Today I took Natalie to gymnastics after school. She loves it! I'm so glad I found something for her to do that she is so passionate about. It makes me happy because it makes her happy.
After gymnastics we went to HEB to pick out a birthday cake for her party on Saturday. My baby girl is turning 6 on Thursday. I just can't believe it. It seems like yesterday that I was changing her diapers and rocking her to sleep. I miss those days....
At the grocery store we went through the whole book of cake designs before Natalie picked out a Barbie cake. She wanted the chocolate icing and she had to be sure that she would actually be able to keep the barbies that came on top. Once we had decided on the Barbie theme we went to the party store to get decorations and other supplies. She was so excited as she picked out the balloons, the napkins, the plates, the treat bags for her friends, the horns, etc. And then she noticed something.... "Mommy, where are the birthday hats?" she asked.
"Well Natalie it looks like they are all out of Barbie hats." I said. Just then my phone rang so I directed my attention to the phone. The next thing I know Natalie is on the floor with 4 packages of the next best thing to birthday hats, paper crowns! "Mom, I counted them. There are 16 here."
"No Natalie. These will break too easily and 16 isn't enough." I said.
"Well what are we going to do about the hats?" she asked again.
Geez Natalie! Who cares about the stupid paper hats! Can't we have a party without them? I'm thinking to myself. Ok, Keri. She's 6. Think of a solution.
"Well why don't we just get these butterfly birthday hats? They are still pink and purple so the colors match." I said.
"Ok Mom. That would be good." And with that she went skipping down the aisle towards the register, a big smile plastered on her face.
I got to the register, I made my purchases, I ordered balloons, and then we left.
On the drive home I started to think about the $76 dollars that I spent on plates, napkins, balloons, decorations, and those crazy hats. Its a lot of money for a bunch of paper products that will be tossed away within 20 minutes of unwrapping them. But then...how much longer do I have to do these simple things for my first born baby girl?
A paper hat. Nothing more than thin cardboard, cut and rolled into a cone. A stretchy string stapled to both ends. Couldn't cost more than a penny each to mass produce. And yet this item was so vitally important to her. I couldn't imagine putting that silly hat on my head for my birthday as an adult, and Natalie couldn't imagine her birthday without the silly hat.
Kids.
Simple,
Innocent.
Loveable.
Beautiful.
How much longer before the hat becomes silly to her? How many more birthdays will we have to have a hat? Oh my heart aches just thinking about the passing years. No one could ever be able to explain to a new mother how quickly the time goes...how precious it is. You just don't understand until you've lived it. I just want to hold on to these years forever. Paper hats, Barbie cakes, Barbie plates, etc. $76. Its worth it to me, because its only for a time.
After gymnastics we went to HEB to pick out a birthday cake for her party on Saturday. My baby girl is turning 6 on Thursday. I just can't believe it. It seems like yesterday that I was changing her diapers and rocking her to sleep. I miss those days....
At the grocery store we went through the whole book of cake designs before Natalie picked out a Barbie cake. She wanted the chocolate icing and she had to be sure that she would actually be able to keep the barbies that came on top. Once we had decided on the Barbie theme we went to the party store to get decorations and other supplies. She was so excited as she picked out the balloons, the napkins, the plates, the treat bags for her friends, the horns, etc. And then she noticed something.... "Mommy, where are the birthday hats?" she asked.
"Well Natalie it looks like they are all out of Barbie hats." I said. Just then my phone rang so I directed my attention to the phone. The next thing I know Natalie is on the floor with 4 packages of the next best thing to birthday hats, paper crowns! "Mom, I counted them. There are 16 here."
"No Natalie. These will break too easily and 16 isn't enough." I said.
"Well what are we going to do about the hats?" she asked again.
Geez Natalie! Who cares about the stupid paper hats! Can't we have a party without them? I'm thinking to myself. Ok, Keri. She's 6. Think of a solution.
"Well why don't we just get these butterfly birthday hats? They are still pink and purple so the colors match." I said.
"Ok Mom. That would be good." And with that she went skipping down the aisle towards the register, a big smile plastered on her face.
I got to the register, I made my purchases, I ordered balloons, and then we left.
On the drive home I started to think about the $76 dollars that I spent on plates, napkins, balloons, decorations, and those crazy hats. Its a lot of money for a bunch of paper products that will be tossed away within 20 minutes of unwrapping them. But then...how much longer do I have to do these simple things for my first born baby girl?
A paper hat. Nothing more than thin cardboard, cut and rolled into a cone. A stretchy string stapled to both ends. Couldn't cost more than a penny each to mass produce. And yet this item was so vitally important to her. I couldn't imagine putting that silly hat on my head for my birthday as an adult, and Natalie couldn't imagine her birthday without the silly hat.
Kids.
Simple,
Innocent.
Loveable.
Beautiful.
How much longer before the hat becomes silly to her? How many more birthdays will we have to have a hat? Oh my heart aches just thinking about the passing years. No one could ever be able to explain to a new mother how quickly the time goes...how precious it is. You just don't understand until you've lived it. I just want to hold on to these years forever. Paper hats, Barbie cakes, Barbie plates, etc. $76. Its worth it to me, because its only for a time.
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