Oriel's House of Fluffy Pancakes

Valentine Birthday Party

Yes, I have finally succumbed. Actually, I gave in before she was born, telling Levi that if he kept saying that, "we are not having a Valentine's baby!" we were sure to have one, if I know anything about God's sense of humor/justice. So, I gave up. As soon as I knew she was a girl, I was certain that pink would dominate our lives until we were out of this world. And let me say, it has, despite our attempts to encourage other favorites. She's a Valentine's girl, and loved the hue even before she knew that there was a holiday that Hallmark has ruined and devoted to the color and it happened to be on the same day she was born.

Ok. So here's the how it all went down. I finally decided that we ought to let her have a real birthday party (not that she hasn't fully enjoyed her previous four adult parties with kids in attendance--her birthday has always been an excuse to have over all our friends that she happens to enjoy too, and not celebrate Valentine's day in any of it's typical frilliness). So, we asked her for a shortened list of kids she'd like to invite. And having made the invites, they all got ruined in the afore mentioned purse swim along with my cell phone on their way to being hand delivered.

Then the dilemma of what to do at a kids birthday party. That's one of the beauties of an adult party--no one expects you to have games and activities suited to their liking, just good conversation. So while brainstorming one day, I happened upon the cliche. But it was to be good.

Here was the plan. We would set up a couple stations of craft supplies (all collecting dust and most handed down to me over the years, so no money out on that part--yay), and let the kids make their own Valentine boxes decorated how they saw fit for their parents. And we'd fill them with some sort of easy sweet. That'd keep them busy and hopefully happy. And then I thought we'd do claymations too. Since I had a large quantity of children's modeling clay given to us a while back and still hadn't opened it. I'm thinking, "this will help me get started on my great purging that I've been really anxious to get to."

Sounds harmless right? well, lets just review the scene and then offer up a prayer.
~11 little girls, several younger than Analeasa, and their baby siblings
~everyone lively due to just getting done with lunch and having a couple hours before naps and the added excitement of a birthday PARTY
~a table full of the craft paper, box templates, ribbons, colored pencils, crayons
~Modeling clay
~a small handful of parents
~a couple Elmers school glues
~several glue sticks
~several different colors of glitter and metallic confetti
~eight or nine pairs of exciting patterned scissors

Thank you, God, for watching over us and having mercy on my idiocy and oversight. Thank you for sending mother's more thoughtful and protective than I. And for giving me friends who won't say anything about my foolishness, but will stay longer than they have time for just to help me clean up a bit of the mess. For these things I am by no means worthy, but am truly grateful.

p.s. the only injury I know of was my daughter's traditional self-inflicted Birthday Teeth-Bashing, which incidentally happened after it was all over while saying goodbye. Unfortunately for her, she got more scolding than sympathy this time.

pps Thank you also, to Levi for coming home and helping me out a bit too, and being company to the only other adult male--Steve, we were thrilled to have you there.

Posted by oriel at February 16, 2008 01:28 PM | TrackBack