Just over a month ago my baby boy turned 3. We decided it was time to give him a real birthday party at the house with friends, a bounce house, cake and ice cream, and all of the chaos that comes with it. It was a blast, and I told my husband that I think I had more fun planning his party than I did planning our wedding. I have a little Martha Stewart buried deep inside of me and it comes out in full force when I know people are coming over, even people under the age of 4.
Junior is a pirate fanatic at the moment, so naturally we had a pirate-themed party. A pirate bounce house, pirate tablecloths, super cute bandanna hats, eye patches, a homemade treasure chest birthday cake, and buried treasure for the kiddos to take home. I found a great website for all of the decorations and favors, www.purepirate.com, so if you have a pirate-obsessed child and need some swag you should check it out. At first I was worried that it was a site dedicated to adults with a weird pirate fetish – and maybe it is – but they had party favors so I went with it…
A 3-year old’s dream come true…
So fun to make! It’s not really leaning to the left; I’m just a bad photographer.
After a long, beautiful, fun fall day of bouncing, running, laughing, eating, and post sugar high crashing, Junior started planning out his life’s adventures when he turns 4. “When I turn FOUR I can yada yada yada…” Wow. Do you remember how much fun it was to turn a year older? So many things to look forward to… Starting kindergarten, being “double digits” when you turn 10, becoming a teenager at 13, drivers license at 16, being able to say “well I’m an adult now and I don’t have to listen to you anymore” when you turn 18 and argue with your parents, drinking (legally) when you’re 21, car insurance rates dropping at 25…
Like many people, that stopped for me at some point. My birthday is exactly 2 weeks after Junior’s and I turned the big 3-5. I don’t really have an issue with getting older, but I certainly don’t feel excitement about it. I wonder what it would be like to happily say “when I turn THIRTY SIX I can do this and that and this and that…” I started my 35th birthday by dusting the wood blinds downstairs. And since it was raining Junior and I took a nice trip to Wal-Mart to pick up some necessities. I’ve never been that person who celebrates a “birthday week” and expects a lot of fanfare and grandeur, and maybe that’s my problem. Maybe I should show a little more excitement about the day I entered this world instead of being so neutral about it. I should take some cues from Junior who is so excited about what’s ahead for him in the coming year, and how much better life will be when he hits his next age milestone – 4.
Maybe I’ll get a bounce house for my 36th birthday.
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