Sage's 8th Birthday: Slumber Party Style

Every year on the day after Christmas and sometimes on the evening of Christmas, Sage switches modes from Christmas to her birthday.  This year was no exception.  I literally have to start planning something no more than 2 weeks after Christmas, and this year didn't feel like my finest.  I told Sage earlier in the year that we weren't having a big party because I'd have a new baby.  Not that she wouldn't have a party, but no swimming pools rented or anything like that.  Costner is a great baby, but he is a baby and I'm tired.  So simplicity with satisfaction was my goal.  Sage started off wanting an ice skating party.  I looked into that and suddenly my plans of simplicity were gone.  The ice skating rink is an hour away.  One of her best friends had a broken arm, so that was out for her.  Oh, and Sage had never been before and really can't roller skate.  Then I started thinking about how cold it is in there and having to do the party thing while nursing a newborn.  It just didn't seem like a great plan.  So I told Sage that we could maybe just take her skating one weekend on her own to see if she even liked it.  I'd hate for her birthday to be ruined by a bad trial run.  

Then I started thinking about how she hasn't been able to be away from us for long periods of time, other than school, because no one else knows how to take care of her.  THEN I started thinking about how she has been trying to have a sleepover at our house since the second week of school.  I had 2 moms call me when Costner was literally not even a week old saying that Sage had told their girls that she was having a sleepover that night at our house.  She told my mom in the car line that afternoon that she'd invited them and they were going to sleep in the back yard so I wouldn't even know.  In December.  :)  SO, I pitched this idea of a slumber party to Sage, and she loved it.  I said that we could get makeup and do makeovers, make cupcakes and she could just PLAY with the friends that she never gets to see long enough.  She was thrilled.  I invited some girls, and all of their moms kept saying the same thing, "You are mother of the year for having a sleepover with a newborn.  You sure are brave." It didnt' take long to see what they meant.  :)

The girls all arrived right around 5 on Friday, 2 days before her birthday, as well as my mom, who drove in from Kentucky for Sage's birthday and to help for when Travis would be going out of town for almost 2 weeks.  Cailin, Lydia, and Isacah all arrived, and they were all so excited.  Sage had been planning for the whole week.  She said, 'The only thing I have written down is hide and seek and then getting to know each other."  So cute.  At the last minute, Holland decided to stay as well.  Actually, Holland had decided to stay long before but Mom suggested she stay so Jaggar would have a friend.  This didn't work out quite like that but it was okay.

They were IMMEDIATELY in the makeup.

Holland came out looking like this.

After dinner was all cleaned up, I baked the cupcakes and called everyone in to decorate.  Notice Sage's face.  She was totally the ring leader and loving every minute as she tried to be so big in front of her friends.  She showed all of her friends how she pricks her finger and gets shots.  They were fascinated, and she was so proud to show them how it doesn't phase her.

They were all so proud of their work.  They each asked me to take a picture and send it to their moms.  Isacah and her cupcakes.

Lydia and her work

Holland

Jaggar probably thought this was all too good to be true.

 

Sweet Cailin

And the birthday girl

 Then Cailin and Lydia asked if they could hold Costner.  They are both only children, so that was a real treat to them.

 

 Then it was bath time.  That's right.  6 kids, 7 counting Costner, but it didn't matter to me.  My kids (except for Costner) take baths at night, so they were going to as well.  1 bath and 2 showers later, they were all clean.  Cailin asked me if she could put Jaggar to bed.  Thinking he'd never let her, I said sure, but guess what?  He DID let her.  And he actually went to sleep around 9:30, and I was shocked because there was a lot more noise than usual.  I finally sat down with the baby that had been wanting me all evening.  Phew.  I have to say that the girls were wonderful. It worked out just as I'd hoped with these girls.  They were all so polite and well mannered.  Not ONCE did anyone come and tell on someone else.  No arguing, if you can believe that.  Now I knew that these girls, who normally all go to bed at 8, wouldn't be asleep by then this time, but I surely thought by 11 or so.  At 10:30, they were coming through the kitchen asking for a snack.  I was ready to be asleep.  I was cleaning up the cupcakes.  They did have a snack, but at 11 something, I put my ipad in Sage's room and turned Tangled on.  I said, "Girls, here's the deal.  I'm very tired.  I'm going to bed.  I don't really care how late you stay up, but I don't want to hear you."  This is where I probably had unrealistic expectations.  THIS moment is why all the moms were praising my bravery.  Oh, Travis wasn't even home throughout any of this.  He was working in Birmingham, but he was coming home by 11:30-midnight.  So I called him when I got upstairs and told him what I'd told them and told him to turn off the movie when he got home....Again, I never expected a 9:30 lights out deal, though it would've been AWESOME, but I didn't expect what DID happen...