Birthday 2

Even though we had a little birthday party with Jason on Wednesday, I couldn't let Anna's actual birthday go un-celebrated on Saturday. So we had a little party for her. This turned out to be a good thing for me. Jason left on Friday and I spent the day moping. Poor Anna was really stir crazy by the end and neither of us needed another day like that. So, this was something to get me out of the house, cleaning, and interacting with others (something I quite enjoy but rarely initiate).

I wanted to keep it simple and low-key (she is only one after all). When I invited people, I even avoided the word 'party' because I didn't want them to think they had to bring a present. So I invited 3 little kids about Anna's age and we had the kids play while the moms talked. There were also two older kids and they played our game cube. Then after a while, we had cake. Anna still didn't get the whole blowing out the candles thing but at least she didn't try to touch the flame this time.

In spite of my low-key talk, I still decorated with balloons and streamers. When I was at Target earlier getting stuff, I just couldn't resist. I thought about putting balloons on the outside door but refrained.

It was fun watching the kids play with each other. At this age, they are starting to interact but aren't very good at it yet. At one point, Anna sat on another little girl's lap (they are the same size, it was hilarious). And they kept pushing, taking toys and stealing food. As the kids started getting peckish, one parent would bring out their snacks and all the kids would gather around the snacks. Jana, as she was passing something out to each of the kids, mentioned it was like feeding pigeons in the park.

Poor Anna isn't used to being around so many kids at once. She was getting pretty overwhelmed but took it well. Before we brought out the cake, she had climbed onto a crate that we keep blankets in and just sat and watched. Then, after the cake, she didn't want to get down. I thought she was still eating at first but realized she was just sitting there with her hand in her mouth. In spite of that, I'm sure she had fun with all the kids.