A Wish For You...

Just Because Of All the Hours That Was Put Into This...

I don't do parties, not really. Isabel's birthday party is the second one I've ever done. First one being my wedding. There's just this fear in me of going through everything and having no one show up, or no one enjoying themselves. Eek!

But Isabel's at the age where she knows what's happening, I have my mom to help with the mundane stuff that I tend to overlook, and we worked, and worked and worked.

We took basement rooms that were dusty,unfinished and laden with junk to this:

Yes, these are the AFTER pictures. Imagine what it looked like before.

And cleaned it up even more to make them into real rooms with as small of a budget as possible -- handmaking where possible, and using existing furniture, paint and new plants. (It's just freezing cold!):

(this is post clean- up, hence why the carpet is not laid down on the ground -- it's drying)

I don't really have many pictures (kills me -- after all the hours that was put into it, I don't have pictures), but this is the jist of it:

Main table for food:

 I wonder if there's a market for custom tablecloths I can get into?

(can you tell I don't like to iron?)

Giftbags from remnants of the 9 yards from the tablecloth - I quickly learn that I will never be able to work in a production line. Sewing the same thing over and over again bored me to tears. So there were different versions going on -- sling bags, totes, etc

Gift tags that I stayed up till 4am to make the night before -- why, I have no idea, but I've never really done much paper crafts like this before and it was fun at the time. (hindsight - should have spent the time doing other more practical things. But that wouldn't be as much fun. At the time.)

A treat that was made, among others  - rice krispie pops dipped with chocolate, resurrected especially for a picture

And that's all I have.

Party!

Isabel had a birthday party about a week ago, with 8 little friends tearing up the house.

I didn't really have much chance to get pictures, as I was running around like a headless chicken most of the time, but it went well, I guess...

They all had entirely too much sugar, and were very enthusiastic.

Isabel was excited to have so many people over, especially her daycare buddies

Happy Birthday, my darling. You're a big kid now. 

These Kill Me...

Her baby voice and her innocence...I would actually be willing to go through all that crap again to get back to that part of her life again.

Birthday

Yes, you are a big girl. 

Happy Birthday, my purple-orange sunshine.

 

I love the way you say "hoob" for hood.

I love the way you say "tub tub" for bathtub

I love that you still want to cuddle 

I love your laugh

I love it when you sing at the top of your lungs while going for a walk

I love your stinky feet

I love when you talk to your dolls

However, 

I don't love how sometimes, I feel like you're slipping away from me

I don't love how as you get older, you start to lose your innocence and learn that this world ain't so great as you think, and that people aren't as they seem.

I don't love how much growing up you have to have done in the past year and a half (and you did so good)

I don't love how I have to share you

That's the way life is. Good and bad. One day at a time.

You are my darling, my baby, and I love you. ThiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiS much - to the moon and back. 

Party Prep!

My mom and I are frantically trying to get everything squared away for Isabel's shindig.

Pom-poms are up as of tonight

There's still a bunch of sewing to be done.

Good golly, that's a lot of fabric! And I'm still not convinced it's enough!

All for the sake of this little monster!