Layne is 4

 

I have always had this fear in the back of my mind that having children would mean that my identity would then totally become intertwined with theirs. Turns out, this is exactly what has happened. For the better part of everyday I am Layne and Blake’s mom and it’s the best thing that has ever happened to me. If I were to write a book about my mothering adventure, the title of this particular moment in time would be “Magic!”

I admit, I’ve had kind of a tough time coming to terms with the fact that my eldest is turning four. I think the reason that this has affected me so much is that I feel as though this is the age when my own first real memories begin. I can vividly remember the way the days before my birthday suddenly became twice as long as we neared the end of the countdown. The parties, the homemade cakes, all that love and attention suddenly focused on celebrating me. What’s not to get excited about? I didn’t realize it then, but I do now – it was my mother right there orchestrating it all. I have some huge shoes to fill.

When it came time to start planning a party for my little Layne, there was no two ways about it. It had to be pink, sparkly and princess themed.  Therein began my quest to make magic happen. I came across www.asyouwishprincess.com and it seemed perfect. Let’s all just keep in mind that at this point we were still in July. Here is where I start winding up the children. Knowing full well what the answer would be, I asked Layne which princess she would like to have at her party. We then sat down to write our email to Queen Elsa. By the time our reply came and our date was set, it was the beginning of August. What happened next, you ask? Well, a full scale tidal wave of excitement hit our house. The countdown was on.

Now don’t be fooled, there are many downsides to all of these silly shenanigans. For example, Layne had now been given loads of time to invite everyone who crossed our path to her birthday party. You think I’m kidding? Ask any random employee at Costco or cashier at Superstore. An invitation like that is not easily forgotten.

As the day grew near, Layne (our future powerhouse business woman) began doling out the responsibilities. Her Grandma was to handle the goodie bag assembly, her Aunty was to be in charge of balloons and decorations, and my list was darn near endless. What had we gotten ourselves into?

Here we were, mid-September, and the party day was finally here. After a late night and an early morning it seemed as though my husband and I had pulled it off. All that was left was to wake our two little princesses, put on their crowns, and wait for the guests to arrive. Layne was absolutely vibrating

The party went exactly how I had imagined it. Elsa was wonderful! She floated effortlessly down our street, as if she had appeared out of thin air. Our hour with her went by in a flash. There was a coronation where Layne became a princess, snow was made, a story was read, and as you might have expected many songs were sung. Elsa was amazing and all of the kids were totally taken with her. There is a large part of me that is hoping Blake will want to have a princess at her birthday too. The adults even seemed to have a good time.

Layne might be the luckiest girl around, but I have to be honest, I love that she has no idea. To her, the world is magic and I want her to breathe that in as long as possible.

Happy birthday to my beautiful, funny, smart, amazing little girl, Layne. You take my breath away