Party Girls

Yesterday, my husband, our girls, and I attended three (count ‘em, one-two-three) back-to-back kiddie birthday parties, all a good 30-minutes apart from one another. The latter two were costume parties. Because I knew that three birthday parties, which would certainly include three birthday cakes, three ice cream servings, three sets of rowdy birthday games, would absolutely destroy my girls’ true Halloween costumes, I had them dress up in cheerleader outfits I already had on-hand, which fit very well into the theme of the first party we were to attend.

Party One was at a large gymnastics center, 30-minutes north of us. The girls had a blast. The center assigns the party group an instructor and runs them through all kinds of activities, while the parents kick back and relax. My kind of party. I wasn’t sure my two-year-old would be able to participate, but let me tell you (unbiasedly of course) that my she kicked some serious gymnastics butt. She did everything that the bigger kids did and more. This was the first party where my husband and I were able to set them completely free on their own without having to hover over them. And it felt good. Prior to this, they were either too young or just too clingy and wouldn’t let go. This time, though, they went off on their own, so my husband and I were able to sit back and watch them enjoy the party. I tell you, I know they’re only two and four, but we felt like we had crossed through some kind of parental threshold.

The second party was at my cousin’s house in Kentucky, very south of us. We arrived an hour late and had still another party to attend following this, so it had to be cut short, which was a bummer because my cousins always have the best food at their parties. We stuffed our faces while our girls enjoyed a good 30-minute-haunted hayride around their neighborhood while munching on caramel apples and singing scary songs. And again, they did it without us! Milestones!

Then we were off to Party Three, 30-minutes east. This party was being hosted by my good friend, who was also celebrating her own (ah-hem) 35th birthday that day, although the party was for her 4-year-old. Happy Birthday, T! At this party, there were pony-rides and a real petting zoo provided by Mr. Cowpie's Party Animals. As expected, my toddler fell asleep on the way there, so she was a bit cranky when we woke her up when we arrived. My four-year-old was not digging Mr. Cowpie’s furry friends, however. She is not a big animal fan. For whatever reason, she is deathly afraid of dogs and that has carried over to all animals. As soon as she spotted them, she leapt into her dad’s arms and stayed there. My toddler was at least interested in checking all of the animals out, although she wouldn’t touch any. I think this was mostly because she was feeding off of her big sister’s fear. As expected, my four-year-old refused to ride the pony, but my toddler did. However, I feared she wasn’t big or strong enough to hold onto the saddle by herself, so I walked along side of the pony as she rode. Not a smart move, apparently, because I got my leg entangled in a thorn bush as we walked through the side yard. The sacrifices a mother will make! The party eventually moved indoors, where my four-year-old spotted a Radio Flyer spring horse. This was her kind of horse! No teeth, no weird sounds, no "animal" smells. She hopped on proudly and proclaimed, I’m a cowgirl!! Um, yeah honey. You're sooo rural.

After a short trip to a nearby cousin's house, and ultimately about 30,000 grams of sugar later, we were finally heading home. Both girls started to nod off to sleep before I even had time to buckle them in. As soon as I was sure they were out, I snatched the candy that my party girls had collected throughout the day from favor bags and piñatas and stuffed them into my work bag. I now house an impressive collection of Smarties, Candy Corn, Sweet Tarts, and various chocolates in the candy jar on my desk. That collection will be tremendously expanded after I take the bulk of their Halloween stash tomorrow night. Hey, I’m just looking out for their dental welfare.