I had to get this big day out into the blogosphere tout de suite, because it was so fun, I didn't want to forget a minute of it! I think for my birthday next year, I'd like to do this day over again :)
Well, except for one thing. The alarm went off. At 6 am. It was still dark. Kayte loves loves loves the morning and she had big plans to head out to the local diner with her dad for an early breakfast. She ran down the hallway, and just like Cinderella, the resident mouse popped out for a quick hello! (They're so much cuter when they're wearing little tees. Trust me.)
Bright-eyed Kayte. Joe's still sleeping.
She came back at first light and opened a pile of gold presents. It was Joe's idea to go all-out with the "Golden Birthday" theme, and it was such a huge hit!
I tried to talk Kayte into playing hookie with me all day, but she's much too responsible for that! She headed off to school for the "testing" part of the day, and then I kidnapped her at lunchtime...
But first we had to share a great big cookie with the class...
Lunch at Applebees.
Kayte, texting her youngest cousin "happy half-birthday". Joelle turned 6 months old today :)
Then we headed to Pullman cause Kayte insisted on spending 1/24th of her birthday at her favorite place: the library! And we spent some time shopping, but we had to head back before not too long, to get ready for the main event! I think Kayte's been planning this one for a year or two...a six-course meal at home with her family. She planned out the whole menu...
I think she's requested a 'Barbie cake' since she was four years old. This year, we graduated to a mermaid playing in the sand and the surf... She set the table herself, and helped me create the menus:
Finally, 6 pm our two guests arrived and everyone was dressed to the nines! It took some coaxing to get the boys into costume, but then they slipped right into their parts...
My beautiful baby-girl!
Kayte loves tomato soup for some reason...perfect first course!
The cousins had so much fun! I just loved listening to them talk and couldn't stop taking pics....I had to get some video to catch the moment...it was so.fun.
Course two.
Course three.
Course four.
...and finally, the cake!
...and course six, my favorite!
Jams & Presents....
& Giggles...
...and one just for me.
In eleven years as a mom, I've learned a lot! A lot more than I ever thought I would need to know. But two things stand out to me the most lately. First, just like the lady in the public bathroom told me ten years & three hundred and twenty-five days ago, these days fly by. I remember rolling my eyes at her (to myself, of course) cause yeah, yeah, I know.... But I didn't know. Not really.
And secondly, I know that I will spend most of my entire life (not just the stuff that's left over), I will spend much of that time trying to recreate this night. This dinner party. My children are mine for such a short time, and this sitting around a table together and just listening to them all be young and sibling-ish. I'm gonna want that back.
I told the kids tonight that I'd never done such a fancy party, in all Joe and my married years together, this was it! And they laughed and thought that was great fun, that we'd get all fancy for just 'a bunch of kids'. But truly, does it get any better than that? These kids are my heart.
And Kayte. Kayte, sweet eleven, I think it's really the last year of being 'all kid'. She is sweet and giving and sensitive and talented and trustworthy. Things mean something to Kayte. She has such a heart for her savior and wants to learn learn learn. She has an insatiable thirst for reading. I don't know how we'll ever keep up with it! I thought I loved her 11 years ago, cause I felt my heart burst that day. But she just kept growing and growing and growing in there. I was so happy to just spend today with her.
Happy Golden Birthday, Kayte. I will never forget it. Love you.
