Three is the Magic Number

Well. Three. Wow! (and, as an aside - a year of blogging! yay me)

I decided long ago that Maia Miss M was not going to have a Gymboree 'do' for her third birthday. She was going to have a bouncy castle, a handmade cake, sandwiches in the shape of stars, music in the flowery tent, lots of friends round and hopefully a minimum of tears, spills and clowns.

We did pretty well. All my grand plans for baking, cake decorating, party bag decorating and other organised activities flew out the window as soon as I saw Maia and Charlie christen the bouncy castle. There was no way that any self-respecting three year old would choose cake decorating over Bouncing.

So we let them run feral. Well, more like managed wildness, I suppose.

I wasn't sure how PC/appropriate it was to drink at a toddler's party, so I reasoned that if anyone else said yes to wine or cava, then I could drink too. Paula and Olga (Isabel and Sofia's mothers respectively) were therefore press-ganged into having a glass of cava with me. Rock on!

In attendance were: Maia, Charlie, Isabel Verginty, Sofia, George, Alex and Adam. And mothers for all and a father or two.

About 20 minutes after arriving, Isabel Verginty and Sofia did a very impressive raid on Maia's room. Isabel emerged clutching a little red piano and a book, Sofia had garnered a doll backpack, a book and a bear. They both looked very pleased with themselves. They disappeared into the flowery tent on the lawn with Maia. When I peeked in, Maia did not seem at all put out that they had raided her room - on the contrary, she was looking at them in a proud 'I got good stuff, hey?' kind of way.

In fact, Maia was in her element. She was happy and self assured (verging on the bossy) all day. I had never seen her interact with this group before, and I wonder how much of this confidence was down to the fact that this was Her Patch, and She Was Three. Then again, I think she holds her own at School, too.

I think everyone had a good time, despite a couple of banged heads and little spats, they all got on really well.

After sarnies, cake, music, running about and A LOT of bouncing, we furnished them with party bags made out of Winnie the Pooh face flannels tied up into a little hobo sack. Each one had a goldfish bath squirter, some bath bubbles, a box of raisins and a little cake inside. They went off at about 5 ish, happy and knackered.

Maia and Charlie (who was staying later than everyone else) used some of their bath bubbles that night, as they had a joint bath. Charlie is a whizz at the squirters, but Maia still prefers Old School Splashing. It does cover a greater area...

Maia and Charlie hung out with Finding Nemo in the front room, covering each other with stickers, while Austin, Lisa, Chris F, Steve, Pat, Noonah and myself all had dinner.

Maia was so tired when it was finally time for bed, she was asleep before stories were finished.

Happy Birthday, My Most Excellent MMJ.