It’s no secret that Madelyn’s favorite Disney princess, movie, and ride at Disneyland is The Little Mermaid. She loves the music, the redhead, and the story. She lugs her Ariel doll everywhere, calls Bryan her Prince Eric, and sets the table with her dinglehopper. This kid is a no B.S. scholar of all things Mermaid.

So, no brainer. Her birthday party this year was decked out Under the Sea Chic — didn’t want too much commercial Disney decor, but wanted to set the mood using a sophisticated palette with lavenders and teals, lots of shells and sea glass, and netting with pearls.

Food was fun and easy and I’m kicking myself for not getting a lot of photos. The shell pasta salad was SO good and I will make it again and again. Here’s the recipe. You’re welcome. I made a crab out of a red bell pepper and stuck it in some hummus and used a dab to “glue” on his olive eyes. And then there were a few trays of Jersey Mike’s SANDwiches because, you know, THAT joke is a novel one. I set out a basket of individual bags of chips and Bryan asked me what I was going to name them. I was about to take a nanosecond to come up with something and then realized that not everything needs a name. CHIPS. They’re just CHIPS. However, I love food and I love puns. Kill me.

Little figurines of the beloved characters popped up here and there but I didn’t need to overdo it because we had THE REAL THING THERE!

Ariel, herself, swam up onto the land for the day to join us at the party and she was AMAZING. She came to us via Smile and a Song Princess Parties and people, I am telling you, the best best best character company I’ve ever had the pleasure to enjoy! If you’re in the Los Angeles area, you must call them for all your princess needs.

Ariel rang the doorbell and Madelyn answered. I think she was stunned, but quickly got on board with having a princess in her house.

Ariel’s voice was more pristine than the sea water — she was 100% Ariel from the start of the party until the end of the party. The girls adored her and even the little boys were into the whole 90-minute visit. The engagement she had with the kids was completely undivided and really, the whole experience was worth every penny (Ariel is not free, but her value is priceless). I swear, Madelyn believed that THE little mermaid dived out of the TV and into her backyard. She drank it right up and made this mama proud! And me? Well, I was like a kid in a candy store. I hardly socialized with our guests while Ariel was at the house because I didn’t want to miss one second of her interaction with the kids. It was so entertaining and while I could have left her to hold the kids’ attention while I participated in adult conversation, I chose to watch her show. She read The Little Mermaid book which is basically like hearing an autobiography from the author herself. And then she did songs with the kids. And she also did face and arm painting because in addition to singing, Ariel is also a talented artist.

Ariel lead the birthday cake production and noted how the frosting resembled her home. I was so glad to pay homage to her roots.

After Ariel left, I was able to enjoy my other favorite aspect of Madelyn’s birthday party — mingling with friends and visiting with family members who’d traveled far and wide to celebrate with us. It was so nice having cousins together who don’t always get to hang out. And it’s always fun to have both of Madelyn’s great-grandmothers together because she’s so lucky to have two she can play with.

Getting children to smile for the camera is like herding cats. While it’s extremely entertaining, what’s even more comical is the show going on behind the camera: eight adults squealing and jumping and shooting doting mother gang signs in order to get the munchkins to cooperate and look in the same general direction. With a smile. And still.

Madelyn enjoyed playing with her Siegel side — 2nd cousins — and the darling Epstein boys — 3rd cousins! — all together.

It got dark, and we closed down the party. The afternoon in the shade (thank goodness, because it was a very hot day) turned out to be a successful birthday party for our little princess. Madelyn ended her night with cuddles from her grandparents and some expert gift unwrapping. She’s so lucky to have so many friends and family members who love her.

And we are so lucky to be part of her world.

I don’t know how much longer I can produce these parties. I always say I’m going to just do something low key, but that’s a lie because I’m a glutton for punishment and actually enjoy the work that goes into a big birthday party. I keep thinking this will be the last of the big ones… but then I remember that in 2016, I’ll have another first birthday party to plan. Oh dear God, help me.

Probably one of the greatest moments of parenting is when you wake your kid up super early in the morning, tell her you’re going in the car, explain that it’s for a long boring meeting, and that she has to be a good girl for the whole day. Then, 90 minutes later, when you all arrive at the destination, she says, “I see Donald on the wall,” and she asks you if you’re at Disneyland and then you answer, “What do you think?” and she squeals “yesssssssss!”

That’s probably one of the greatest moments in parenting.

We surprised Madelyn with a day at Disneyland the Tuesday after she turned three. We wanted to renew our annual passes and figured her birthday would be the best excuse to go. Not like you really need an excuse to go to Disneyland since “I like to have fun” is a reasonable excuse, but it made the dollars make sense.

The expectations for the day were low and that’s the beauty of having annual passes. You don’t feel like you have to squeeze every square inch into the eleven-hour day, and you know you’ll have more opportunities to try new things and revisit tried and true landmarks.

So the first thing we hit up was the Princess Fantasy Faire’s Royal Hall to meet the princesses. While Bryan held our spot in the 40-minute line, Madelyn and I spent some time in the Fantasyland shops where she became the owner of a new Elsa/Anna flip-flop doll. Long lines for the win!

Once Bryan texted us that we were coming up soon, we hurried back to the line and got ready for our turn. Madelyn was wearing a birthday button which meant she was a magnet for birthday greetings from Disney cast members. The line greeter was so nice to Madelyn and gave her extra special birthday wishes. I think the line greeters are just as important as the princesses; they’re like the warm up act to get the kiddos ready and pumped to see the royal girls. Madelyn drank the warm up Kool-Aid and then as soon as we got in for our private one-on-one time with the first princess, she clammed!

The first princess encounter was with Ariel, Madelyn’s #1 all-time favorite princess. I think she was in such awe, that she got shy. She was able to get up the nerve to give hugs and curtsies to Ariel, but the fangirl reaction was muted a little more than usual.

Next she met Cinderella who she’s interested in, but not in love with. However, the mermaid warmed her up a little bit, and Madelyn interacted a little more casually with Cindy.

Finally, the last princess to receive her was Snow White and while Madelyn has not seen the most frightening movie of all time to feature its title princess, she was smitten like a doting dwarf. I think it’s because Snow White was reeeeeeeaaaaaaaaallllllly putting on the character voice. So much so, that I thought maybe one of her little woodland creatures was doing the talking for her — holy squeaks! — but it made her more character-y and less cute-actress-in-a-ball-gown-ish and, therefore, Madelyn totally bought it. She was cute and did little nose pokes and tickles with Madelyn. For the least known of the three princesses, I’d say Snow White was the biggest hit.

After we left the Royal Hall, it was literally 742 degrees outside. I don’t do well in the heat, period. But I just really don’t do well in the heat at Disneyland where you sometimes stand in the sun, roasting, while waiting for rides and squashed up against equally hot people who emit sweat and other molecules I don’t wish to share. So we chose to eat. Because eating is less scorching than waiting in lines.

We went all the way to Critter Country for some predictable burgers and fries with lakeside seats that let us watch the Mark Twain Riverboat go by. Madelyn would wave and shout a friendly “hello!” to the passengers on board. When the Sailing Ship Columbia glided by, she sang “Yo ho!” to them and made a pirate face. She’s really gotten the hang of the Disneyland characters — furry, princessy, and even nautically.

After lunch, I took her to the bathroom just below the restaurant and on our way down, Tiana passed us by, looking a little less frog and more like a princess. She was entering the park from a Critter Country backstage area and waved a big, spirited hello to Madelyn. Her three-year-old fan gasped, looked at me with her mouth wide open, and broke out into the chorus of Tiana’s song and then finished with — and to herself — , “sing it giiiiiiirl!” I don’t know if Tiana heard, but nonetheless, I think she should be very concerned about her job security.

After a quick ride in a Winnie the Pooh beehive, we got in line to meet the characters from the movie. Madelyn has met Tigger, Eeyore, and Pooh before, but she loves to cuddle up with the larger-than-life stuffed animals. I definitely noticed that Madelyn cozied up more to mascot characters than face characters. Perhaps it’s because the face characters are more life-like. You know, because she regularly interacts with pretty girls in poofy dresses and tiaras who constantly go to balls.

Madelyn performed a little signature “hoo hoo hoo hoo!” to Tigger and he seemed impressed with her interpretation.

She also met up with Eeyore whose tail was extremely fascinating to her. She kept pointing out the pink bow at the end of it and comparing it to the one in her hair. She and Eeyore are basically identical twins.

Finally, she met the man, the myth, the Pooh himself. She sang his theme song to him which must be like when people go up to Ted Danson and sing him “Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your naaaaame” or the four-clap to a “Friends” cast member. But, no matter, Pooh thoroughly enjoyed Madelyn’s staccato version of the song that calls him a silly willy nilly ol’ bear. She also continued to run into him to give him the biggest, well, bear hugs. And if Pooh is a boy, sorry.

Because we’re geniuses, we chose the hottest part of the day to enjoy a straight 15-minute cluster of air conditioning on It’s A Small World. There are people who are lovers of this attraction and people who are haters of this attraction. I happen to be an extreme lover: catchy song, no drops, adorable international dolls living in peace and not bombing the shit out of each other, and air conditioning. On this Disney day, it was the air conditioning that really did it for me.

The happy birthday button came through and Madelyn’s VIP status got us front row on the cruise. This meant that we got air conditioning a whole 12 inches sooner than our shipmates behind us. That’s a score if you ask me. While I chose to stay very still and allow my nooks and crannies to cool off, the birthday girl danced up a storm in the front row. She really loves this ride. And apparently a rising body temperature.

We decided to make our way out of Disneyland to head over to California Adventure, but just as we were reaching the town square at the base of Main Street, we saw Mickey Mouse coming out from backstage and heading over toward his meet and greet spot. I had my eye on the prize and sprinted over to him while Bryan jogged with the stroller to meet me. Like moths to the flame, or Real Housewives to a plastic surgeon, dozens of other Disneyland guests had the same idea. Fortunately we secured 4th-in-line status and in no time, Madelyn was meeting Mickey. In all of her visits to The Land, this was her first time meeting Tuxedo Mickey. She’s met regular Mickey at his house in Toon Town and she’s met Hollywood Mickey at California Adventure, but this get-up was new for her and she was loving it. I think Mickey really liked her too, because he gave her lots of extra special attention. They even danced together. With dips and everything. This was one of those “I love being a mom” moments that got me all teary and emotional. The joy in her eyes was exactly the reason why we got up early, dealt with traffic, and sweated our skin off to be there.

Mickey’s handler asked me for my phone when Madelyn and Mickey started to dance. He took the video — vertically — (I’d kill him if he wasn’t so darn chipper) but it’s super cute and it was really nice of him to see the magical moment and offer to capture it for us.

Once we were in California Adventure, our first order of business was to go back into the “water,” this time via clam shell and under the sea. Madelyn’s all-time favorite ride is The Little Mermaid ride and this doesn’t surprise me in the least. It’s actually super adorable and she loves how lifelike and musical it is. She sang all the songs and warned us when Ursula was coming because “she’s baaaaaaad.”

After The Little Mermaid ride, we treated ourselves to an afternoon snack. This delicious snack also served as a cooling-off mechanism. And it just so happened to be a very meta choice based on Madelyn’s T-shirt!

Once we were properly re-calories-ified, we thought we’d venture to some other parts of California Adventure but just a few minutes in the stroller, we noticed she was totally conked out. So, what are two hot and tired parents to do when their child snoozes at a theme park? They go into the lobby of the fancy hotel and enjoy more air conditioning. For just over an hour, Madelyn napped, we charged our phones, we caught up on social media, and, most importantly, we savored the best AC that’s available in the parks. It was actually a wonderful hour. Madelyn woke up cheery and we continued with our afternoon!

Later, back at Disneyland, we got spots for Mickey’s Soundsational Parade which we’ve seen a few times, but we all love it. We always get fantastic seats in the first row on the parade route right in front of a popcorn stand next to Le Petit Chalet by It’s A Small World and the back entrance to Tomorrowland. People line up for good chunks of time to get seats, but we always show up five minutes before and get prime viewing spots because people think it’s an off limits area. Nope. Once people see us sitting there, then the line up next to us or behind us. This is your insider tip. You’re welcome.

During the parade, the characters perform on floats and on the ground next to the crowds. Both Peter Pan and Pluto stopped their parade route choreography to come to Madelyn and dance with her. Madelyn wasn’t so sure about Peter Pan who wished her a happy birthday and told her to stay young, but she was all up in Pluto’s business. She was totally enchanted with the attention he gave her and it was so cute. He spent quite a lot of time kneeling down next to her and then had to trot a long way to catch up with his float staging.

The Dumbo ride was right next to the parade, so when it ended, we flapped our ears and got in line to ride the elephant. I love this ride at twilight because you have a great overhead view of the park as it becomes magical with twinkling lights and the nighttime excitement at Disneyland revs up. Madelyn likes this ride because she can be in control. This girl is a lot like me.

She chose — big shocker — the pink Dumbo and we made sure to snap some silly photos before we went around and around and up and down.

We had worked an up appetite so we decided on a dinner spot that would also coincide with fireworks viewing because killing two birds with one stone is the name of my game. But of course while Madelyn and I were stalking tables and Bryan was inside ordering, one of us decided that it was time to go potty. RIGHT. NOW. I’ll let you decide who that person was.

So we zoomed over to the baby changing area that has little toilets perfect for the one of us that had to go potty. RIGHT. NOW.

Seriously, Disney thinks of everything. Except for air conditioning. It was not cool in there and one of us was sweating up a storm while the other one sang songs on the pot.

We finally met up with Bryan who was SuperDaddy — as usual — and was able to not only order and bring out our food but secure a table for us. We chowed down and joined the crowd a few feet away just in time for fireworks. I have to admit — and yes I know how cheesy this is — but I got really choked up during the fireworks. I don’t know if it’s the music or the fact that TINKERBELL and DUMBO literally FLY through the freakin’ sky, but it’s quite a spectacle and Madelyn was fixated and the whole moment was very magical.

We pressed our luck for more magical moments when we took Madelyn to see “Fantasmic!” which she’s only seen snippets of as we’ve rushed through the park to take advantage of low wait times for rides. But we got great spots and didn’t have to wait too long for “Fantasmic!” to start. Madelyn loved seeing Mickey lead the show and was definitely in awe of the light show on the panel of water that projected some great scenes from classic movies.

And then it all went to shit when the villains came out. Madelyn has never really had any fears and would barely flinch when the villains came on during the movies, but this was big, and loud, and right in front of her, and she was not having it. She buried her head in Bryan’s shoulder and shrieked while I calmed her down to tell her that it would all be fixed and it would all be OK. Soon enough — SPOILER ALERT — the villains lost and Mickey won. Then all the princesses and other enchanting characters danced on the friendlier looking boat and she squealed with glee. At the end, she turned to Bryan and me and declared: MICKEY FIXED EVERYTHING! MICKEY MOUSE MAKES EVERYTHING BETTER!

So wise, my child.

So even though there was a moment where she might have been scarred and incurred some future therapy bills, I think it all turned out fine and she was able to overcome. She may even be able to make another visit to Disneyland in the future.

And just like that, the park was closing and we made that sad walk through the tunnel and out the gates and back to our car. We put a sleeping Madelyn into her car seat and drove home where a stuffed Mickey and Minnie were waiting in her crib, welcoming her back to reality.

We had a really wonderful day together, celebrating our girl and making it all about her. It’s truly no secret who our favorite princess is!

So, Madelyn turned three. I can’t believe it either. It was an epic birthday filled with lots of celebrating.

This was the first birthday that she really understood she was even having one. For the past couple months leading up to August 9th, Madelyn would declare, “It’s almost my birthday!” and then proceed to ask every day if it was her birthday yet. While she knows the date of her birthday, I don’t think she’s grasped the essence of time, and that it has to pass, day by day, first.

The day before her birthday, we celebrated at school! Madelyn enjoyed summer camp at her preschool and since the majority of her school years won’t include birthdays with her class — boo summer birthdays — I wanted to make sure she got to celebrate with her friends and teachers while she could.

During Tot Shabbat, she got to go up on the bimah and say her name and age, and then the camp sang “Happy Birthday” to her. She enjoyed wearing her birthday crown with Minnie Mouse on it that her beloved Miss Joi Joi made. It didn’t leave her head for the rest of her birthday weekend! At the end of the camp day, I brought in cupcakes for the class and she got another round of the birthday song. So far, the birthday love was flowing.

That night, as tradition dictates, we went to Lazy Dog Cafe as a family of four (Princeton included) to mark August 8th as the last meal we ever ate as a family of three (again, Princeton included). It’s where we ate the night before we had Madelyn, and it’s not that it’s such an amazing place, but it’s just special for nostalgia’s sake.

Madelyn wanted to get dolled up for the night out at dinner. She requested a tutu — “but the black one, because it’s fancy” and she also requested a pre-dinner photo shoot. Who am I to deny the birthday girl her wishes?

At the end of dinner, she had a brownie sundae and she sang “Happy Birthday” to herself. It wasn’t even August 9th yet, and she was nailing the birthday shtick.

Due to the build up, and the fact that I am also a sucker for birthdays, I wanted to do something extra fun on the big day as a family. Her birthday was on a Saturday, so we really had freedom to do whatever we wanted. I know she would’ve been happy with a “Frozen” marathon and some ice cream, but August 9th is a special day for me, too, and I wanted to mark it with something we don’t normally get to do. So it was perfect when I remembered that the Ventura County Fair was in its final weekend and I thought she’d be old enough to finally enjoy it. We told her we were going to take her to the fair to show her the animals, eat yummy food, and ride the rides, and she totally loved the idea!

When we put our two-year-old to bed on August 8th, Bryan and I blew up balloons and flooded them in her room while she slept. On her birthday morning, we woke up to her waking up to the balloons. Over the monitor we heard, “Oh, purple! That’s my favorite! Oh, pink! That’s my favorite, too! Oh, yellow! That is so my favorite!” It was pretty funny how she found the balloons so magical.

For her birthday breakfast, we surprised her with a candle in a donut. There’s no other acceptable way to start your third year than with donuts.

And from there, we were off to the fair!

Madelyn absolutely loved the sights, sounds, and smells of the fair! She cooed over every animal and cheered for the piggies at the pig races. We went into a petting farm that had the usual suspects: goats, sheep, pigs, chickens. Oh, and DEER. Yeah, Bambi was there and let me tell you: deer are bitches. The $3 we paid to be in there essentially went to Madelyn’s future therapy bills because the two deer were skirt-hungry and kept stalking Madelyn and nibbling on her tutu. She was none too pleased. I had no idea that deer were so drawn to clothing, and we both felt very violated by their attempts to eat Madelyn alive and naked.

So after some vigorous hand washing, Bryan took her to meet some other interesting characters: the gamers. It’s been ages since I’ve been to a fair and nothing has changed. Even though we all know that carnival games are for suckers, it’s like one of those stupid-but-fun rites of passage that is totally a father-daughter moment. And just like out of a cheesy movie, he won the game and got a stuffed animal for her. Granted, it was Team Brydelyn vs. a poor kindergartner who didn’t stand a chance. And the stuffed animal was worse quality than the junk inside the claw machine that you find in the lobby of Denny’s. But still! (Digital) Kodak moment!

After praying to whatever God was most convenient, we went up in the tallest Ferris wheel and I tried to enjoy the views of the pristine beach on one side and the colorful fair on the other in order to distract me from the fact that this thing was meant to come apart at the hinges and travel from city to city, prepared again and again by the country’s finest higher thinkers. I’m such a buzz kill. But I write this to you two weeks later, alive and well. So there’s that.

We used up more tickets on some kiddie rides that Madelyn owned like a champ. I wasn’t sure how she’d do going on rides all by herself for the first time ever. We stood and watched her go around and around and cheered her on. She totally loved it.

The end of the day drew near, and a nap was still in the cards. Madelyn snoozed until dinner time and we met up with both sets of grandparents for another traditional meal: The Cheesecake Factory Birthday Feast. And brown bread.

A mini ice cream sundae with a candle in it sealed the deal for a successful birthday dinner, but we still had presents to open, so we went back to our house with the grandparents and Madelyn ripped apart gifts like a pro. The year before, she needed me to assist her in opening presents, but now she’s able to lay into them like a human machete.

And lay into them she did! Literally. Both Grandma and Grandpa and Mimi and Poppa know their girl loves to dress up, so they supplied her with all the ball gowns and fins and lab coats any imaginative toddler could dream of. She squealed with delight over each get-up and then we proceeded to be audience members in a fashion show displaying the hottest in Disney character couture.

She opened each one and laid them out on the floor. Then, when all were revealed, she took turns strutting her stuff in them. After that, she placed the costumes on all the adults in the room and made us do the coordinating characters. It was definitely Madelyn’s world and, as usual, we were in it!

Bedtime came and we all said goodnight to the new three-year-old. I think it’s safe to say that her birthday weekend was a hit and she felt all the love and then some.

And yet birthday celebrating wasn’t over. A trip to Disneyland and her big party were on the agenda for the week ahead and between the two of us, I really don’t know who was more excited!

Happy birthday, Madelyn!

So… now that Madelyn is basically now only a few months away from college, I thought I’d fiiiiiiinally post about her two-year-old birthday party. In August. Mother of the Year right here!

I’m not going to make excuses about being a slacker mom because that’s just immature and annoying. BUT. We’ve been continuing to put the house away and make it home. Traveling. Filled up with activities. My computer’s been on the fritz.

Oops. I made excuses.

But that’s what’s been going on around and after Madelyn’s 2nd birthday bash that I swore would not turn into a bash at all.

A few weeks before her birthday, I was unsure if we’d be able to even throw a party. Originally, I wanted a backyard shin dig, but our yard is still more a dirt run and it’s ugly with minimal usable space. Then since we had our kitchen remodeled, I really didn’t know how finished it would be. But thankfully, two weeks before the party, the kitchen came through, and I knew I could solidify plans. Since I didn’t have months and months of time to marinate on a party and go crazy with the theme, I set myself up for just a very casual, low-key get together with no bells and whistles.

And then I came back to reality. Please. Have we met me? I don’t do low-key. I don’t even think I do medium-key. Unless it’s blogging. Then apparently, that’s my M.O. these days. (bad mommy! bad mommy!)

So, I asked myself: “Self? What would describe Madelyn’s love and passion over the past year that would be fun to help with celebrating her birthday?”

It was a no brainer. Sesame Street. And Psycho Crazy Not-Low-Key Birthday Party Alison was born.

I did have a slight panic attack when Madelyn suddenly started to show strong love and passion for Minnie Mouse about a week before her party. I had to throw water onto that fire because I needed her to still be into everything “Sessy.” There would be other opportunities to love on Minnie. This was the era of Elmo.

Since the party had to be inside, I got all teachery and made little Sesame Street-themed centers for the kiddos. The food in the kitchen was the centerpiece that helped to also carry the Sessy style. And then all of our people could enjoy social time and eating outside. It actually worked out perfectly, despite my original desire to want a backyard party in our new house. (p.s., the backyard still needs the landscaping because we chose to remodel the kitchen first. Welcome to BornFriedman, all makeover reality show producers who are visiting the blog! Sit down. Stay a while.)

So what does Psycho Crazy Not-Low-Key Birthday Party Alison mean? Well, I made fresh squeezed watermelon lemonade. I don’t even really LIKE watermelon lemonade. But this was good. It made a delicious mess of my kitchen while pureeing and juicing watermelons. I could have just done regular lemonade. It’s a hit. It’s a favorite. But nooooo. I had to make sure the beverage was RED just so I could fill up a glass canister and dress it up as Elmo. And no one wants a cup of just tomato juice. These are OCD problems.

I thoroughly enjoyed coming up with punny labels for things. It’s like porn for my brain. Everything from Abby’s Coloring Fairy School for the coloring wall to the Bert & Ernie’s Great Adventure Trail Mix to Telly’s Peanut Butter & Jelly, I tried to tie in different characters and skits from Sesame Street. I think I am a bigger fan of Sessy than my daughter.

I knew I was having cupcakes instead of a cake because they’re easier to serve and eat, and they were store-bought because there’s a certain level of Crazy I’m not willing to reach, and that’s baking for 48 people. But what’s a spread without a nod to Cookie Monster, so I just haaaaaaaaaad to bake cookies. Life is rough.

The party was called for 4 in the afternoon so that Madelyn could get in a nap and wake up fresh. The only problem with that was that she napped like a rockstar and I had to wake her to finally join her own party. Because of that, she was a little shy when she made her grand entrance, showing signs of good pacing, which will do her well in college. Nobody likes a burnout.

Once she finally removed herself from grandmothers’ legs and arms, she enjoyed being with her friends — little and big! — and seeing her party come together after days of being banned from the party room (Mommy is such a Party Set-up Police!).

Finally, it was time for the big birthday song, but first we sang to Uncle Brian because he was actually celebrating the very day of his birthday AT the party. Nothing says a rager for a 31-year-old than an afternoon with characters from children’s programming.

Then Madelyn got her time to shine, and she blew out her candle perfectly! She seems to have mastered the birthday routine and enjoyed being the center of attention.

Possibly the photo-opp highlight of Madelyn’s birthday party was the Sesame Street scene that was attached to the wall where kids and families took super cute pictures! It’s almost like the real thing. Almost.

Bryan and I even dressed up for the occasion. We bought Sesame Street shirts to show some true Sessy spirit. We may or may not don these ever again. Ooooo suspense.

The afternoon turned into evening and our last few friends trickled out the door. It was time to say goodbye to our friends and open presents with the immediate family. Madelyn loved opening her cards and tearing through bags and wrapping paper. It’s funny to think what a difference a year makes. At the end of her first birthday party, the same group gathered to do the same thing, but Madelyn didn’t understand any of it. This year, she took the time to examine and get excited about each new thing, and one thing’s for sure: this kid is stocked with Elmo, Hello Kitty, and Minnie Mouse gear! What a lucky little girl!

So once again, I broke my promise about tossing together a small, boring party, but I think I did a fairly good job of keeping things real and in budget. It was super fun and the most important part is that Madelyn felt all the love.

Even if she feels extremely neglected on the blog. Must remedy!