It was over two weeks ago. The weekend before Thanksgiving. A whole 10 days before her actual birthday. Had we known that only one of the families we invited would come, we wouldn't have made such a big deal about having it so early. We thought we were being considerate of Thanksgiving plans. Such is life...
As it turns out, only having our good friends Scott and Tracey with their kids Kian and Emelyn happened to be a wonderful, more intimate ordeal. I made sure, despite my initial disappointment at the shortened guest list, to still make it feel like a "party." She deserved at least that much for her special day.
Her request was "hearts." How about butterflies? "HEARTS!!" What about lady bugs? "HEARTS!!" Tea party? "HEARTS!!" OK... hearts it is. I cut out several paper hearts to hang from various places along with coordinating balloons and a festive sign (borrowed from last year with a new "color" touch to coordinate this year's theme.) Baked a batch of orange-cream-sicle cupcakes with coordinating heart toppers and the girl was beyond thrilled. And as we sat and chatted with our good friends while the kids all played I realized that the number of guests was irrelevant. What mattered was her perception. She felt like the star of the show and that's what filled my heart with joy.
