Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween....these all have one thing in common. They are big occasions that call for celebration once a year. For me, Emerson's Birthday falls in this category.
(Jesus's birth is without question the MOST important, but you get where I'm going).
Several people said they assumed I'd do something low key this year since I had just given birth six weeks ago.
I mean, what was I supposed to do? Buy her a Snickers bar at Sav-Way and call it a day?
Months ago Emerson decided on a theme for this year's bash: Shopkins. What are they, exactly? They're everything you can think of. There are hundreds of them. Little pieces. I have the midnight scars on my feet to prove it.
They're little items that you can find in any store- everything from strawberries and apples to donuts and lace-up shoes. And I ask myself...why didn't I think of these?
In previous years I've worked on Birthday projects for months in advance; not this time. With our house on the market and everything else under the sun happening I can honestly say that aside from ordering a few supplies online the actual preparation didn't start until two weeks before the party...which is completely out of the ordinary for yours truly.
Before heading out to a Biltmore wedding, Emerson and I were making Shopkins from scratch with poster board and paint.
But I figure it this way; if Khloe Kardashian can throw a wedding together in nine days I could certainly give Emerson the party of her dreams in fourteen.
The object? To turn my parents' house into a marketplace.
The hurdles? They would soon be coming on in full force.
Thursday, October 26th
AGAIN? Are you kidding me? I was almost certain this was my third bladder infection since Landon was born. I called my doctor, and this time they prescribed a stronger antibiotic since I'm not breastfeeding anymore. Every four hours like clockwork I would shiver and shake and had to sit by the heater or in the bathtub for at least an hour. My fever was almost 103 two nights in a row. The next day my Mom had me call the doctor first thing. They wanted me to be seen immediately.
Long story short I ended up being whisked away to the lab of a local doctor's office where they took tremendous (and FAST) care of me. The symptoms I was having (per the five minute medical degree I attained online whilst reading medical blogs and message boards) all pointed me to a frightening possibility: blood poisoning?!?!? I was crying on the phone to my Mom and saying that I have two children who need me, and she in turn was fussing at me for not listening and waiting so late to go to the doctor. I accepted the possibility that I may very well be admitted to the hospital.
By the grace of GOD ABOVE they determined that although I wasn't septic my white blood count was still 17,000 with my current antibiotic. Translation? They needed to bring out the big guns.
Meet my new friend Levaquin.
#PartySupplyStrong
My wonderful doctor told me I was very sick and that over the course of the next few days I needed to conserve any extra energy and rest so that my body could fight the infection.
"....But Emerson's Birthday party is tomorrow."
He just shook his head. Apparently I have a bad reputation when it comes to not resting?
If I finish the balloon banner at 9:57 and the life-size figures at 10:32, that should put me resting at 10:45 on the dot.
But it's super hard to MAKE yourself rest...am I right?
GO TO SLEEP NOW, WOMAN!!! YOU'RE GETTING OFF SCHEDULE!
I make the Road Runner look like a snail. But that's just the way I operate.
One thing was for sure, though; it was going to take some recruiting of extra help in order to pull this off. Meet the cast of this year's Birthday bonanza.
Poppy & Nana
You just can't beat these two. They are the wind beneath my wings. They make themselves available any time of day (or night). They are two of the most phenomenal souls that walk this planet. From last minute errands to hauling supplies/watching the children/taking me on Sam's trips... You name it; they've done it. We'll call them the party pillars.
Dorothy. Shuttleworth.
Only one of the greatest friends that the Lord could have ever given me. I say this with 100% certainty: on the eighth day, God created Dorothy. She is convinced that she didn't do much to help me, but she watched both kids during the preparation, had tons of little ideas here and there that made things easier/make more sense, she was constantly getting me organized, and she was here until 10:00 the night before and 7:00 am on the morning of the party just to make things possible. Dorothy, one in a million doesn't do you justice; you're one in infinity.
The Birthday Girl
She was as hands-on as you could get, and every time we would finish something else she'd exclaim, "Oh, it's so beautiful, Mommy. I love your decorations for my party." It was the sweetest, most precious thing.
Special, Featured Guests
Thank you to Susan and Dean for coordinating and hauling tons of tables and chairs. Could I ever repay them? We'll start with some baby snuggles.
Decorating had a bit of a different view this year with a brand new baby boy. He stayed in the carrier while I did lots of work.
Must I remind you that every 3-4 hours I would shake on the floor with fever and have to take more medicine? "What about the b-b-balloons?!" I'd ask.
I knew it was coming when I'd get the first chill. And then, there was nothing I could do about it but try to get warm.
"Hi, Dominos? I need to order eight pizzas for this Saturday. Yes, I'm aware that my voice sounds muffled..."
The night before the party I wanted to get as much done as possible and put my extra large Shopkins characters on wooden poles. So at 9:30 that night as I had another sick spell I had my mother and Dorothy outside digging holes in the yard.
What was this; an episode of Pretty Little Liars!?
#pArty
Meanwhile I was inside shivering with a pair of pants tied around my neck for warmth.
#pAnting
Emerson had even gotten used to our heater dates on my parents' bathroom floor.
And little man joined us some, too.
My attempt at going to sleep the night before was virtually futile; I don't know if the medicine had me jacked up or what, but at one point I looked in the mirror and completely resembled Taylor's zombie look.
#LookWhatYouMadeMeDo
I'm pretty sure she wasn't singing about party decorating, but it could totally apply.
The biggest challenge about having a party outside is that there are so many things you can't set up until the morning of. I learned last year that morning dew means morning DEW NOT decorate too early, because everything will get wet and nasty.
And that's not a good combination.
In case you're wondering, my scarf that morning was a pair of Emerson's cat pants.
Ready or Not...
Last year my Dad started assigning storm categories to these parties. ONEderland was a category four, with Emerson's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse not too far behind. We learned a lot with Sheriff Callie, but we could never have predicted the perfect storm of events that would take place just before this one.
So with a 103 fever, 2.5 days, and a few recruits, here was the finished product.
Guests were welcomed with a grocery cart, because what else would be appropriate?
The cake table and backdrop were my pride and joy. Few things are as fabulous as balloon banners, and I blew every single one of these up by mouth the weekend before.
THAT. CAKE! Karen Lane, as always, did an unbelievable job. And it was some of the most delicious cake I've ever had.
The banner... I used to make banners all the time at my Mom's library. They were black and white, and I had to pull the holes off the sides afterwards.
Fortunately banners have come a long way over the years, and I decided to make one from scratch. I took a piece of white poster board and drew a grocery cart as best as I could. Then I used my Cricut for some letters and found some Shopkins photo booth props. I was completely thrilled with the finished product.
Emerson's Shopkins Market
I also rented a popcorn machine for that extra special something. Plus, there is a Shopkins popcorn character named Poppy the Popcorn. Now that would have made a hilarious costume.
Kids love hitting things, and they also love candy. So this year I thought a pinata would be perfect. Dorothy helped me create a little sweets area with puff balls. And while we were up there on ladders she reminded me that I was currently on an antibiotic that she gives to her critical care patients.
#TisTheSeason
And since there would be kids of all ages I made sure to have plenty for them to do in addition to the bounce house.
Balloons are SO VITAL to a party; they're floating pieces of happiness. I found some fruit balloons that I thought were adorable, and confetti balloons?! An absolute must. Dorothy was pouring in the confetti, and Emerson looked at her and said, "This balloon has beans all in it." Hahahaha.
I wanted to do something dramatic for the gift table and remembered that I had this princess tent. Since it was so hot last year I wanted people to be in the shade, so I put the tent and gift table under a huge tree in the backyard. It came together perfectly!
I found these little halloween costumes for $15 each at Walmart, and you would have thought that I'd bought a replica of Diana's wedding dress. She was thrilled with these donut and popcorn outfits like you wouldn't believe.
The party favor table!!! I was so happy with the way this turned out. I wanted it to look like the kids were shopping at a market for their favors, so I cut an awning out of poster board, and the idea came to life.
There were Shopkins snacks, ring pops, bracelets, tattoos, note pads, sunglasses, tops, stickers. You name it! It was a little kids' Shopkins Heaven.
This banner took forever to inflate and string together, but it gave the outside that extra special touch. I think my fever was down to 99.5 here.
When I decide to do something or want something done, there is literally nothing that will get in my way.
A broken arm? I'd use the other one.
Being hospitalized? This one would be a bit tricky, but I could feasibly Facetime my family to make sure the banners were hanging evenly and the balloons were properly spaced.
Being six feet under? Taylor said it best: "Honey I rose up from the dead; I do it all the time." And floating might actually make the preparation go faster.
For me, it's important that Emerson enjoys herself in the moment, and it's about what she will remember. She still talks about her party from last year. When I'm rocking in my chair decades from now I will be satisfied. If that makes me crazy, so be it.
Just before the party Emerson jumped in the ball pit and looked around at everything we had done. There is something so sweet about this picture.
Decorations are key, but it's the guests that really make it whole!
We had guests from infancy to over 80 years old, and they all had a grand old time!
The looks on the kids' faces made it all worth it, and seeing Emerson's excitement and how she interacted with everyone that came really warmed my heart. Or was it time to sit by the heater again?
One thing I noted for future reference is that there needs to be a LINE to show kids where to stand behind the pinata. We were almost certain that someone was going to get smacked in the head with the stick. Fortunately, that did not occur.
At six weeks old Landon was the youngest party guest and was on his best behavior. He is sweeter than all the Birthday presents in the world, and we're so glad that he's here.
There were enough sugar and carbs to have fed the 5,000 people from the Bible story. I mean what would you rather have; bread and fish or an unlimited supply of junk food?
To all the parents whose children slept like rocks later, I took one for the team to make that happen.
Emerson got the most wonderful gifts! Every day she plays with something new, and she adores everything she got. We have some of the most generous friends and family. We love you all so much!
Emerson's favorite movie character right now is Rapunzel, so my gift to her was a recorded version of "I See the Light," the movie's theme song, with video clips from the past year. If I could buy time, I would!!!
Here is one of our happy shoppers, Audrey.
I think Huth means "help" in another language, because this family stayed and helped us clean up until late in the afternoon. They are SO wonderful, and I think Emerson and Bekah enjoyed themselves just a little, too, even if Emerson did rear-end her in the Minnie Mouse car. Fortunately the cops nor the insurance company had to be involved.
So that is our fourth Birthday story, and she's still having another little shindig next weekend with her daycare and Columbia friends. My parents are suggesting (yet again) that we go to the mountains or on a trip next year. We shall see. As my Dad was helping me carry the 100th thing I made a comment that we can use such and such for Landon's first Birthday.
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."
But when Emerson is old enough to realize it and look back on her memories, I want her to say one thing....
"Mama, you put the 'happy' in my Birthday."
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