Celebrating Sasha's Birthday

Happy Fourth Birthday, Sasha!

We celebrated Sasha's special day in advance this year (she technically doesn't turn four until Tuesday) with a cupcake party at The Chocolate, a little dessert cafe down the road from our house. It was perfect... especially because somebody else cooked and cleaned up!

Six well-fed girls, five well-fed mamas, and a ridiculous number of pink balloons definitely make for a pleasant afternoon.

Here's how this party went down:

Step 1: Purchase balloons.

Note:  Empty balloons collected in your preschooler's hands at the party store become a lot larger when inflated and stuffed into your van. Your toddler may become overwhelmed by the threat of being smothered by cheery-looking pink balloons.

Step 2:  Attempt cute photos of the group. The birthday girl will inevitably decided to show off her sassy side and play "adorable" games where she keeps showing her back to the camera. Give up on photos.

Step 2b: Birthday girl may have a change of heart and decide to take cute photo with mom and sister... if you're lucky. Sister will be puzzled by the whole experience, especially since she's still recovering from previous "the balloons are trying to envelop me me" experience.

Step 3: Pizza and snacks. When asked, "What kind of chips do you want for your party, Sasha?" birthday girl will respond, "Pink." Great.

Given that the grocery store doesn't stock pink chips (probably a good thing), Pirates Booty with a purple banner on the top will suffice. Partygoers won't mind the concession of a purple bag in a clearly pink-themed party, and all snacks will be enthusiastically consumed.

Step 4: Decorate! Now the real fun begins! Trained dessert professional brings cupcakes, icing, and sprinkles. Girls "help" her decorate cupcakes... actually, the big girls did a pretty swell job with the decorating; Sasha just piled on as many sprinkles as could possibly stick to the top of a cupcake.

Step 5: Eat! While girls enjoy their cupcakes, moms sample a veritable smorgasbord of mini-cupcake creations. All partygoers emerge coated in a layer of icing and sugar and thoroughly pleased.

Step 6: Finish in style. Open gifts, distribute party favors (purses and jewelry boxes purchased in China specifically for the occasion - the girls were so cute and appreciative of their treasures!), lick plates.

If birthday girl receives 2 stuffed puppies, do not fret - both will be adored and both will be named, "Moosetache" because that is clearly the perfect name for two diminutive robotic dogs.

Happy Birthday Sasha!