Ever and Leela decided to have another joint birthday party, and thanks to Anna, it was quite the soiree. Sometimes it pays to have a good friend with a birthday the day after yours.
We held the party on Saturday, January 12 - the weekend before school resumed after winter break. We figured most people who traveled over the break would be back by then. We invited about a dozen girls, many of whom were Ever and Leela's mutual friends, a couple who were just Ever's friends, and a couple who were just Leela's friends. A few couldn't make it, so we ended up with a nice, manageable number.
Leela, who is very picky, requested a Rice Krispies cake. I googled that and ultimately decided to make this little number.
The first phase of the party was held at Leela's house. The spa/pamper theme was inspired by Ella Rondo's last birthday party. Jim and I weren't super into the idea because seriously - seven-year-olds getting facials and nails done? I don't think I knew what a facial was when I was seven. But whatever. The girls hit the hot tub first. A few brave souls dipped into the freezing pool.
Inside, Anna had different stations set up for the girls to rotate through - nails, facials, and hair. At each station, the girls got to pick an item or two or three to put in their bags to take home - nail polish, nail files, bath bombs, etc.
Anna had some relatives and a teenaged family friend come down from L.A./Orange County to help.
Ever appeared to be so relaxed she was nearly comatose by the time she got her hair done.
I had planned to leave the littles napping at home when I took Ever up to Leela's for Phase 1. Wrenzy didn't nap as planned, however, and Ever wanted her to come with. Wrenzy, of course, also desperately wanted to participate when she found out what was going on. At the last minute, Ever learned that Naomie, Ever and Leela's friend from school, couldn't make it because her mom had gotten the date wrong, so Wrenzy was able to work nicely into the rotation.
Anna and I worked the nail station, and she instantly and grievously regretted my participation. I was slow to begin because I was trying to figure out the pizza order (to be delivered to my house for Phase 2), and then I was way too slow due to my inexperience and perfectionism. Shortly after we started, Anna said I was going to have to lower my standards and pick up the pace because we had to keep up with the other stations. It was a little stressful for me.
The girls cooled their hands in Orbeez before we started painting their nails. We were supposed to lotion and massage their hands, too, but sometimes I skipped that part.
The group:
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| Left to right: Chloe Bunnell, Lelei Thompson, Leela, Ella Rondo, Wrenzy, Ever, someone I don't know who must be Leela's friend, and Grace (who was in Ever and Leela's kindergarten class last year) |
We drove or walked down to our house for Phase 2 - dinner, cake, and movie. The Karner kids joined us for this portion of the festivities.
Sadly but predictably, the Rice Krispies cake was too sweet with the frosting, and plain Rice Krispie treats probably would have been better enjoyed.
Gnome Alone ended up being the movie of choice. Lelei and Rafi did some serious snuggling in the front:
A couple of girls - I think Grace and the one whose name I don't know - had no interest in the movie and just wanted to play with the kiddie toys in the playroom. They tried to recruit Lelei to play with them, so she was sort of in and out. At one point, Lelei came in from the playroom and stood talking right in front of the couch, blocking the movie-watchers' view of the TV. I didn't hear it, but I'm guessing Ever told her to be quiet or move or something. What I heard and saw was Lelei's response, which was incredibly loud and dramatic and teenagerish: "What, Ever? What did I ever do to you, Ever?" Then she stomped off. As she came through the kitchen, I offered to find her someplace to sit and watch the movie, but she said she didn't want to watch it and continued huffing and puffing into the playroom. I was not pleased about the prospect of having to work out this drama. Fortunately, after a few minutes, a calmed-down Lelei came back into the living room, and there were no further problems. (Side note: We introduced Leela and Lelei last year, and then they ended up in the same first-grade class this year. It's been quite turbulent. Lelei is friends with Ever and Leela's friend Naomie, and they all always end up together at recess. Anna told me that every day when she picks up Leela and Ever from school, they have a story about what mean thing Lelei did that day. I hear about some of it, too. There's been food-stealing and tripping and name-calling and all sorts of other neat stuff. It's so hard to navigate when the girls share mutual friends and when Jim and I are friends with Lelei's parents! Kid drama is lame.)
Anyway, despite the uncomfortable moment with Lelei (which didn't really seem to bother Ever), I think the party was a success, and the birthday girls had a good time.
Before I close, I should write a little about what seven-year-old Ever is like. She's incredibly bright. I'm told that her teenaged babysitters tell their mothers (my friends) about her formidable negotiation skills. She's a super reader and can blow through multiple chapter books in a day. This school year, she's been obsessed with mysteries. Jim bought Ron Roy's Capitol Mysteries series and then, when she was devouring it, his A-Z Mysteries series. As I write this, having finished all those, she is now into Encyclopedia Brown. She is very loving with her sisters. My favorite is when she calls them "sweetie" as if she's 50 years older than they are. She and Wrenzy, in particular, have a sweet relationship. She does not like running at all but loves playing on the bars at the park or at school. In fact, that's apparently pretty much all she does during recess, and she has the blisters to show for it. Like her dad, she's very adept at doing math in her head. She loves listening to music and is always interested when I tell her about songs on the radio. She loves to sing. Her favorite dinners are homemade cheese pizza, tacos, and Trader Joe's frozen mac and cheese, but she's gotten pretty good at eating whatever I make. She remains oddly picky about desserts and claims not to like chocolate (she'd prefer chocolate chip cookies without chocolate chips), although her favorite thing in the world is still Nutella. She's very affectionate. Sometimes when I put her and Wrenzy to bed, I say, "I love you," and she answers tenderly, "I love you sooooo much." She's very focused at school, but the motivation at home is often lacking; we're still working on "work first, play later." Sometimes we're late in the morning because she was reading instead of getting ready. She's a goofy dancer and face-maker, and Jim likes to tell her to stay weird. We are so lucky to have her as our firstborn.
