Sunday Snapshot {her party}

Saturday was a very special day for my big girl.  It was the long awaited day of her birthday celebration. We celebrated her first four birthdays with family, but this year came with a party too!

**Years one and two were simply easier with just family.  Year three we had just moved and year four we were six days home from China and adding a sister to the family.  So by default we've decided that our kids will have their first "invitations" party at five.  :)**

The proposed theme/location changed many times over the past few months.  There was talk of a tea party, a science museum party, and a "paint your own pottery" party.  In the end though the it came down to a location where she could enjoy "her thing" (gymnastics) with her friends. 

And enjoy it she did!  There was a floor relay race, a tumble track, a trampoline, a foam pit, an obstacle course of various shaped mats, and parachute time.  And of course, Hello Kitty.  Lots of pink and Hello Kitty...

I'm not sure which aspect of the guest list I think was sweeter.  Her asking if I thought Daniel could come (you know, it's just a plane ride away) or the fact that she insisted that the younger siblings of her friends get to come too.  (For the record, we compromised on including the younger siblings and decided that Daniel would be here for next year's party).

I also want to remember how much she enjoyed putting together the party favor bags.  It was a mommy/daughter activity one afternoon while her siblings were sleeping.  She carefully considered which pair of Hello Kitty socks should go to which girl and which set of Lightning McQueen tattoos should go to which boy.  I wish I had gotten the camera to record her smile as she finished each bag.

But my favorite memory from the day?  Her soaking in the moment of being the focus of attention as we sang Happy Birthday.  I'm sure a little of it had to do with loving the cake.

But I think it had more to do with feeling well celebrated.  After all, she was surrounded by family, friends, and the parents of friends that love her like their own. 

And that?  Well, it made the headache of finding everything Hello Kitty worth the effort!  It was her first birthday party ~ outside of having a meal and cake with family ~ and her expression tells me it was worth the wait. 

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Don't know what Sunday Snapshot is?  Stefanie, the creator, describes it as:

"Sunday Snapshot is just a way to capture that special someone or something right now, because we all know time is fleeting... right now will be a distant memory before we know it!"

To join in, stop by her blog to get details.