proper party priorities

The culmination of birthday festivities for our three-year-old younger lad came in the form of a family gathering at our "skruction" site (translation: "construction site.").  We are grateful for all the family who were able to be with us today, and missed the ones who weren't able to make the trip.

Planning and executing a child's birthday party is -- like many other things relating to parenthood -- a balancing act.  I try not to overextend myself with party plans and projects, since the surest way to communicate celebration and birthday excitement is by being present to the one whose birthday it is.  While I might have lots of ideas and grandiose plans for everything I want to do for a birthday party, in the end it's A. not about me and B. all subject to being able to balance getting the things done with quality interaction with the one being celebrated (for some party preparations, these two things can be reconciled with each other quite happily by doing them together).

Getting the house ready for company and decorated festively, the cake baked and decorated, and the menu set are all ways of showing the honoree love, but I try not to get so caught up in those things that I miss moments like the one that happened in the midst of the party when the younger lad and I excused ourselves to freshen up.  He threw his arms around me and said "I love you, Mama."  Or stepping away from the food preparations to take in the sight of the birthday lad and his brother back in the dirt pile, the younger lad with a balloon tied to his back belt loop to serve as his T-Rex tail.    Or visiting with family we hadn't seen in a while.  

We are very blessed to have lots of help pulling off these birthday celebrations.  Each one offers unique gifts and talents to address some aspect of the details -- decorations, menu, house-keeping... This helps tremendously, and I'm so grateful for the loving help offered and given.  

We've had a lot of fun celebrating the younger lad's third birthday, and we're so grateful for the many blessings and great joy we know because of his being an irreplaceable part of our family.  That's the whole reason we celebrate.