A 4th Birthday Fit For A Princess!
Brianna's 4th birthday was on the 15th, and I think Mike and I were just as excited about the event as she was! We bought her a new bike, and wheeled it into her room while she was sleeping. We woke up to the sound of her deep inhalation and the sound of her feet climbing down the ladder of her loft bed. I had my camera at the ready on my night stand, and Mike had the video camera on his side, so we jumped out of bed to wish her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
We were very surprised that she chose this one when we went bike shopping a couple of weeks before. We thought she would have insisted on a pink one or something a little more frilly. Nope. This was the only girl's bike in the bike shop at the time and she fell in love with it. Maybe she would have gone for pink if they had one. We were so disappointed in the bikes we saw at Toys R Us and other department stores. All the kid's bikes were cheaply made and seemed to have the pedals positioned in a way that made pedaling difficult. Strange. It's a wonder they sell any at all.
We let Brianna choose the restaurant for her birthday dinner. She chose Choo-Choo's -- a family restaurant in town that has a toy train that circles over the dining area. It's a fun place for kids, and the food is alright, so we thought it was a good choice... not to mention, the conversation around can get a little loud, so we knew people probably wouldn't mind if the twins acted up. She decided to wear a new outfit her grandparents gave her, and she looked adorable! Her birthday dessert? Chocolate ice cream with a cherry on top, please! The waiter followed her instructions to a tee! This photo was taken as the wait staff (and some of the diners) sang "Happy Birthday" to her!
A couple of days later, we had her party at The Little Gym here in town (Brianna goes to gymnastics here, and I highly recommmend it to parents of young children). Brianna and about 30 of her closest friends sat and vibrated as they listened to the instructors. They could not wait to get back to the equipment. Brianna is the second from the left of the orange pole.
Having a blast with the parachute. I remember playing with one of those in school. Isn't it funny how something so simple can please kids so much? This is one of my faves of the day!
"Humph!" She blew out her "4" candle, but was not impressed with her strawberry shortcake. She doesn't like cake, so I tried to think of an alternative that everyone could have (a couple of her friends have allergies so they had a bowl of strawberries and whipped cream). I had also thought of ice cream cake, but the gym is a peanut-free zone, and Dairy Queen is not at all peanut-free. I had no desire to scour the city for a nut-free alternative, so this is what I came up with (I made almost 60 for the kids and parents while the kids were in the gym). I thought it was a good idea, since she chose Strawberry Shortcake as the theme of her party. You just can't please everyone!
"It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to!" She had spilled her drink and some of it landed on her foot. Not a big deal to you or me, but to Highness.... a tragedy! She is so quick to tears for every little thing that it gets awfully tiring!
We ran out of time at the gym, so we had to pack the gifts home to open. This is a very obnoxious smile from Brianna as she sits in front of her gifts... I guess I was taking to long for liking and she was tired of hearing me say, "C'mon Bree... let me see your pretty Princess smile! Show me your teeth!" Just after she opened her gifts, we prepared to have extended family over for a casual BBQ. We had a great time with aunts, uncles, cousins and our good neighbour friends, and it was a great way to end a jam packed weekend!
Now... what should we do for next year??
PS: Thanks to my sister for the great photos at the gym... she took about 100 photos there, and totally saved my butt... I had no time to take a photo, and I actually thought I had forgotten my camera at home!
