Lessons Learned From A Princess Party

Today is Marissa's 4th birthday!  I honestly cannot believe she is that old already.  It seems like yesterday she was a baby.  And barely walking and starting to talk.  But nope, she's officially a preschooler!  Anyway, we had a fun party that kind of evolved as time progressed.  Over the years I have learned to tame my excitement towards themed parties.  Now I try to do simple, affordable, but fun and meaningful for the child.  That's not always easy to do.  Even pre-pinterest, I was a little out of control with my desire to tie everything together perfectly.  So...here are a few of the lessons I learned from my very first "princess party" (in no particular order).

1. Pinterest is evil...and awesome at the same time!  If you can get some ideas without going crazy or feeling totally inadequate, you can save yourself some time and effort.  But it's easy to get sucked into the black hole of Pinterest never to be heard from or seen again (just ask Marcos)!

 2.  Practical gifts are not what kids want.  For me, giving dress-ups is painful.  They aren't even real clothes.  But it was the only thing Marissa really wanted this year.  So she got two dresses (the first two non-hand-me-down dress-ups she has ever owned).  

3.  Four year old girls are one of the sweetest creatures to walk the earth!  They can also be the sassiest at times (but that's another post...and picture).

4.  Tell people you are having a theme party.  You never know who else may have had a similar party in the past.  You might end up hitting the jackpot and be able to borrow a bunch of cool decorations...FOR FREE!  Thanks Amy!

5.  Every little girl wants to feel like a princess.  And when she does, you're probably doing something right.  Not in the "I'm so spoiled I don't know what to do with myself" sense but in the "I am precious and treasured beyond measure" sense. 

6.  I'm only going to have a 4-year-old girl once.  I must cherish these moments!

7.  Brothers are cute, protective, and Marissa's biggest fans.  They also LOVE Olaf.  

8.  Getting 4 kids to smile simultaneously is nothing short of miraculous.  I'll take 2 out of 4 any day!

9.  Babies don't hold still for long (especially 10-11 month old boy babies).  Baby Olaf looks like he's MELTING! 

10. Even if you aren't planning on throwing a friend party, when your only daughter wants a princess party, you have a friend party.  

11. Girls pose! Even when they don't realize they're posing.  I think it's hidden somewhere in the second "x" chromosome. 

12.  I am still a total a tomboy!  And the mom of 3 boys. Look at the arm on those beautiful girlies!  Way to knock down the cups, chicas!

13.  Twirling in a princess dress is a MUST! 

 14.  Simples games are the best!  Throwing snowballs at the "ice castle" was a total hit with this crowd!  They could have played it forever!
15.  Four friends at a party for a 4-year-old is plenty.
16.  You can't invite everyone you know.  It isn't personal, it's practical!
17.  Pleasing the birthday girl is what matters, not what the rest of the world thinks.

18. Again, tell people you're throwing a party!  You might end up with a guest appearance.  One who brings darling princess crowns and wands for all the guests.  And then hosts a fun sing-along.  

Thanks MaryJane! 

19.  I can almost see why people buy pointless accessories for their daughters.  I may be super practical and frugal but LOOK HOW CUTE!!

20.  I just LOVE this girl! 

21.  A sing-along is a total hit with a bunch of Frozen fans!  Really!

22.  Kids love opening presents! (Shocker, I know!)

23.  And have a difficult time not helping the birthday girl to open presents.  ;) 

24.  My sister has an amazing cream cheese frosting recipe.  

25.  I can cook, bake and follow a recipe, but I will not be hired any time soon as a cake decorator.

26.  Despite my lack of skills in the decorating department, a simple cupcake with a Frozen character on a stick is a total hit with the 3-4 year old crowd (and the Olaf fan club)! 

27.  Magical moments don't happen every day!  

28.  Be grateful when you capture one! 

29.  Marissa is actually quite good at sharing if people ask her nicely to play with her things.  Not so much when things are taken from her (as is often the case with her brothers). 

30.  She's happy in the old hand-me-down dress-up as well as the new ones.  It doesn't seem to matter as long as it's sparkly, shiny, and you can twirl in it. 

31. Olaf is cool enough that a 10-year-old boy is willing to participate in a Frozen birthday party. 

32.  Middle Olaf was even willing to pose with Elsa.   

33.  Having Baby Olaf sleep during the princess party was BRILLIANT!  Big pat on the back for me right there!  

34.  Pay attention when your baby starts crying.  I was so excited to finally get a shot of him with his Olaf shirt that I didn't realize he was being bit by ants.  Poor kid!  

35.  Moms sometimes do stupid things to get a good picture of kids.

36.  And it's usually still worth it to us when all is said and done.

37.  Sometimes little princesses just want to play babies and watch Frozen and that's okay.   A couple games got postponed for after the party.  

38.  Have a plan, but learn to go with the flow. When it was clear we had played enough games, we postponed the rest for later.

39.  Big brothers like LOTS of games.  

40.  A simple game in the backyard with siblings is a beautiful thing!

This one was called "keep the ice blocks on Christoff's sled" and was really fun for my boys (and Marissa).  

41.  Sometimes you start out alone on a journey... 

42.  ...but realize you need help (or would rather work as a team) in the end!

Happy birthday, Princess Marissa!  We love you more than you will ever know!  Thanks for all the life lessons today and every day.  :)