Stealing unicorns

As I've mentioned dozens of times before, the entire reason I started this blog was that I was so very inspired by Kelle Hampton (www.kellehampton.com), this awesome, inspiring, beautiful, cool, smart, creative, compassionate, bold, kind, generous heart who, by sharing her life online, inspires me to want to become a better person and a better mom. (Thank you, dear Cathy, for sending her blog to me 2+ years ago!)

Today Kelle posted about her darling daughter Nella's second birthday party; which was equally darling. But the post before that, she was talking about her love of little girl birthday parties.

My Ella Bella's 4th birthday party is this Sunday. And I have to agree with Kelle...my version of heaven definitely involves planning and attending lots of birthday parties for grateful and gleeful little girls.

This year, Ella decided she wanted a unicorn party. Unicorns, to me, are kind of psychadelic and 70s...but not necessarily in a cool or retro way. I tried to plant seeds of support for other party themes...'wouldn't she rather have a POODLE birthday party? Especially since her very best friend in the whole world is a white (and now quite raggedy but exceptionally loved) white poodle,' I would inquire. To no avail.

I spent hours upon hours searching for birthday party ideas on Pinterest and Etsy. Showed Ella bunches of photos of a variety of themes, hoping to sway her away from the unicorn theme. Like I imagine an interior designer persuading a client not to purchase a bright green shag carpet. Without outright insulting the design aspects of green shag carpet.

But alas, I reminded myself that Ella is 4. That she LOVES unicorns, thanks to my mom, who bought her "The Last Unicorn" movie last year. She doesn't yet care about 'cool'....or what's 'in.' She doesn't want a Selena Gomez party or a Miley Cyrus party. Those days will come to soon, and at that point, I may need to exercise my mom-veto and select a more appropriate theme. One, for example, that might make me feel less like having a heart attack.

But, I told myself, "Self, it's kind of cool that Ella just randomly decided that she loves unicorns and wants a unicorn party. And if unicorns are ever going to be cool, well, they may as well be the bees knees when she's 4." So I'm not going to steal her unicorn. She can believe in, and adore, whatever she wants at age 4. As long as 'whatever she wants' doesn't include half-naked Disney TV teen stars.

So I've spent (more) countless hours on Pinterest and Etsy and the general oblivion called Google, searching for unicorn and rainbow party inspiration. And I love every minute of it. It doesn't feel like work. It's not exhausting. It's not annoying. I LOVE this stuff. In an 'I know it's kind of ridiculous and maybe even geeky, but I really don't care' kind of way.

Most of all, I love showing Ella different party elements as I work on them. Her rainbow skirt came in the mail one day from Etsy -- she smiled ear to ear and ran in place when she saw it. "I LOVE you, Mommy! I LOVE you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Her unicorn horn came a few days later in the mail. "You mean only the birthday girl gets to wear a special unicorn horn, Mommy? Really? I love it!"

She asks if she can watch me make 14 princess birthday party hats and crepe paper wands; if she can help me put together the make-your-own-rainbow party craft. Patiently watches me paint a 5-foot-tall number "4," and decorate it with polka dots in every color of the rainbow. "It's beautiful, Mommy! I love watching you paint. It's my favorite."

We look at photos on Pinterest together and she helps me choose what the cake should look like. We count down the days to her party. She feels like the most special girl in the world that ALL of her grandparents will be at the party; and that two sets of them are driving in from out of town to have a sleep over, just so they can be here.

Growing up, I always knew I wanted to have children. But I never really thought about things like this....how much joy and fulfillment I would one day find, in relatively simple things like planning the birthday party of my very big little girl.

But I love it. I love finding dozens of details that will make Ella smile. I love how special her parties make her feel. I love seeing her face walk into the party, just as I'm putting the finishing touches on the cake table. I love seeing her greet her guests with a curtsy and run around for the full 2.5 hours with a non-stop smile.

I love that she doesn't associate birthdays with presents, per se, but with a celebration....a special celebration that 'magically' includes all the things and activities and foods that make her the happiest...with all the people who love her, and all the people she loves...

I love that she still remembers her 3rd birthday party and can still talk about all its special details. And I hope that years from now, she also remembers her unicorn party...and all its pscychadelic, 1970s details (because there really is no such thing as a modern unicorn)...and how much fun we had planning it together....just the same.

I'm grateful for awesome mommas like my BFF Heidi -- who first captured my imagination with the beautiful, sweet, inspiring fairy-themed first-birthday party she threw for her eldest daughter, and all the amazing little girl birthday parties she's hosted since. I'm grateful for creative mommas like Kelle Hampton, and for my sister-in-law Brittany Schwaigert who loves this little-kid-party-planning stuff so much that she started her very own company (www.GreyGreyDesigns.com) so she could literally make this stuff her job!

And I'm most thankful to God for giving me two healthy, beautiful, grateful little girls for whom I can spend obscene amounts of time doing things like this, that bring me so much happiness.

Can hardly wait til Sunday. More to come.