Esthers Bubble-palooza Party!!!

Picture it: Exactly one year ago. Esther has just turned two. Her Grandpa Tom lovingly bought her some bubble wands and a bubble machine to help her celebrate the occasion. Her mother while snapping picture after picture has a lightbulb suddenly blink on in her head. Bubbles. Lots of them. Esthers 3rd Birthday party. The heartfelt photographic moments will abound. She starts mentally planning. "Surely the weather will cooperate," she thinks to herself. The week following the party gets into 80 degree temperatures, Maybe just maybe, her party hopes and dreams will come to fruition this year, three is a charm as they say. Alas. Mother Nature always has something to teach Mother Ann. In this case that lesson was always plan for rainy weather in April. And if having an outdoor Birthday party, always have a plan B. And no matter how Ann plans, there will always be surprises.

So jumping out of whatever narrative I was just in.......Yes Esthers party was last Saturday and despite my yearlong planning/daydreaming for the event, I was still unprepared for the very rainy almost snowy weather. I guess I just didn't believe it would happen because the weather was downright summerish all through the week.

Despite the storm, it still turned out to be amazing. I have only my friends and family to thank for that. I was at the last minute able to reserve the basement room in our apt, and we had the party inside. We BBQ'd hamburgers and hotdogs, and let the kids play with bubbles and pool noodles inside. Abby had made a cd of all of Esthers favorite music (steve songs, wizard of oz, things like that), playing in the background, adding to the atmosphere. Me and my friend Missy (the blonde by the cake with me) stayed up until a quarter to three the night before frosting that two tiered baby....thanks to her it turned out beautiful. Esther got lots of fun presents, and then we had to clean up quick to move out for the next folks who had the basement reserved. Everybody helped clean and the place was spotless in 10 minutes! It really made me appreciate my loved ones!
After we cleaned up those that wanted to, came up to our apt on the 3rd floor and blew bubbles. The pictures were not exactly as I imagined them (the children in them had mostly grown up) but in some ways I swear it was more magical. That's why I put so many pictures in the slide show. I know it might seem like if you've seen one you've seen them all, but I just wanted to portray an appropriate mood, everyone was having fun it was like we were all kids again. So my party didn't go exactly as I had planned. I think it turned out to be a lot better. I can always try again maybe for Ezra's 3rd Birthday. All I know is at the end of the day I felt happy with everything and extremely grateful for life and all of our loved ones that fill it.

p.s. just in case you want to see a picture bigger, all you have to do is click on it.