SOOOOOOOOOO BIG!

Last Week

Okay, it seems like just last week we were playing that game with Baby C.  And then a few days ago we were watching her, in her little toddler 2-ness, play it with Baby D.

Aw, Loves!

Yesterday, I’m pretty sure, D was teaching it to E… And now today we have E tormenting teaching Baby F.  It’s such an amazing thing, time.

Unsuspecting smile.

Cute, but what is the point here?

Um, yes.  Cinderella is now SIX.  Yep, more than one hand’s worth of fingers. Whoa.

I am very, very happy with how she’s growing up – which is a miraculous thing, since when she was three I had serious doubts about her living through another year, let alone turning into a charming, compassionate, understanding, vivacious little person.  Don’t you wish I was blogging back then?!  Me too.

But she is! The guinea pig child is turning out okay!  What a relief.  You know, God sends special blessings to first-children.  He has to.  If he didn’t, none of them would turn out well, as their parents learn the hard way about so many things in so many ways.   I should know.  I am the oldest child of an oldest child of an oldest child.

<wise nod>

So!  The party was fun.  A little on the sunny side, but that’s better than a little on the rainy side, eh?

"Dragon" Tag. Way fun!

Ooops!  Got ahead of myself there.  I meant to justify some of my compliments to our darling daughter there, lest you think I’m just biased.  Which I am, of course.  But I’ve still gotta show why.

As those of you who (a) know me or (b) read this blog regularly know, I’ve been waging war against TOO MUCH STUFF for quite a while.  Lately, I’m happy to report, I’ve been winning!  Yes, winning battle after battle.  More to come on that later.  I’m here to brag about C, not me…

It relates though, hear me out.

What does a birthday party mean?  Presents.  What are presents?  For the most part, they’re often just more stuff.  Which will not help me in my war.

<strike one>

What’s more, economic times are hard this year.  It just seemed pretty much morally wrong to throw a party in which the guests feel obligated to spend money.

<strike two>

The icing on the cake, though, is the other war I’ve been fighting.  Every parent fights it, so this won’t be earth-shattering.  The war against the “what’s in it for me-me-me-me?!” attitude.  Ugh.  Hate that.  The instant we brought up the birthday party idea, Cinderella turned into a little green scaly monster of greed.  “PRESENTS!!!!”  ….   As her mother, I was not impressed.

<strike three>

Yes, I know that for some people (probably my oldest, and possibly even myself!) presents = love. I didn’t want to deny her all-birthday-presents-period.  That would be a little on the too-mean side for me.
Further, for some people (and probably lots of her extended family) giving presents = showing love. Presents aren’t evil, and she’s not that far gone.  For goodness’ sake, she’s only 6.

But still!  The party could be about celebrating her birthday, it could be about playing with friends, it could even be about cake and ice cream… without a bunch of stuff she doesn’t need that many people can’t afford to give her.  Right?

Oh, how I debated.  Do we have a party at all?  What about a no-presents party?  Will people be okay with that?  But what about the extended family that love to give presents?  And won’t that make other guests feel bad or embarassed?

After much deliberation, and concluding that -yes- we should have a no-presents party, I had a heart to heart with my daughter.  I braced myself for the tears, the pouting, the shattering of her little world…

We talked about the economy.  Five-year-old version, of course.  She’s so smart, though, really.  Cinderella followed every idea I tried to communicate, and was even a step ahead of me, because –

To my delight and amazement, SHE thought of the no-presents idea before I could put it into words.  (!)  That was precisely what I was hoping for.

Happy day!

Even happier, I came up with a pretty darling poem for the invitation if I do say so myself.  There’s nothing like creating something to make you feel good, y’know?

<insert picture of cute invitation w/ poem>

How we love our cute Zannie!

She still received thoughtful, appropriate, lovely presents from adoring relatives.  We just waited until her little friends left before she could bring them out and open them.  She got to be the queen of the day, pretend to blow out candles that wouldn’t light because of the wind on a cake that… well, that’s another story… and run around with people she loves in the sunshine at a park on a beautiful day.

And she didn’t say one word about feeling neglected or deprived because she didn’t have *as many* presents as she would have if we weren’t so mean.

I’m thinking she’s probably not scarred for life.  Whew!

Homemade frosting, can you tell?

The story of The Cake:

After the great success with the dragon cake, I was beyond-excited about making a castle.  It was SO much fun… but the frosting turned out too sticky and it pretty much demolished the cake as I tried to spread it.  Yes, I figured out I could add a little more milk and beat it a little bit longer to get fantastic results.  The damage had already been done.  No amount of pink sprinkles could save it.  — and, note to self, sprinkles stick much better if you apply BEFORE the frosting has time to set.  Right.

I still get a kick out of quoting Toy Story to The Cake, may it rest is piece:

“YOU are a sad, sorry little cake, and I feel sorry for you.”

Yep, still makes me laugh!