The Princess Party

Since this summer, Sophia has been talking about having a princess cake for her birthday. We went ahead with plans for a princess-themed party. Those who know me, know how much I love a theme party. I count it as something that Tori Spelling and I have in common. I don’t have quite the party budget she has, but I think we share the same affinity for theme parties.

To date, all of Sophia’s birthday parties have been held in our home. This year, we are living with Ernie’s parents and I decided that we needed to have her party elsewhere. I just couldn’t ask to have Sophia’s party there. They had done more than their fair share of entertaining in the previous three months. We looked into available facilities in our area, and most were located within or near parks. Parks with toys to climb on. We ruled out those facilities because, figuring it would be cold and/or raining, we didn’t want to spend the entire party denying kids the chance to play on those toys. We settled on the multi-purpose room at the train depot in Centralia.

Once we settled on the location, I tried a few times to convince Sophia that she should have a Thomas the Tank Engine-themed party. Remember how much I like a theme? I thought it would be more fitting to have a train-themed party at the train station. But no, Sophia had made up her mind and was not about to budge. It killed me that I couldn’t plan a train party for the train station, but I was not about to ruin her party just because I am a bit (A BIT?) OCD.

So we had a princess party at the train depot. We had foam crowns for the kids to decorate and giant princess pictures to color. We were able to keep the kids entertained for quite awhile with those activities. Next came cake and ice cream, and then it was time to open presents. Sophia received wonderful gifts and remembered to say thank you most of the time! We had a great turnout and were so excited to have many family members in attendance, as well as some friends, and Sophia’s preschool classmates. It was a great party!

A Week of Birthdays

Wow was it a week of celebration in the Dickason family! First, I turned 31 (OMG I’m officially in my 30s!) on Sunday, January 10th. Ernie’s parents were kind enough to watch the girls so that Ernie and I could go out for dinner on Saturday night to celebrate. We went to Red Robin in Olympia so that I could enjoy my free “Birthday Burger” and hot fudge sundae. It was all quite yummy, and the wait staff was kind enough to spare me the singing and humiliation. On Sunday, Ernie got up with the girls so that I could sleep in. I cannot believe how long I slept, but I obviously needed it! Ernie and Sophia brought me breakfast in bed – a mocha and a maple bar. I had a very relaxing day, and ended it with dinner of my choosing, cooked by Ernie’s mom. I chose meatloaf, company potatoes, and corn. Ernie’s dad threw in homemade French bread as a bonus. Now, I know most of you are thinking “She ASKED for meatloaf? Isn’t that a punishment rather than a birthday dinner?”, but you haven’t had this meatloaf. It is amazingly good. For dessert we had white cake with rainbow chip frosting. Yum.

So then on Tuesday, January 12th, it was Sophia’s turn for a birthday. She turned 4. I am still in denial that I have a 4-year-old. What has happened to the last four years? We started the celebration early with breakfast in bed – hot chocolate and a doughnut with sprinkles. She also was allowed to open one birthday present from us, and Nana & Papa let her open all of the presents they bought for her. Since it was a school day, we took treats to school so she could celebrate with her friends. For dinner she chose to go to Applebee’s. We thought for sure she’d choose McDonalds or Burger King, but she surprised us! It was a fun day for everyone.

On Thursday, January 14th, we celebrated Ernie’s grandpa’s birthday. He requested chicken tortilla casserole for dinner. Unfortunately, I was late for dinner because I was gathering supplies for Sophia’s birthday party (more on that later). But I did make it home in time for dessert – angel food cake.

We ended the week with Sophia’s birthday party…

I’m Thirty?!?!

Well, I suppose it’s about time my age caught up with my demeanor. All my life I’ve heard that I was 8 going on 30, or 12 going on 30…you get the idea. So now that I’m 30 it doesn’t come as much of a surprise to me that I don’t feel any different. I don’t feel old – 30 apparently isn’t my “tough” age. (Everyone has one, but I have yet to figure out what mine is. I'm sure I’ll know it when I get there!)

My birthday is not quite the same as it was before Sophia was born. With her birthday so close to mine, my birthday usually takes a backseat to hers. My birthday is now spent preparing for Sophia’s party. Seriously, I think it’s one of my greatest sacrifices as a mother, as my birthday has always been a big deal. Growing up my parents worked hard to make my birthday (and my sister’s!) special.

Ernie has been wonderful throughout our marriage to make sure to keep up that tradition and make sure my birthday is special. We have adjusted to celebrate my birthday the weekend after Sophia’s birthday. This year my mom helped out by keeping Sophia overnight at her house that weekend. Ernie and I went out for dinner to Kyoto Steakhouse (think Benihana’s). We came home and watched a movie while enjoying Dairy Queen blizzards. And then the best part – sleeping in without Sophia there to wake me up!

Sophia is Three?!?!

On Monday, January 12, 2009, Sophia turned three. We celebrated with dinner out to her favorite restaurant, McDonalds! She even got to have a chocolate milkshake with her dinner. She wasn’t sure what to think about it, since she’d never had one before. Once she finally tasted it (I think she was worried we were tricking her somehow) she was in heaven. (Funny note: Sophia actually shook the cup, thinking that was what made it a milkshake, rather than just plain old milk.)

When we got home Sophia opened presents from us – Wall-E on dvd, Candyland, and two books. Unfortunately it was too close to bedtime to enjoy either the movie or game, but she did get to read her books. (Since then she has watched Wall-E plenty of times, and we’ve played Candyland on two separate occasions. She loves the game and is quite good at it – she has the best record of the three of us!)

There are times that I am excited that Sophia is growing up, and other times that I miss her baby days. How is it that my darling little girl is getting so big, so fast? She amazes us with her wit and her compassion for others. She is learning so much, and continually wants to learn more. Sophia becomes more independent with each day, and I love it sometimes and loathe it others. I love it because it means less work for me! I loathe it because it is another reminder that she is growing up and needs me less. I treasure the times when all she wants to do is snuggle, since they are fewer and further between these days. Even if those times aren’t the most convenient for me, they are my favorite!

Birthday! Birthday!

On Saturday, January 10, 2009, I turned the big 3-0! And what better way to celebrate than with a Kung Fu Panda party? Well actually, the party was for Sophia, to celebrate her 3rd birthday. We enjoyed cake and ice cream, and Sophia enjoyed wonderful presents.

After the party we went to Red Robin for dinner to celebrate both our birthdays. We enjoyed having my mom, my dad and step-mom, and Ernie’s parents along for dinner also. The wait staff at Red Robin brought us ice cream sundaes and sang for us, and was nice enough not to mention my age!