Crafts, Family, Parties

Madeline Birthday Party

Today my baby turned 5. We celebrated with a Madeline birthday party for which I made too many things with too much hot glue. Maybe I put so much energy into birthdays to avoid thinking about them getting older. It’s a nice distraction. It’s selfish really, with the added benefit that they enjoy these shindigs. I miss holding them close to me in overly-complicated baby wraps. I miss co-sleeping. I miss tiny fingers and toes. But they grow. They get longer. They get stronger. They get smarter. And then one day they run away from you and tell you your hair is stupid and you’re a terrible mother. Sigh.

Today she did not run away from me. And I guess my hair was fine. She didn’t mention it.

I made these caplets from felt and satin ribbon. And like I said, tons of glue. Wasn’t sure I was going to make the same thing for both the boys and the girls but after asking my Facebook fam I decided to go with the one look for both, rather than make a bunch of Pepitos. It’s a Madeline party after all. Hats were made from plastic bowls, plates and leftover wool from the capelets. Also, beaucoup glue.

Just yesterday it was the girls across the street who would come over and help me with the parties. Now big sister and her friends are those girls. Sorry. I’m just really having a hard time with this aging thing.

They worked in “Le Magasin” and handed out the capelets and hats. And it looks like they also practiced for when they have instagram accounts one day. I think the moms were more excited about the outfits than the littles. Can we talk about how cute my friends are for a sec? Hats came in handy at high noon. It was 80 degrees here in LA. In February. Don’t hate.

I stocked up on art supplies at Michael’s, printed out a few works of art for inspiration and displayed them in IKEA frames. We added their masterpieces to the gallery. The fare was French with a touch of the Orient. Happy Lunar New Year by the way! Petits ecoliers, bien sur.

And then there was this cake. The chef d’oeuvre. Greatness achieved by Design My Treats. That back panel there is a giant rice crispy treat. It also features Vivi’s favorite scene from Madeline in Paris. It’s all our favorite scene, right?I mean, come on.

Sara from Send in the Clowns had the kids entranced with a suspenseful puppet show! She even followed it up with magic AND balloons. O00-la-la!So much giggling. L’hopital. In case anyone wanted to get an appendicitis scar drawn on his or her tummy. The option was there.

Anyone remember my eBay piano story? Well, it arrived. And I still have it. 🙂 Picked up these French-themed journals and pencils at Michael’s. 2 for a dollar. Vivi loved her party. She said it was the greatest day ever. She said the favorite part was the bouncy house.