Nora's 6th Birthday Bash

When I started making plans for Nora's birthday, she still had a cast on her arm, and the doctor said it would be there until the end of the year. Being worried about a second broken bone, I tried to come up with a plan in which a number of 5 and 6 year old children could gather without a lot of commotion. I asked Nora if she would like to bring some friends to the movie, and she thought that was a fine idea. Especially since Disney, on the heels of the success of the Princess and the Frog, decided to release another princess movie. So Nora invited her friends to see Tangled, starring Princess Rapunzel. She was very VERY excited.

In order to make it a proper birthday party, I went and got the Tangled invitations, stickers, napkins, plates, cake, etc. It seemed like all was in order...all except when the party was actually gonna happen. What I didn't foresee when I hatched this plan, and what could have ruined the whole thing, is that theaters don't really release what time the different movies are playing until a few days before. So when Nora handed out the invitations, there was a note to the parents to call me to see what show we were going to attend. The problem? No one called. This was an even bigger problem because Nora assumed everyone that was invited was going to be thrilled to show up to her birthday.

Luckily, the party was saved from certain failure because Nora's two best friends, Miles and Ian, happen to have very cool moms whom I consider friends, and they made sure their sons would be here for Nora's day. Thank goodness they did, because I couldn't bear the idea of telling her the party was cancelled. The morning of her party, she did seem slightly disappointed that some of the girls from her class and her cousin weren't going to make it, but as soon as she had her dress on, along with her Tangled birthday ribbon, she was as happy as any other little girl on her birthday. Both Miles and Ian showed up, and off to the theater we went.

It was also a special day for Emily, because it was Emily's first ever trip to the movies. I am glad to report everyone, boys and girls alike, enjoyed the film. Even though it had a princess it was anything but a sissy movie. There was action, adventure, and silly songs (in addition to the lovey dovey kissing stuff, which made Ian smack his forehead in disgust. So funny, exactly what you'd expect from a 5 year old boy!) My favorite part was actually during a scary scene, because Emily climbed over all the other kids to sit in my lap. The ending is a tear jerker, and Nora began to cry a little, but luckily there was a happily ever after so we could go home and actually enjoy the cake and presents.

All in all, it was a successful birthday. I was happy because Nora got to feel special, she got to see a movie she now loves, and she spent several quality hours playing with her two best friends. Because there wasn't a house full of people, they kids never got overwhelmed and I felt they all behaved really well considering I fed them tons of sugar and junk food. The adults had a great visit too, and that's really nice when you can take a breather and enjoy the company of your peers! I would definitely like to do this again, but with the lack of turnout for this year, I might not be able to do so. Oh well, that's ok. I have 11 months to think of something else!

Nora's 6th Birthday Party