Made

After her extended family celebration, her immediate family celebration, awesome gifts (she still has hardly been able to touch her brand new bike), and an airplane ride, Mauri still felt a need to celebrate her decade with friends.  She's been off track at school, so it's been a while since she's seen some of them, and the thoughts of gifts, fun, and friend togetherness just wouldn't let up.  She used the good ol' guilt trip on her ma ("I haven't had a friend party for years!"), so although I've felt desperately overbooked lately, I relented.

We made a plan.  I thought it would be simple. 

We printed up some invites.

(You get a double dose, since I can't figure out how to crop just one.)

As Mauri was addressing them, we counted 12.  We delivered them, and started preparing for the big party.

I purchased party prizes, made individual cakes for each of the girls, made pizza dough and carefully divided it equally.  The number 12 ("how easy," I thought, "an even dozen") in my head the entire time.

Party day came, and girls arrived.  As the last one came through the door, Shilo turned to me and said,

"Mom, we have 13 girls."

In the hubbub of noise and busy-ness that occurs daily in my life, I had miscalculated.  I had grabbed the number 12 out of the air, and ran with it.  Oops.

Thanks to the assistance of my lovely two older daughters, we were still able to pull the party off without a hitch.  It just about killed us, but the birthday-girl-and-guests had a fantastic time (the purpose for a party), and we will forever view it as a success.

They crafted party hats for their stuffed animals (an item Mauri included on the envelope -- to bring your favorite).

They each decorated their own cake (yes, everyone had one.  In the midst of the party, Shi, Lex and I managed to bake cake.  We are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G).

Which, by the way, was the favorite activity of the party-goers.

We made pizza.  Yum-O.

We tie-dyed.

(It was a tender mercy that I happened to purchase 13 shirts.  Or maybe it was the fact that they only come in packages of 5 or 3?  Either way, I felt blessed to have enough.  By the time the shirts were photo-ready - washed and mostly dried, two of the guests had had to go.)

We opened gifts, sang Happy Birthday, and enjoyed cupcakes.

Mauri blew out candles for a third time.

The party was a hit.

Thank heavens, since it just about did me in.

At last we can say "Happy Birthday, Mar!" with finality.  At least for this year.