Party Like You’re 3

Tabby had a college-style weekend. The partying started on Thursday (her actual b’day) and didn’t stop until late on Saturday. By Sunday she was wrecked. Hopefully today will go OK. On “the day” we took her and her entourage (Matt’s brother, my family and her best buddy) to Casa Bonita. It is, according to the linked survival guide, “Like Disney and Tijuana had sex and left the ugly little bastard in a random strip mall on Colfax to fend for itself.” The food is bad. There’s skee-ball and the prizes are cheap and tacky. Basically, it’s every kid’s fantasy. She had a great time and even ate her chicken fingers (quite possibly the best thing on the menu) and some sopapillas. The mariachis sang her Happy Birthday and she got to stomp spiders for tickets. Joy!

Friday we had a lunch date with Grammy. We went once again to Lil Monkey Bizness and then to Red Robin (her choice) before she had to go home for her nap and Grammy and I took a cranky Ben to Costco. That evening we made cupcakes that she got to decorate. More=Better seems to be her cupcake decorating philosophy.

Saturday the SPOILING continued with a mani-pedi session at Lollilocks. Pink on the toes, yellow on the fingernails. Stars in the eyes. She loved it. After lunch at home, she went down for her nap and fell asleep so late we wondered if she’d wake up in time for her party (you do not want to wake this kid up!). She did, but just barely. She had a fab time running around with her friends and showing people her “new playroom.” Cupcakes and singing were grand. She finally got overwhelmed when there was a bit too much help opening her presents. I talked her into opening one more present from a party guest and then she and the friends trooped down to the playroom for some boisterous fun.

She got to have a sleepover with her best buddy (don’t even ask me how late they were up) and minus a nap on Sunday spent most of the day playing with her new toys. I think it was a pink-letter weekend. All written down, it sounds like a TON of stuff. And I even feel sort of bad about it … I really don’t want to do b’day excess with my kids. Yet somehow, it kinda got there. Her party was mostly family and a few family friends. Only three kids (approx) her age were in attendance and two of those were our best friends’ sons. The mani/pedi was one of her b’day presents from us (we got her one other toy).

We frequently take Fridays with my mom as just extra time with her and we would frequently do an activity (zoo, etc.) and lunch. Thursday got added in because Matt’s brother couldn’t come to her party and we wanted to celebrate with him. That one kind of snow-balled after I thought of taking her to Casa Bonita. It probably would have been more appropriate to just do a quiet thing at home with us and Matt’s brother.

Still, I have no real regrets about it. I think I just need to watch it next year and not let HUGE OVER-THE-TOP sneak up on me.