We celebrated Stella’s birthday over the weekend. As a Festivus kid – and being in such close proximity to the celebration that is Christmas – it’s tough to throw her an adequate birthday fete ON her birthday. So this year, I decided to not even try. That’s not defeatist, promise. It’s simply practical. In lieu of cramming ONE MORE EVENT into an already jam-packed Christmas weekend, we decided instead to throw her birthday party….well…yesterday. In January instead of December. After the lights have been unstrung, and the stockings unhung. After the trees have been strewn to the curb waiting for transit to the big forest in the sky.

She wanted a Rainbow Brite birthday – but Rainbow Brite is surprisingly difficult to come by these days (seeing as how it’s no longer 1986) so we just stuck with the RAINBOW side of that request. Our house was filled to overflowing with people, and kids were screaming and squealing and getting so high on sugar I thought we’d be starting a halfway house for youth in recovery as soon as they crashed. I spent hours baking a six layer (SIX LAYER!!!) rainbow cake (because what’s a birthday without the perfect cake?) that was a little dry, but still pretty good, and I feel like I’ve been picking up toys for 8 hours solid.

As I type this, the girls are the bath, the house is quiet, and I’m left thinking about my daughters – how just moments ago they were babies, and then toddlers. And now they’re girls. Little ones, but still. They have their own minds, and dreams, and they choose which things to do or directions to go. Every day they need less and less help from DRL and me. Too soon will be the day where they don’t need our help at all.

Luckily for me, today is not that day. Today they still need me to wash their hair, and read them stories, and  tuck them into their small beds. Snug as bugs.

And they still let me kiss them. And squeeze them.

And eat them up, for I love them so.

For that, I’m forever blessed.

Here are a few scans of the instax shots I took at the party today. And the ONE Stella shot for me (this girl is GOOD with a polaroid. It’s incredible really.)