yo shorty! it's your birthday!

What a difference a year makes! No, I'm not talking about how much E has grown and changed...I'm talking about how the Slackers went from small birthday celebrators to a 3-day birthday extravaganza! It was tons of fun but am I ever exhausted.

The festivities started on Saturday morning, when A and E woke up to find that Grandmom and Granddad had arrived while they were sleeping. Over the course of the day, both girls opened presents from them, including an Ariel gown for E and a Minnie Mouse outfit for A. Expect to see the Ariel gown in many pictures in the months to come, and A to be the cutest damn Minnie Mouse come Halloween time.


In the afternoon, my parents came over and bestowed their gifts upon E, including an Ariel lunchbox and slightly creepy Ariel doll that talks. (Noticing a theme, yet?)

Then it was party time! We had set up the neighborhood waterslide in our backyard and the kiddos had tons of fun on it. My mom made a chicken and rice salad, and John's mom made a pasta salad. I made my 9-layer dip and South Georgia caviar, and my mom made some dip that might have been entirely made of cheese. I also might have eaten half that dip over the course of the afternoon. We also had a wide selection of adult and kiddie beverages.

Before we knew it, it was time for cake! We ordered a Princess cake from Cold Stone which was a hit...most of the kids asked if they could have a Princess figure from the cake. Since E had no say in the flavoring, we were spared blue ice cream with gummy bear fillings, instead getting chocolate chip ice cream and chocolate cake.



After cake, E opened her presents. She got tons of cool gifts that I amE's totally psyched to play with. People started heading out, so we passed out the favors, which were cookies frosted in glass slippers, E's and stars. (Thanks, Nonna!) My parents stayed around to help polish off the dips and the wineclean up, and we had a great time chatting and watching Michael Phelps make history.

On Sunday, we headed out to brunch with John's parents before they left for home. We got home and everyone took naps, except for E, who played in her room while John and I were passed out on her bed. We took a nice walk around the neighborhood, and then came back home where we opened the family presents before dinner. E loved her Ariel t-shirt and nightgown, as well as her Princess tea set. She loved her UVA cheerleading outfit, but not as much as A did. Guess I know what to get A for her birthday now.


On Monday, the girls headed to school, with E carrying her new Ariel lunchbox. She walked into her classroom with the thing held over her head like it was the Stanley Cup and showed all of her friends in class. I came back with ice cream cups for her class' afternoon snacks. Honestly, I felt like a rock star and am seriously considering doing it more often, just so I can be considered the "Cool Mom."

Unfortunately, my plans to finish up a bit more work before picking the girls up for the day were thwarted by both girls (A's class came out on the playground and she saw me). John made it home early, and we headed out for E's birthday dinner. She picked a local dive pizza shop as her "special place." And because we are the biggest pushovers ever, we stopped at the soft-serve place next door for a final birthday treat.

We came home, got cleaned up and ready for bed (including extra long teeth-brushing!), and the birthday celebration (finally!) came to a close. We're definitely doing something low-key for A's birthday in September, but I must admit I had a lot of fun and E really enjoyed it.

I'm just glad I have 365 days until the next go-round.