I am taking a break from my regularly scheduled Christmas posting to recognize a very special day. Today, my sweet-and-spicy Eva turned 5. Sure, it’s quite possibly the best birthdate ever, something that sadly she is too young to appreciate, but for me it is bittersweet. Eva was supposed to be my forever baby. She has held on to her baby-ish pronunciation and her chubby cheeks just long enough to lull me into complacency, but lately, she’s been a changin’. She looks longer and leaner, she is using bigger words and more mature expressions (“if you say so…”), and, occasionally, when someone asks her a question, she responds in an intelligible way instead of muttering or grunting. (This last little bit is quite nice, actually). So, for a momentous birthday (5 has always seemed to me to mark the end of babyhood – sniff, sniff) on a momentous date, we chose a momentous gift. We decided that rather than rack up countless gifts, we would choose one significant item that she would use and love. Then we signed up on EchoAge.com (which I blogged about in earlier post). It’s an ingenious site that lets you issue invitations, choose a charity, and have your friends and family RSVP and make donations. Half of the money they donate goes to the charity, and half to the gift. It’s brilliant. Eva was very on board with the idea of helping kids who don’t have enough food, and I think it simplified the process for everyone. I definitely recommend it! Eva loves her IPAD mini, which is an easier size for her to use and to carry around. We bought the pink case for it, and even had it engraved with her name and birthdate. Love!
My girls aren’t much help when it comes to party themes, so I was trying to decide one day when the idea of a girly superhero party came to me, and Eva was totally on board. She is very into flying and superheroes right now, and thinks she is one herself, so it was perfect. Fortunately my talented friend Karla Leschitz of Merci BOWCoup was able to make her this unbelievable adorable outfit and matching hair bow for the party!
Etsy is always my go-to place for paper products for parties. I love supporting artists and home businesses! These gorgeously designed items from jcbabycakes were perfect for a girly-girl’s superhero party!
God bless my mother for so many reasons, but without her help cutting out these gorgeous DIY printables, and then helping me (okay, essentially she did it, but I helped a little) make amazing no-sew superhero capes out of felt for the favors. (A big thank you to Jolly Mom for the idea and the template!). Below, Lola decorates her cape at the party, and Lola and Alex at the cape decorating station.
This party came together quickly, and was pretty last minute, so I guess it’s a good thing that I managed to get a bouncy house of any description. When you call the day before the party, you get what you get and you don’t get upset. Fortunately, the kids didn’t seem to mind that it wasn’t pink.
I wore a dress from Isle Apparel with bold, superhero-esque colors and Marc Jacobs shoes. (Here I am with my stylish friend Tara). Both very comfortable, which is a good thing since I was in them for hours. The pink Cadillac Escalade was the vehicle of choice for many superhero rescue missions that afternoon!
Other highlights from the party: Eva blowing out the candles.
A mini-superhero plans his next mission.
Eva, with cupcake crumbs on her face and new IPAD mini in hand, tries on a new custom pink satin superhero cape, a gift from her cousins from Chasing Fireflies.
Above, Eva and Caralynn save the day…
For cuteness sake!
My goofy Eva and her buddy Jack. Eva loved her superhero party, so in my mind, that makes it a success. The other kids seemed to have fun too! Since her actual birth date was still a few days away, we had to pace ourselves, but Eva eagerly counted down the days. For some reason, she was convinced that she would turn 5 1/2. Anyway, today I tried to recognize her birthday throughout the day in little ways, from a special breakfast – PJ&J and fresh raspberries, to volunteering at a school fundraiser so I could see her, to a little birthday party for her and her classmate Isabella, who shares the same birthday. Here we are in her class today, with Isabella in the background.
After school, she was allowed unlimited play on her IPAD. She got a big birthday balloon (she is obsessed with balloons and is sleeping with it in her room), a small cake, and a card that makes music (a must in her book – otherwise it doesn’t count). She also got a small token gift and to blow out the candles, again. (She said it was the best birthday ever because she got to blow out the candles in the dark.). I had been brainstorming ideas for how to photograph her with the special date, 12-12-12, Fortunately, I am extremely creative and crafty. I toyed with the idea of massive numbers made out of Liberty print fabrics, salvaged tin, distressed wood, house numbers with Eva standing in front of our house, flowerpots in the shape of the numbers on the driveway, and on and on. So, after nearly 5 years of planning and hard work, here’s what I came up with.
Wait for it…
Wait for it….
Waiiiiittttt for it……..
Ta da!
Chalk. This is what passes for creativity in my house. Chalk. I can’t even write well on a chalkboard. (Teaching was never in the cards for me…). I couldn’t even manage to get the entire balloon in the picture. But it’s done. Here is proof that Eva turned 5 on 12-12-12. A date that will go down in history, and which will never be repeated in my lifetime.
Thank God. 😉
tara says
What a beautiful birthday..the children loved it!