This weekend we had a party. Next weekend we have the birthday. I've never been fond of spreading out the day from the party, because then I'm always afraid the celebration loses its meaning. Last year Lanie turned four on a beautiful Friday so school celebration and friend & family celebration all took place in one 24 hour period. It was wonderfully succinct. This year, due to school schedules, we had to spread it out. But, we did it in style.
After Lanie told me a long time ago that she wanted a water slide, I got my fingers tapping on google and found a great birthday theme --- Sunshine and Lemonade. Rare. Obscure. Creative, right? Then after some time on Pinterest, I was dumbfounded by how not so rare it was and how so many, many little girls have had their own lemonade party. But what great ideas they shared. Thank you crafty women out there. For without you, I would still be coloring suns on construction paper.
When Elijah turned 6, we had, (I believe) the greatest Nebraska football party for him. It had absolutely nothing to do with us, but instead everything to do with our wonderful friends The Rathjes. They offered their spacious home then, and when we asked again to use their home, they generously said yes. While Elijah's birthday was a breezy, beautiful fall Saturday filled with football obstacle courses, Lanie's fell on an almost rainy, humid and hot summer Sunday filled with water slides and lots of lemonade, the kid-friendly kind and the adult sangria version. 
While I would have liked to have sweated less, and maybe to have made more Sangria, it turned out to be a great party. Lanie jumped and slid and ran around with her friends to her heart's content. I was a bit worried about her, I will admit. Before the party, she told me she didn't want to have a lot of people, just for her and a friend to go to Sweet and Sassy and get their fingernails painted. This little tidbit of information came too late. Sorry, lemonade was already bought. Cupcakes were made. She was getting the big party. And by this time, I was ready for a big party. I was excited about grandparents, friends from church, neighbors, and school meeting one another. I was excited for many of the people in Lanie's life to be together in one spot. I was excited that we would always remember the year of the big party (not at my house) when we celebrated my little Lanie.
Even if it was a week early.
And there's always time for Sweet and Sassy on the REAL birthday.
Talk about a 5-year-old's dreams come true.
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