Three Parties isn't A Bad Deal

My baby is four.  Wrapping my mind around that is very difficult.  (My oldest baby just turned sixteen, but I will address that impossibility later...).  Kaya asked me the other day, "Why do you call me Baby Girl?  I'm not a baby anymore!"  Trying to explain to her that she will always be my baby didn't work out very well.  "I can't be a baby if I am this big!" she protested.  My question is, "why do they have to get that big so fast???" 

Anyway, they grow up and have birthdays every year in spite of my best efforts to keep them little, and Kaya was no different.  In fact, as soon as she realized that she could have her very first "friend party" she was ecstatic and had her guest list made out two months in advance.  Luckily, she has a fairly small social circle right now, so the list wasn't too long.  We ended up having her party at the playground (I love summer birthdays for this reason!)  about a week before her actual birthday since that would have been two days after my surgery and there was no way I was hosting a friend party then! 

The weather was perfect for her party, the kids had a ball playing on the playground and then we fed them pizza, opened presents and ate cupcakes.  According to Kaya, "It was the best day ever!"  (She has many of those kinds of days:)

And then the plan had been that we would do our small family party on her birthday.  I was told that I would be in the hospital for 1-2 days so we thought for sure I would make it back at least on her birthday.  Of course, that didn't happen.  I felt so terrible to miss her big day and sat in the hospital remembering my hospital stay with her 4 years ago, and wishing I felt as good as I did then!  Or at least had a sweet little newborn to snuggle with!  Apparently Kaya was devastated too, until Nana told her that they would have a little party anyway where she could open her present from Nana and Spencer volunteered to let her open his too.  They didn't get any pictures, but apparently she had another "best day ever!"  My mom had taken Spencer to spend all five of his dollars on a Webkinz cow that he spotted at the grocery store a few weeks beforehand.  It just makes my heart so happy when my kids are willing to give so much to make a sibling happy.  And Spencer was so thrilled to give her that gift!  She of course loved it and today proclaimed that she is the "best owner" of a Webkinz!.  She also loved her Rapunzel doll from Nana and told her "when my mom sees this she will freak out!"  She has named the doll "Tangled" instead of Rapunzel.  Which is pretty apt, because that is what her hair looks like right now.

Then, finally I did get to come home so Kaya got her third party.

After opening her gifts, which were all a big hit, she got to go outside to break open her paper bag pinata that she had been saving for nearly an entire year since she made it at a library activity last summer.

                                    

We enjoyed more cupcakes and ice cream (which I didn't get a picture of).  And of course, Kaya said that this third party was "the best day ever!"  I just love that kid!