From Where I Sit

By Pat Spilseth, Columnist

What joy it is for grandpas and grandmas to be invited to a 4 year old’s birthday party! We can feel young and silly in our party hats once again.

Yesterday Dave and I attended our granddaughter Charli’s fourth birthday celebration complete with party dresses, presents and a birthday cake of all the colors in the Crayola crayon box. Mom and Dad kept the party  small with only family invited just in case the new baby decided it was time to arrive during the party, not the due date, June 23.  

Cousins Brooks, Reese and Ellie were entranced with the playroom featuring a blow-up house to bounce in, doll babies to put to bed or tuck in the strollers, serve a tea party, jump rope, play the accordion or shoot baskets. This is a magic dream house for kids to indulge their imaginations. Paper and colors were available on a tiny table and books filled the boxes against the walls.  

No tears; no fights; everyone was busy checking out every toy in the room until a kite drew them outdoors to the park across the street where they ran after Grandpa flying the colorful kite. Grandpa Dave became the Pied Piper at the birthday.

When presents were opened, Charli dressed up with plastic necklaces and snap-on earrings boxed in a pink jewelry box from Cousin Ellie. Charli loved playing beauty parlor with her kiddy makeup kit featuring glittery nail polish and lipstick which she painted on each guest. Guys and gals, old and young, all had big pink lips and sparkly nails for several minutes until we ate cake and our big lips disappeared.

Princess party dresses and a diamond tiara are a dream of many little girls. I was never so lucky to enjoy this extravagance, but I shared the girls’ delight as they put on tiaras and party dresses…except Max Margaret who wanted to wear her long john jammies rather than a fancy dress. At two, she has her own sense of fashion… 

Being an only child for a long time, I loved getting to see and play with my cousins, especially when they came to my house at the scary jail. Then they couldn’t scare me; instead, they got scared. Birthday party time means fun cousin time. Gathering family and opening presents are grand, but hugging and laughing with cousins is the greatest thing about a birthday!

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To contact Pat, email: pat.spilseth@gmail.com.