It's Maeve's Birthday!

Maeve has been excitedly talking about and looking forward to her birthday for at least the last 2 months.  No pressure on me to pull off something fun for her at all.  ;)   She was very excited to have her very first friends birthday party this year and be the center of everyone's attention.  She's not shy at all.  :)  I think everything went off well, with lots of fun, and did not disappoint Maeve and her high birthday expectations.  (big mommy sigh of relief)  

Maeve has a favorite toy who she can't sleep or travel without.  His name is Teddy Bear.  He is a much loved white teddy that is as much a part of Maeve as he is a part of the family now.  So, in honor of Maeve's first friends birthday party, her love for Teddy Bear, and her birthday falling on National Teddy Bear Day, we decided to go with a Teddy Bear party theme. 
 
On the day of her party Maeve enthusiastically greeted each of her guests at the door with the exciting proclamation, "It's my birthday!!!".   She then scooped them into the house with excitement and smiles and showed them some fun toys to play with while we waited for everyone to arrive.
 
Once our friends were all here we headed to the backyard where the Birthday Teddy Bear Fairy had left gummy bears and teddy gram crackers safely secured in plastic snack cups all over the backyard for the kids to hunt and find.  The kids all LOVED the Teddy Bear Hunt.  After our bags were full, and kids had eaten a few of their newly found treats we went back inside so each child could choose a special stuffed pet to keep and play with for the rest of the party. 
 
Once everyone had adopted their special stuffed friend we took them outside to bounce their teddy bears in the parachute, dance with in them in the bubbles, and play hide-and-seek.  Since our group was on the young side (most of the kids falling between 3 and 5 years old) we decided to have each child hide and then seek their own stuffed animal friend.  The kids thought it was hilarious, and the parents thought it was even more hilarious how excited the kids would get every time they found their stuffed animal that they had just hidden themselves just moments before.  It was so silly to watch. 
 
After getting good and tired by all the fun playing outside we came inside again to sing "Happy Birthday" to Maeve, eat yummy rainbow cupcakes and juice boxes, and open presents.  It was so much fun and Maeve laughed and smiled the whole time.  After her friends went home she played with all of her new toys with her brothers and sisters for 6 hours straight. She was in birthday heaven! 
 
I'm so glad we could have such a fun day to celebrate our beautiful Maeve.  She is sunshine in our lives and always makes us laugh and see the fun side of life.  Her enthusiasm for everything is infectious and her genuine love for people is a joy to be around.  She is always surprising me with how smart she is with her observations on life's small details that are only visible through the laser vision of a 4 year old.  What a gift Maeve is to our family.  How grateful I am to be her mother.  Happy 4th Birthday Maeve!  You're beautiful inside and out!

 

Xavier was Maeve's best playmate yesterday, spending hours and hours of his day playing imaginative games with his little sister.  He's such a fun big brother!