The Afterparty.

Orclett'e birthday bash was a huge success. Everyone she wanted to be there came plus a few more friends that made it into a party. She received several gifts-all in pink-and was absolutely adorable the entire time. Miniorc also hammed it up.

And I scored with the pink princess cake I made for her and the pink princess decorations I put up. First successful party I've thrown and I'm very proud of meself:)

And then we put them to bed. And put on Serenity, the movie. And our friends who are also sci-fi junkies went out for the happy beverages. (note: Damm doesn't drink ever and I only drink O'Douls when my little kiddos are around, so safety was assured for all.) And our back porch, with lights hanging from our tree and our deck with the pathways to the boat was a perfect setting for sitting and grieving for Wash (that'll only make sense if you've seen Serenity).

It was awesome. But O'Douls combined with lots of salt and sugar and too many cans of Coke Zero to count make for one interesting hangover. We all slept in til 9 a.m. but I think Damm and I could've snoozed the entire morning away.

It's a good thing birthdays come only once a year, and that I only have two kids. I'm not sure I could handle doing this type of shindig more frequently:)

Birthday fun.

Happy Birthday Orclette

3 years ago today I was recovering from an arduous 24-hour labor. Your Uncle "Boddert" had just brought me a huge Dairy Queen Blizzard-m&m's & Reese's pieces combined-and it was the most divine thing I had ever tasted. You were a bit sleepy. After Pitocin, an epidural, and 24 hours of being contracted out who can blame you?

Fortunately we were not at a hospital that believed in keeping babies with their mothers at all times. They whisked you away for 2 hours and myself and your dad caught up on just a little bit of blessed sleep. Then they brought you back and the adventure began.

You have changed our lives, you have changed myself and your father. We have watched you cry through your first 4 months of life, take your first steps at 6 months, and completely skip over the baby stage straight to the toddler stage. You've always been determined, focused, incredibly intelligent, and full of empathy. I will never forget you comforting me at not-yet-2 years of age when your daddy left for Basic Training.

You are an excellent older sister. You have waited patiently for Miniorc to be big enough for you to play with and you wholeheartedly enter into games with him. Sometimes a little too enthusiastically. You have no doubt that you are the perfect choice for showing him how things are done. And you quickly figured out that if he had a toy you wanted you could simply swap it with one you didn't want and as long as he remained happy you could get away with it.

It's been an excellent 3 years and we are looking forward to sharing the many years ahead of you. You are a precious gift, one that we're frequently sure we don't deserve.

Happy 3rd Birthday Orclette!