With the amount of streamers, balloons, banners, confetti, ribbon, sprinkles, frosting, melted candles, glitter, piñata parts and silly string I am still picking off my cabinets, pulling out of my garbage disposal and sweeping up under my couch, I have realized there has been an utter lack of revelry in my life lately. It takes 3 birthdays (4 if you count my nephew) in 10 days to help me realize this. And it was a lesson that needed to be learned, regardless of the mess.
We need to party. We need to feel the freedom to celebrate and be celebrated; to say important things to people we love; to eat a lot of sugar; to spend money on things we normally wouldn't; to take a day off of school or work; to go big or go home.
I've always loved birthdays. Not necessarily birthday parties, but birthdays. A birthday is different than any other occasion as it is in direct correlation with the person having it, not something they've accomplished or a role that they play or a goal they have reached, but a unique and specific celebration of that fact that they exist; that the act of their birth (however uninvolved they were with it) is enough to spark an entire celebration and something to look forward to for the other 364 days out of the year. A birthday is a perfect excuse to dish out every ounce of love you can on one person, because you value having them around.
This year was no different, except for the fact that we actually had parties, too. It was a big birthday year for our family. 16, 13 and 3 all seem to be milestone birthdays and we didn't want to miss the chance to make a ginormous mess in our house for the cause. We had a joint birthday party with our cousin, who turned 17 the day after Perez, and his family. We have spent many, many birthdays with them and it is so fun to have kids that were born in the same month. Combining a 17 year old birthday with a 3 year old birthday was something to be noted. Indoor skydiving for the bigs (Norah backed out 30 minutes before flying but wanted to wear the suit anyway) and blue hair and a unicorn piñata filled with Pez for the little (although I think the bigs may have had more fun with that)! Sleep over, pool party, water balloon fight and cake decorating for the now 'teenager' and morning rounds of jumping on the bed coupled with a beach day and cupcakes for The Nugget.
All in all, it was a weeks worth (or more) of parties and a kick in the pants reminder that parties need to be planned...for birthdays or 'just because'.
And I think I just might be leaving those entryway streamers up to indulge in a little revelry all year until those birthdays roll around again next year.
