The magical moment

Hey everyone! Well, it's been a difficult month to say the least, and since I strive towards being as impractical as possible at all times, I capped the month with one of those "themed" birthday parties. Half of me thinks themed birthday parties are cheesy and unnecessary, but the other half of me ruled on the day that the Garbage party was conceived. I was driving home from a birthday party one day and was talking about a cute invitation I had seen for a train-themed birthday party. It said "Two-t Two-t!' Get it??? ha ha- I still think it's genious! Anyway, I was thinking about doing a train themed party, but I worried that Carter might want a train party later on in life, and I didn't want to squander the opportunity for a birthday that he wouldn't even remember. My husband then said that perhaps we should do a garbage truck themed party since he also loves the garbage man/truck. Instantly I started to ponder it and decided that it was a winner since I knew he probably wouldn't request that one later on.
The party didn't go without its hitches. I wanted people to come expecting to eat, but didn't want the late night party that we had last year since the family was coming over the next day. So I scheduled it at one, which is naptime. So, most people decided to come late, which was fine, I just felt like a moron for scheduling it at 1 in the first place. Then, there was the dead frog that a kid found in the sandbox, the umbrella that almost tipped over and crushed the guests, the fact that I left too much to do for the day of and was scrambling around like a chicken with its head cut off the whole day and the nuggets we ran out of. I could go on and on, but alas, the kids were active and enjoying each other and the adults seemed to enjoy each other too. I was relieved that the kids enjoyed climbing into the "dumpster" play yard that we filled with recycled trash and treats, and they liked drawing "grafitti" and hitting the trash monster pinata. I was also relieved that we only ran out of chicken nuggets and those were easy to replenish. But the most fabulous moment of the whole day was watching Carter's shy smile slowly appear as every guest gathered around and sang "Happy Birthday." Words cannot express how much it warmed my heart. He talked about it all evening saying, "People sang." So, I have learned my lesson as I sit here exhausted in a truly "trashed" out house. Themed parties are completely unnecessary. All you need is a crowd of people to stare at your little guy and serenade him next year. But will I heed my own advice?????????