Weeks of Nov 9 and 16 - Party Planning and Annelyse's Birthday

Annelyse's Birthday! 

Our favorite month of the year has begun... birthday season in the Chmiel House!! Obviously the complete lack of  'planning' on our part has resulted in annual chaos from the start of the school year through January 1, each and every year! 

While this time of year truly is CRAZY... it is all good fun so how can I complain?!?  (I still do complain privately to those who know I secretly love this chaos :))

Daddy and his birthday girl! 

Birthday girl... and sis waiting to jump in!  They had  3 candles out before I got a picture! 

She despises being second... luckily Annelyse empathizes with her and let her grab a fork to dig in with her!  The best part was Russ got this cake from a "healthy bakery" so it really wasn't that great... needless to say, they didn't indulge nearly as much as this picture might make it seem :)

After much deliberation Annelyse decided to have her party at Giddy Studios; a pottery painting place!  We invited all of the "Afternooners" from her class and all 12 of them RSVP'd as able to attend!  Seems to be a trend with us and the birthday-party invites!  Even as the 'new girl' she has managed to win the crowd over. 

Ms. Siobhan's Class!! 

Carefully selecting their pottery.

The B-Day girl chose a little teddy to paint.

DISCLAIMER (MOM MOMENT):  While we have lots of anxiety about dropping them in to all these new situations, I am convinced they are better equipped to deal with strangers and awkward situations than we are.

They can strike up a conversation at the drop of a hat;  don't skip a beat when confronted by a hostess or passer-by, in fact, I almost think they enjoy the opportunity to interact with 'strangers'!

In the end, this 'lesson' is one that I hope will teach them to think on their feet, rely on their instincts and remember to smile... those smiles and kind hearts will take the place of words when difficult circumstances leave them speechless (likely a rare occasion if we keep up with our current pace). 

That owl has more paint on it than 6 of the other girls combined. 

Alright, enough mushy stuff... time to refocus!  After all the girls arrived, they each picked out a little statue to paint.  We settled in and got to work!!  Lots of beautiful creations were made and surprisingly the ladies managed to sit and paint their stunning masterpieces for almost 45 minutes. 

We had some snacks and cupcakes and lots of good laughs and ceramic memories (side note:  Loralye already dropped her owl... so hopefully the days events were stored in long-term memory as well!!   Russ managed to glue it back together and the lesson appears to be a fleeting one.   She still carries the thing around the house and announces "she is using two hands" so, "it's fine!"

They made a 'memory plate' with Anna's handprint in the center and her friends thumb prints all along the perimeter. 

Annelyse was showered with lots of gifts from all her little friends... they took the hint that she liked art given her party theme.  Let's just say we have lots of project choices for the foreseeable future around the house!

Because the girls are always showered with gifts, we really don't get them much 'stuff' for their birthday.  One thing we do love to do is find experiences/activities to share together. 

While waiting for the train one day after work, I noticed an advertisement for Mary Poppins!  An afternoon out on the town sounded like the perfect gift!

Mary, Bert & Annelyse before the show!

We took the train downtown and had a nice lunch before the show.  After popcorn, candy and all things sugar, we plopped down in our chairs and watched one of the most spectacular shows I have ever seen!  A Broadway performance with kids of all ages that lasted 3 full hours... I thought for sure it would end with a theatre full of screaming, crying, over-tired and hungry munchkins... but in fact, their eyes were glued to the stage, anticipating the next scene!  I can't say enough about how great this show was!! 

How this sweet girl is already 6 years old is beyond me!  She is wise beyond her years, inquisitive, kind and full of life.  She challenges me every day in a good way.  We are so blessed to have her on this journey we call life... each of us better because of her spirit and priceless smile. She keeps everything light-hearted and exciting... just how everyday should be.

Love you lady!