big, yet still so small.  Tucked under our wings, but someday I know that Alex will be ready to soar. She's Innocent and full of stories and possesses the largest imagination.  And oh Alex is so loving.  I need to bottle her to up to remember the intensity of her love.  It's pure and meaningful. And I'll need to open up that reserve one day when she's 15 and I'm simply the stupidest thing Alex has ever know. 

::
Alex's birthday fell mid-week this year, so without hesitation,  I took the day off to celebrate her birth.  We celebrated in the morning with the preschool classmates, sharing songs and ice cream cups. I sat in one of the little chairs, watching my knees avoid my chin, negotiating at least 6 little conversations directed my way.  But all the time, I beamed with pride, letting my heart surf the swell of  love.  I thought "that's my girl" as I caught glances and monstrous hugs from her.


After school, I decided our celebration would entail a proper tea.  Our first tea together.  Just us girls.  I think about how much my mother would have loved to have joined us. Silly, but true.  Having high tea was just so Florence.


We dressed appropriately (me in a dress and Alex in her new sparkly Cinderella dress) and headed to Reynolds Tavern.  We ordered tea, finger  sandwiches, and scones.  

The room was filled with other ladies and the space buzzed with conversation, but Alex sat quietly fascinated, dropping cubes of sugar and pools of milk into the tea.  And she declared how much she loved Earl Grey at least 5 times.  That's my girl.

Sallie joined us too because it was special day. (however the phone was removed at one point because Sallie could not stop playing Word with Friends).


And when Alex stepped away from the table, the other ladies in the room made a fuss over her dress and realized that it was her birthday.  And next thing you know, this proper tea room boomed with voices singing "Happy Birthday" to her.  And that was just more pixie dust on top of our day.

Four years later, I still have these "pinch me" moment where I cannot believe that she's ours, that my heart has grown a thousand times, and that I am her mommy. I have learned more from this little person in 1,460 days than 30+ years on this earth ever taught me.  And I am mindfully aware and grateful every day that Alex is our child. Thank you God.


There's no denying it was a special day for us.  A birthday. A birth day.  Happy Birthday my sweetest bunny.

Forever Neverland (a big fat post)

"I have a place where dreams are born and time is never planned. It's not on any chart; you must find it in your heart. It's Never Never Land." - Peter Pan

Months before Alex's 3rd birthday, she planted the seed for her ultimate birthday celebration.  At the time, Alex loved the story of Peter Pan - the book, the movie, the characters, the fantasy of it all.  

And my imaginative little storyteller let me know that she wanted me to invite Wendy, John, Michael, Peter, Tinkerbell, & Hook; oh and that she wanted a cake with all the characters flying overhead.  And that all she wanted for her birthday were 2 balloons and a Wendy Darling dress made by the one and only mama.  Check, check, and check.  

I fell prey like a hooked trout, and I ran away with the concept of hosting a Never Land dress up party.  I had partners in crime - Cindy and Shannon - who sent me endless number of links to Pan-related Etsy posts or became my sounding board for party details.

I had the perfect setting under the Oak tree at the marina. 

Ben helped me set up posts so that we could string up old fashioned lights.  And Mark, who happens to be Shannon's husband, routed out a large piece of barnacle-encrusted driftwood to say "Hangman's Tree."  It's as if he read my mad mind...

And to top it off, the man has mad rope-tying skills.  He hung the sign up on the big oak tree and then made a clothes line from the remaining line.  The dream into action was so much better when intermingled with a slew of sailing knots and a clothesline post made from an old wood oar.

The tables were topped with gold-toned runners, pan hats, pixie dust and dried roses.

And the food was served under the second star on the right.

There was plenty of fairy dust and pixie sticks for the crowd.

Even though details equate to a great loss in sleep, I was motivated by creating a fantasy world for the children.  

Here's my one tough Lost Boy, Nate. And one amazing fairy fantasy house for Alex.

There was a plank to walk

Yes, the plank says "Oh No!"

 a tipi with a (simulated) fire for the pow-wow

Thanks Poppy for the awesome tipi!

 a tattoo parlor

a treasure hunt filled with booty

and space for wings to flap and for swords and imaginations to swing wildly.

As for that cake…. Mama achieved giving Alex a pink cake with the characters "flying" mid-air.  It looked awesome, but oh baby, it tasted even better!

Most of all, I achieved creating a moment of Never Land for the children and giving them a space where they could be kids. 

At the last minute everyone ran for Mermaid Lagoon (aka the Marina pool), which rounded off an well-paced evening of fun, friendship, and a whole lotta sugar. 

As I placed her to bed that evening, she gave me a big hug and kiss and said in her little voice, "Oh Mama, thank you so much."  Oh baby, I can feel your gratitude.  I would do it all again, and yes, I love celebrating your life. xo


P.S. A big shout out to Cindy and to Mark for being my personal photographers.  Sorry, this mama got a bit too busy taking care of way too many details.  Love you for documenting life.