Someone’s turning 7 tomorrow. And boy howdy is that “someone” ever excited about it. She’s got us all whipped into shape on how her party will run and on what we’re supposed to do and when we’re supposed to do it. You should have seen her telling us how to maneuver our trip to Walmart tonight since she was there (she had to pick out the perfect High School Musical piñata) but she wanted to be surprised by the gifts the other kids were getting for her.

Here’s her shopping list: (I personally like the “lots and lots of candy” part…do you think we’ll have enough sugar tomorrow?)
She decided she’d make all her own invitations last week. I thought she’d do one, get sick of it, and let me help her print out the rest on the computer. But no, she stuck with it and made up 16 individual invitations all by herself. I LOVE that they say “Yaa!” on the front. She decided she would only invite girls this year which makes me a little sad since she’s got some of the darn cutest boy friends around, but I’m letting her totally run the show.I’ve been thinking how great it is that she’s planning all this out…great initiative…great delegating…she’s learning some important skills. But in my heart I’m a little sad. First of all, what happened to my little girl needing me? And what happened to that mom who thought of these really creative ideas every year and came up with cute invitations and actually sent them in the mail instead of scrambling around to deliver the last four the day before the party? (Grace rode her bike around with her little bright red cheeks as she huffed and puffed around the neighborhood and delivered the first 12 last week in the 110 degree weather.) What happened to that mom who spent hours hovering over a big red Elmo cake she felt the urge to make for her two-year-old? Am I just a different mom now? Is life just too busy? Am I not allowing myself to “be still” enough? Am I not putting my priorities in the right order?

I think not. Because you know what? I don’t think Grace could be more excited about this party if I hired the whole High School Musical cast to come swim with her and her friends (ok, maybe I’m going a little far to assume that much). But I’m telling you, she is one excited girl to take this over herself. And if that’s what makes her happy, I’m all for it.

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14 Comments

  1. SO MANY comments about this!!

    1- I LOVE GRACIE!!

    2- When she brought out the invitation to Ella I was instantly enchanted by her/them. They were PERFECT! I (and Ella) could not have been more thrilled if they had all the cute papers, buttons, charachters, etc.

    3- You are doing EVERYTHING right when it comes to this party. Gracie is into the planning and the coordinating, so I say let her at it.

    4- Parties can get too overdone these days and the kids get lost in the theme sometimes.

    5- Ella and I went to three different stores tonight to get the perfect gifts for Grace. Ella is just as excited as Gracie is!

    6- Tell Grace we tried to stick to her list…yes…candy is included! Sorry!

  2. She’s that old??!! We’ve obviously been gone for too long! We would love to see you guys in Utah, we arrive early evening on July 31st and we’re there until Sunday. Let me know if there’s a chance, just give us a glimmer of hope!!

  3. Happy Birthday to your darling daughter.

    I love that she took the reins and saw it through. What dedication and ambition for a seven year old. Amazing.

    Hope the party goes perfectly. It sounds like everything has been thought of, so I’m sure it will.

    Enjoy it all (until that sugar headache sets in!)

    My twins boys turn seven on Sunday. (I’m just grateful it’s a non-birthday party year!)

  4. Sounds exactly like Meg. I am all about letting them take over the reins for things like this.
    She’ll probably remember and love this party all the more, because she planned it. Happy Birthday Grace!

  5. Grace-
    We love you! We were totally planning on calling today but the day got away from us…hopefully we can talk to you tomorrow. Hope it was an awesome 7th birthday! Love the Driggs

  6. Happy Birthday! My son planned his party last year all by himself and it turned out wonderfully. I didn’t feel stressed at all. Loved that part. Did you notice that where your daughter’s teeth are gone, the gums look like the top of a heart? Too cute! Have a great day tomorrow. What a great mothering job you are doing.

  7. Shawni you are the cutest thing in the whole world. Can I just like somehow clone you and make myself you? Or can you be my next door neighbor and guide me through motherhood? You are amazing! I just love reading every single post of yours. Your blog is by far my favorite one to read. Hope that party turned out well!

  8. Hey! Please tell Gracie “Happy Belated Birthday!” from me! I am so bummed that I won’t get to have her in my 2nd grade class next year. (I guess that’s what I get for staying home with my own crazy kiddos!) Emily will have to keep me posted on how “our class” is doing. 🙂 Hope to see you soon… maybe at Greenfield or Domestic Bliss!

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