Happy Birthday Sweet 16

Last night we had the pleasure, and honor, of attending the super sweet sixteen. Our dear babysitter (who we don't employ nearly as often as we wish we could) had a fabulous party. She has been helping us out with the kids since she was eleven and now she's sweet sixteen. Where does the time go? It was a great party, not over the top, just enough for a girl who deserves it way more than any of those spoiled rich kids on MTV! Sam is a girl who has her stuff together. She is smart, beautiful, talented, nurturing, eloquent, confident and basically everything I want to be when I grow up. Her parents are awesome people and great friends. Cara and TP, cheers to you!
It was a fun party. All of our friends were there, there was dancing and laughing and, oh yeah, drinking. There was also some crying. Happy tears. The DJ played a video montage of the last 16 years from hospital pictures right through the present day. It is ridiculous how fast 16 years go by, but when you see it in pictures it really hits home. I couldn't help but think about my own cherubs as I watched the video, and how I will blink my eyes and they will be all grown up. Then there was the father daughter dance, which gets me every time. It makes me think of my Dad, how we danced at my own sweet 16 party, and when we danced together for the last time, on my wedding day just six months before he died. It also makes me think of my Sweet Curly girl, and I think to the future, and see her all grown up dancing with Hubby - I don't know how I will keep it all together. Finally, there was the candle lighting ceremony. Wow. Talk about a great kid. Sam had chosen special people to come up and help her light each of the 17 candles on her special cake, and she said a few words about each person. She thanked her Mom & Dad for being great parents, adding that she hopes to be as great a woman as her Mom, and to find as perfect a man as her Dad. She professed her love for her younger brothers, all of her grandparents, and her very best friend.
The party last night had me reminiscing quite a bit. For as much as it made me realize how quickly my kids will grow up, I also realized that my own life has passed by just that quickly. I had a sweet 16 party, though it wasn't as fabulous as Sam's Super Sweet 16, it came from exactly the same place, a place of love. It was thrown by my brothers and sisters, and it was in a VFW hall, and there was no DJ, just a bunch of party tapes that we continuously flipped. Still, we danced and we laughed and yes, we lighted candles. I think now about the people who I had lighting the candles on my cake that night. They were so important to me then. Now, I don't talk to most of them, except for family. There was no fight, no great "falling out", just "growing up". We all went in different directions. Still, my friends are plentiful. They are people who are in the same place I am. They complement (and sometimes even compliment - but never falsely) me. If I had to put together an elaborate ceremony for the candles on my next cake, well, let's just say I would set the roof aflame. I am so blessed by the people in my life. Some of them may or may not still be here in another 16 years (okay, my sweet 16 was 17 years ago - you got me. OK, Ok. 17 1/2. Fine 17 3/4 - but that's it!) and that is okay. The important thing is that they are here now. And they were there last night. And we had just as much fun as any group of 16 year olds!
Anyway, Happy Birthday Sam. Congrats to TP and Cara. I truly do love you guys.

You say it's your Birthday!!!

When I was a kid I went to a birthday party at Burger King. It was a boy's party and mostly what I remember about it was that I was handed a cheeseburger, even though to this day I do not like fast food cheeseburgers, but prefer hamburgers; and that my father commented that these types of parties were for mothers who were too lazy to have a party the right way, at home. Of course, I don't think dear old Dad ever did much in the way of planning and executing a birthday party for me or any of the others, but nonetheless, his comment seems to have stuck in my craw.

I cannot bring myself to host my children's parties "out". I thought about it, and even did a bit of research for Curly's Birthday this year. I thought it might be a good idea, since the day of her fourth would also be the start of my 38th week. Despite my best intentions, I just could not do it. I had to have it at home. The thing is though, I am not a one trip to the party store, order some pizzas and bash the pinata kind of partier. No, sir, not me. Party planning is my hobby, and I can take a theme to the extreme. Seriously, I live for my children's birthdays, and begin planning months, not even weeks, in advance. I am already thinking about Paddy boy's 2nd, and it's 7 months away! When my kids look back upon past birthdays they don't think in terms of "my third, my fourth, my fifth, etc." but rather, "My dinosaur birthday, my bulldozer birthday, my princess birthday, etc. "

I figure that I spend probably about as much as I would if I was hosting the party at some "venue", so it isn't about saving money (although if I factor in leftovers as part of the equation I could convince hubby that we make out on the deal) Hosting a party at home gives me so many more options to be creative, to have my kid's input, and to be flexible with dates, timing , and boy/girl appropriateness! I like being able to host the parents just as comfortably as the kids (rather than having a bunch of grown-ups standing around the perimeter of the room holding coats, and hoping for an extra half-slice of cold pizza to come their way); and I especially like the fact that no matter what the theme is, my kid's party will be completely different from anything any of their friends have. I can't tell you how many parties we have been to at the local ice cream shop, they all begin to blur and run into each other.

It is a lot of work putting together a fun kid's party, but I love it. This past week I have been up to my elbows in butterflies every night. I decided finally to compromise, have the party for Curly at home, but keep it small. Usually I have two parties for my kids, one with their friends and one with the family. This year I decided to have just one, invite the family and just the four or five friends that she plays with regularly. My intention of course, was to keep it "simple". The only thing is that my "simple" is most people's "elaborate". Listen, it's not Curly's fault that we're getting a new baby so close to her birthday, she still deserves to have a memorable "butterfly birthday" right? That's what I thought too.

Anyway, there was no giant cardboard castle, and although I looked into it, there was no live butterfly release, thereby keeping it "simple" according to my definition. There were butterfly games, butterfly hot dogs, butterfly cookies, and of course, butterfly cupcakes. There was "nectar" served in adorable butterfly cups, and a butterfly pinata, oh yeah - and there was beer for the grown-ups. (come to think of it, that is probably what Dad's chief gripe was about the Burger King party! LOL.) Now that the date has come and gone and the phone calls of congratulations are rolling in, I can sit back and relax. Well, I would like to get the butterfly thank yous in the mail before I have to start sending birth announcements, but other than that it should be smooth sailing.

I have been told, repeatedly that I have a special talent for these parties, and that I should try to make it a lucrative endeavor, but I honestly don't know if I could put all the work into it if I wasn't doing it for one of my sweet cherubs. No matter how tired I have been, and let me tell you, I am freakin tired these days, I find that when they need me, I am able to rally up the energy. I mean after all, they are what it's all about right? Plus, the great big hugs I get at the end of the day make it all worth while.

Well, first Son's birthday is quickly approaching in August, so I had better put on my thinking cap (yeah right, as if I don't already have a plan....)