Lydia the four year old

Well, my three year old is now four. Its crazy, she seems so big, and yet I still feel like she's my baby. Her birthday party was fun but insane. I have been delaying talking about it because I was hoping to have some pictures to post along with it. But I'll let Charlie do that.

OK, so they make kind of a big deal about kids birthdays here. Most of the birthdays we've been to had upwards of 15 kids, and at least twice that many adults. They hire a clown, who basically runs the party and entertains the kids for several hours, while the parents socialize among themselves. Lunch or brunch is always served. Maybe parties are like that in the states too, and I just didn't know about it. My parents tend to do things differently than most. But for me, that kind of party can be intensely overwhelming just to attend, let alone host. Besides that my kids are afraid of the clowns, so it would be in my hands alone.

We had originally planned to do it this coming Saturday, but then Charlie's Sister Melissa and my niece Julia were here longer than planned (Happy day! We love you guys Meli!), but were leaving this week, so at the last minute, we decided to move the party up. We tried to plan something a little smaller and simpler. But we quickly realized it would be impossible. Since "big" is just the way parties are done here, anything less than that seems stingy and unfriendly. So we ended up inviting about fifteen kids, which wasn't as bad as it could have been. Usually, those kids would bring their whole family too, so we planned for more. But it actually worked out that some of the kids didn't come, and so the few kids who brought siblings evened out. We had exactly fifteen kids, plus about the same amount of adults. Even though I had my sis in law, my husband, Charlie's cousin, and my mother-in-law all helping, there was just too much that they couldn't do for me. Well, the main problem was that I tend to get really ambitious when it comes to projects I want to do. I had decided to design and make Lydia's party dress, and I also had this idea of making cowboy hats for the kids to decorate (which were not that simple to put together, even with everybody helping), and balloon flowers made from the long skinny balloons. Finishing everything didn't happen until minutes before the party, and only after very little sleep. But Lydia and her friends all had fun, they loved the hats, and it kept them occupied for about an hour, so I think it was all worth it. Glad it's all over. I wish I could say next time I'll not be so overly ambitious, and I'll manage my time better. But I know myself too well. I'm always ambitious in my projects because I have lots of ideas and not a lot of money. And time management is always nice in theory, but I do not have the skills to execute such a thing. Oh well, it adds interest to my life anyway. Only one birthday each per year, right? Of course there are always holidays too. Luckily, planning events is kind of like giving birth for me. As time goes by, I remember the pain less and less. So by the time the next one comes a long, I'll hopefully be up to it. Anyway, Thanks to all who helped!