Valentine's Day and Birthday Party!

Kara turned 4 on a Tuesday.  That's not a terribly great day for a party, so we had planned on having her party on Saturday.  Originally, I was hoping that we would be able to get away with a family trip to the zoo (or maybe a trip with some friends).  However, one of Kara's favorite books to look at is our 2011 Shutterfly Photobook.  In that book are all the pictures from Jack and Anna's fourth birthday party blowout.  She decided that ponies are a must when you are turning 4.  So, we decided to have the party here and have the same pony folks (Mary's Go Round) come down.  Fortunately, February is a slow month for them, so we had no trouble booking the ponies.

But, I am getting ahead of myself.  Since her party was planned for the weekend, we didn't do much on Tuesday.  Normally, I would cook a birthday meal.  However, for her birthday meal, Kara requested, "what we had on Thanksgiving."  I agreed, but said it would have to wait for the weekend.  Our birthday dinner compromise was chocolate chip pancakes, which my kids can scarf down!  Seriously, they ate more than I did (and I'm no light weight!).  She had some presents from family to open, and we staggered them throughout the day.  It was a nice day and she enjoyed all the special treatment of it being her day.

Cute sparkly hat from Grandma!

On Wednesday, the kids and I made Valentines for Jack and Anna's class.  I love doing crafts with them, but I often lack creative ideas.  I found this Valentine online last year and we decided to do the same one.  It was amazing what a difference a year makes.  I cut out the shapes, but the kids were entirely self-sufficient.  They really enjoyed making them.  It was a great time for all of us, I loved sitting at the table with them and watching them work.  They were very kind to each other and it was just a peaceful, pleasant moment.

As I mentioned, Kara's party was originally going to be on Saturday, but the forecast was pretty dismal.  We had more than 15 kids coming and I didn't want to try and entertain them inside.  So, we moved the party to Friday.  The kids were so excited, it was like Christmas eve in our house on Thursday night (well, for the girls, Jack was a little more contained).  The weather Friday (today) was beautiful!  The kids seemed to really enjoy the ponies and playing with their friends.  The pony folks brought two ponies: one was for decorating and the other for riding.  They completely covered the decorating pony in stickers and hair decorations.  Kara also spent a long time brushing her, it was very sweet.  I think everyone got the ride the pony multiple times, which was also nice.  Finally, there were 2 goats to feed and 2 bunnies and a duck to pet.

According to her owners, this pregnant pony loves the attention she gets from the "decorating."  

Cowgirl Kara!

For her cake, Kara chose a cupcake theme.  Mind-blowing, according to Thomas.

Opening presents.  She got lots of very cool things.

By the time we got around to pin the tail on the pony, most of our friends had left.  Macey was the definite winner of the game.

I had planned some activities (two crafts, some cowgirl themed library books, and some games) but it didn't really go as anticipated.  The kids seemed to enjoy just running around outside and I decided to leave well enough alone.  Fortunately, Kara told me it was just what she wanted and she loved it.  So, even though it didn't go quite as I'd planned, I am thrilled that she was so happy with the result.  I was also very thankful for all the friends who pitched in to help during the party (and stayed after to clean up!!!); it was a lot harder to run things without Thomas there.  Hopefully, this is the last birthday he'll have to miss!

Kara's Birth Story (and Happy Birthday Post)

Four years ago today, at almost the exact moment I am writing this, Kara came into the world.  I'll get to that, but I want to start with the moment we found out we were going to blessed with another baby.

Jack and Anna were approximately 9 months old.  I was sort of feeling like I might be pregnant, but I was in serious denial.  Did I mention Jack and Anna were only 9 months old???  Finally, I gave in and took a pregnancy test.  It was positive.  Just to be sure, I took another--same result.  By this time, I was already about 10 weeks along.  I called Thomas, but he had left his cell phone at home that day and was unavailable.  So, I had to sit on the news all afternoon until he finally got home.  He was super excited.  I was also very excited, but my excitement was mixed with nervousness.  It had been a rough year.  I had gone into preterm labor, and narrowly avoided giving birth at 30 weeks (another story in and of itself).  Following that scare, I spent the last month of Jack and Anna's pregnancy in the hospital.  They were still born prematurely and Anna spent her first 10 days in the NICU.  Then, there was adjustment to life with preemies. Except for doctor visits, they couldn't even leave the house for the first 2 months.  Then, it was the illness and death of my mother.  After that, I got very sick with a bad case of strep throat, followed by a horrendous double ear infection.  Couple all that with breast-feeding and a serious lack of sleep while working full-time at a very stressful job that required me to be in court multiple times a week, and let's just say I wasn't quite myself.

So, you may be able to get some idea of why I had the nervousness.  Anna had just started consistently sleeping through the night and life was finally feeling a little less nerve-racking.

Fortunately, as the pregnancy progressed and it became evident how much easier it was going to be for my body to handle one baby as opposed to two, the nervousness went away and only the excitement remained.  We didn't find out the gender (although we strongly suspected, thanks to an ultrasound tech who referred to Kara as "she" more than once).  I carried her to full term and she was born weighing a healthy 8 pounds and 2 ounces.  What a difference those extra 3 pounds made!  She only woke up once each night.  I called her our "angel baby," she was just so easy!  Well, until she hit about 6 months and developed a bit of a temper/stubborn streak.

Today, Kara is amazing.  She is super-independent.  She has been picking her clothes and dressing herself since she was two.  She loves imaginative play and can keep herself entertained for hours with dolls, toy animals, pretty much anything.  She is somewhat short-tempered, but gets over it very easily.  For example, yesterday she hit me.  I sent her to timeout.  A minute later, I walked past her and she reached out, hugged my leg and said "I love you, Mommy."  She is also very smart and super coordinated.  She is very cuddly and sweet.  She shares well and is kind to her friends and siblings.  She is pure joy and I can't believe how much I love her.  She was the perfect addition to our family and came at the perfect time.

Happy fourth birthday, Kara.  I am so excited for your future!