Emma's Birthday Party. . .

On April 28, we celebrated Emma's 5th birthday. Her actual birthday wasn't until May 17th, but we decided to have a very Brazilian birthday party and share it with another American kid, Ethan. Ethan had turned 5 a few days earlier and he and Emma are classmates. Ethan's mom and I planned the whole party, but pretty much hired people to take care of decorations, food, drinks, toys/games, cleanup, etc. That's how they do it here in Brazil. We actually made the birthday cakes ourselves, but everything else was done by someone else and I'm a happier mommy for that:) Ethan's mom made a good point that this will be Emma's last birthday here in Brazil. She only had her first birthday in the U.S., but the other four, she's had here. I wanted it to be memorable. We invited all her classmates, a few other friends, some of Kevin's colleagues and all the other American ex-pats. It was a full house, for sure. It was loud, crazy, stressful (for me) and fun. It was cloudy and rainy all day, but that didn't seem to bother the kids. They ran around with their shoes off and just played and played. Ethan's mom made birthday shirts for him and Emma. We chose a clown theme since neither of the kids really cared too much about decorations. Their shirts had a clown on front juggling 5 balls and their name and the number 5 on the back (like a sports jersey). We were a little shocked at the number of scary clown decorations at the party, but the kids didn't seem to mind. I was afraid someone would have nightmares, but it turned out OK:)

The piscina de bolas (pool of balls) was a hit with all the kids. The trampoline was also a hit. I didn't remember that Emma almost broke her leg on a trampoline until we showed up to her party. Too late to take it down! I just prayed that nobody would get hurt at her party!

The Birthday Kiddos - Ethan and Emma

These two are great buddies now. They play together at school and after school and whenever they get a chance. Conveniently, Ethan lives about half a block from our house! We often walk home from school together and lately, Emma's been walking with them to school so I can stay home while Adri naps. It's Emma's favorite part of the day!

Emma helped me make her birthday cake. Nothing too impressive, but she thought it was the prettiest cake in the whole world (so she said). Pink sparkles and Hello Kitty rings made it perfect for her!

At the end of the evening, all the balloons were taken down and the kids got to jump with them. I think that was probably the best part of the party for Emma.

Because it was such a busy afternoon/evening, Emma got ready for bed and lights were off shortly after 8. Kevin and I were exhausted so we sat on the couch and thought about turning on a movie. We talked for a long time and then I heard Emma come out of her room. I couldn't believe she wasn't asleep, but after so much stimulation, I guess it made sense. Usually when she gets up after lights are off, I make her go right back to bed. That night, I called her to come sit on my lap. She had been in her room for well over an hour so I knew her mind must have been racing. We snuggled for a bit and I asked her if she was having a hard time falling asleep. She responded, "Mommy, the party was just so much fun I can't stop thinking about it!" I smiled. Whatever craziness I had been feeling, I was so thankful that she had the time of her little life!! We snuggled some more and then I read her a long chapter from her Little House on the Prairie book and then turned off the lights. She was asleep within a few seconds. The next morning, she woke up to all her presents and the party continued for her.

I'm so glad we celebrated early. I've had some health problems since then and haven't had a lot of energy to be able to do much. Her actual birthday was low-key but still fun. I'm so happy she had such a great time at her party. I can't believe she's five years old now!! Where has the time gone??