A ballerina birthday

This face.

Oh my word, it is the highlight of my very existence.  That smile.  Those eyes.  The obvious anticipation and delight.

We celebrated our tiny dancer with exactly what she asked for: a ballerina party.  Actually, if I'm being precise, what she asked for was a ballerina princess party, but truth be told I wasn't sure how to make that all come to pass.  It was every bit as sweet and lovely as she is.

We started with this invitation:

...which I admit I found at this adorable etsy shop, and, since it was exactly what I wanted, we went ahead and worked from there. Typically I like to do this stuff myself, but this was really just too perfect to pass up.

We set up cupcakes and cakes in the dining room with a few simple embellishments.

Other snacks included caprese sandwiches, mini quiche, heart-shaped peanut butter and jelly tea sandwiches and popcorn.

All was definitely enjoyed by the littles!

My favorite part was that each child had a tutu and looked absolutely adorable in their ballet attire.

Case in point?

The skirts came in very handy for a little dance party.  You know who knows how to dance like no one's watching?  Four year olds.

And man, can they twirl.

Not to be outdone, the babies had their own little dance party.

...Or, at least, they took turns slobbering on things and showing off their new found sit-up skills.  Which is pretty much the same thing.

And the cake.  Oh how happy I was that this silly cake turned out!

A pink cake with pink frosting was the birthday girl's request.  The plan was simple, but I had the toughest time making this darn cake!  If it wasn't the center sticking to the pan, it was the frosting getting too warm and sliding down the side.  

But we got there in the end!

And it was so worth it...

Every year, I'll admit to feeling a little silly for going through all this craziness over a birthday.  Part of me worries that it's too indulgent and over the top.

But the truth is that I'm strongly aware of the finite number of birthdays I'll have to celebrate with her.  Though I certainly hope she'll have many, many ahead of her, in a few short years she'll prefer to spend them with her friends doing things of her choice, which most likely won't involve her mom's homemade cake and decorations.  I can't help but feel like it's important for me to take advantage of these opportunities to make her feel loved and special.

More than that, for a second year in a row, she came downstairs with such awe and wonderment on her face.  She looked at everything and said, "Wow, Mom.  Thanks for planning this party!"  She told her daddy over and over again how much she loves him.  In other words, her little heart was filled with gratitude, joy and love, and she had so much fun!  As long as that continues to be the case, every second of planning is worth it.

Times, like, a million.