Before I had my daughter, doctors had very few comforting things to say about the chances she would have. I was told of the high likelihood that she would struggle, if she survived the pregnancy at all, and that there was little chance for her to even live to see her third birthday. Almost all of the things the doctors told me that she would be unlikely be able to achieve, she has done. This birthday marked the last of those predictions she had left to prove the doctors wrong on - and she did just that with the grace of someone far more poignant than any toddler should be at such a young age. I look at her and see her smile light up that beautiful face, and can't help but be filled with pride and love.
So when it came to deciding what to do for her big birthday, I had the idea of doing an "Up" themed party based on the Pixar movie that I loved and she enjoyed as well. I started thinking about how I could line the ceiling with balloons and put clouds on the walls to make it look like the movie. I started searching for more ideas and found myself on Pinterest where there were hundreds of pins. A bit overwhelmed, I began to search Etsy - a place I love to shop for wonderful gifts and special items. I found a couple of items there, and then my creative juices began to flow with other ideas of what I could do. I started to make a list so that I wouldn't forget any of them. Then it was time to see about putting all the ideas together and getting to work to make them a reality.
Lucky for me, I have a few people willing to help make my ideas a reality. We cleaned up the house and decorated a little all week, but we pulled it off. That morning, we blew up 300 balloons and set everything up and got Emma dressed in her birthday outfit just in time (with less than a couple minutes before guests started to arrive). Everyone enjoyed snacks and punch while taking turns putting their colorful thumb print on Emma's birthday canvas. Once that was done and everyone had their own personal "Ellie" badge, it was time to open the presents.
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| Entry |
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| BALLOONS! |
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| Ellie Badges |
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| Birthday Girl |
Emma got lots of great presents and even wanted to see them when I unwrapped them for her. This is new for her as she has not always been so comfortable with new things. So we played with some tissue paper and some of the presents a little before it was time for dessert. In keeping with her "cupcake" theme from previous years, I opted to make different color frostings and make them into balloons. A few cotton balls for clouds, a blue table cloth, a print out of the house from the movie cut out, and a couple little characters, and the scene was set!
After the party, it was nap time... for both of us! Once everyone was rested up, or at least she was, it was off to Fair Park to see the Chinese Lantern Festival! She loved seeing the bright, beautiful lanterns - especially the ones that she recognized like the flower, the fish, and the bug.
Once we got home, half the balloons from her party that morning were on the floor and she wanted to play with them. So we started tossing the balloons on her and she would reach for them, grab one, and tell us what color it was. Then she would go after another and tell us what color it was. But after about fifteen minutes of balloon fun, it was time to go to bed. So we read one of her new books she got for her birthday, and one of her favorites as well. Then it was time to sleep.
I've just about got everything cleaned up now (although there are still clouds on the wall in the living room and banners lining the hallway), but I'm so happy it went so well. Even if my fingers still have blisters that are healing from tying balloons... I love making wonderful memories with my munchkin!
