Four.

This year marks the first year that Abby has had a really good concept of "birthday"  Meaning, she has had the mind to anticipate it.  For months...since summer, perhaps. :)

With the ability to anticipate things - comes the growing excitement of the event itself.  And Abby's excitement and anticipation of her birthday were contagious and fun to watch.

We decided, after thinking about what it is that Abby is into right now, to have a painting party.  The child is at the age of arts-n-crafts.  This is the age I imagined when I thought about becoming a mom one day - crayons and glue-sticks, glitter and construction paper.  It really is a lot of fun.

So, we had a painting party on Tuesday this week during our normal playgroup time.  I think everyone Abby knows came, and we had a very full house of little ones and parents.  I was a little worried that the party supplies I had ordered weren't going to make it when they hadn't arrived an hour before the party.  But, the FedEx man pulled through and we got everything just in time.

For the party, we ordered 8x10 canvases, smocks, and paint brushes and put them together for the kids. We had paints and glitter for the little artists to enjoy.  We had paint palette cupcakes and paintbrush rice krispie treats for favors. We kept the rest of everything pretty simple.  Some easy appetizers, ordered pizza and bought ice cream cups.

The kids had a great time and the mess was actually minimal ;)  At one point, Abby turned to me - beaming from ear to ear and declared "Mom!  This is the BEST birthday EVER!"  And - what else can you want to hear?  Abby played with her friends - the girls mostly escaped to her room to play dress up and doctor while the boys threw balls around and played chase.  The moms got to chat and I think it all went very well.

That night, after the girls were in bed, I went downstairs to clean up a little more.  I grabbed a piece of pizza and sat on the couch.  I woke up an hour later - 1/2 a slice of pizza still in my hand.  Ha :)  I guess I was a little worn out.

Wednesday was Abby's actual birthday.  It's a hard concept of having a party on one day and a "real" birthday on another day.  When you're 4 - a party = birthday.  Abby quietly asked me first thing in the morning, "Mom?  Am I four now?"  When I said "yes" She beamed and chattered on about how she was a big kid now and how she could do all kinds of grown up things.  Indeed.

I had to work of course for most of the day, but when we got home, we opened a few presents from the family and I loaded the girls up for a "birthday surprise"  Abby tried to guess where we were going the whole ride.  It was, E, however who - upon seeing Chuck-E-Cheese - started shouting and clapping and saying "Basketball!"  ....it was the one game she could see through the window.  They girls had a great time.  It was pretty empty - much to my relief.  They played games, collected tickets, rode rides, ate food, watched the scary robot characters and got prizes.  E was nonstop motion the whole time and Abby didn't stop smiling.  So - birthday surprise - success.

My big girl had a really great birthday - she keeps telling me so.  Thank you to all of you who helped make it special.  :)  Here are a few pictures for now....I took "real" ones with the camera before the show, but it'll take me 6 months to get them uploaded...so...phone pics win.