... and party every day

we had lorelei's 4th birthday party today at chuck e. cheese. i'm sorry- did you say 4? how can this sweet tiny little curly headed person be 4 years old, i bet you wonder. i do too, not to mention the way i feel about being the mother of a 4 year old, but that's a whole different post.
my sweet little shortie wanted a strawberry shortcake theme, so we made the invitations and sent them to her dearest friends. almost everyone was able to come, so it was a great party.

my mom made her the cutest strawberry shortcake skirt and top to match, and mimi found the adorable hat online. we have a fantastic time celebrating our girl with friends and family!

(opening gifts with lucy and sophie)

if you are looking for an easy place to party- i have to suggest chuck e cheese. we arrived 10 minutes before, sat the cake and the favors on a table, and walked out the minute it was over with all the other guests and left the mess behind. now that's my kind of party!

(all smiles with parker)

the most difficult thing i did in planning the party was to make her cake. i've been working on my cake decorating skills a bit lately, but this was my first public attempt. it's not perfect by any means, but i have to say that i didn't allow myself to obsess or be a perfectionist. it's a lot more fun that way. there are actually 2 cakes, one stacked on top of the other, and it's a good thing the pink one was the bottom layer because after i finished icing it i saw lorelei admiring it as it sat on the kitchen table well within her reach. next thing i know, i look over and she has made 3 little finger holes on the top of the cake. oh- and she also grabbed one of the piggy bank party favors and stuck it smack dab in the middle of the cake- which of course made a large dent. i walked over, picked up the piggy bank and gave her a look that must have had more an impact than i inteded because she immediately burst into tears. i told her it was fine because the other cake would sit right there and cover it up- and the day was saved. so here's how it turned out: we did greatly miss all of lulu's aunts and uncles, but the grandparents came out in full force. after the party, we had them all over to our house for a more low key celebration. i know i say it all the time, but these people are the best at loving us and our kids and being there any time we call on them!(with mimi and grandaddy)

(with papa and grammy)

(with nana and g.g.)