Party Planning Committee

Ella's 4th birthday is coming up on September 2.  I started a conversation with her today about her party because I knew I needed to begin planning.  KJ and I decided that we would do a family party again this year because at this point, that's what she wants the most, and it's what we love, too.  There will be a time when friends will be very important to her, but for now, her family makes up her inner circle.  Here are Ella's thoughts on her party:

• She wants (her cousin) John David to come.  He was at the top of her list.
• B.P.  and Debbo are coming to surprise her.
• T and Big Daddy can come.
• She only wants her aunts to come, not her uncles.  (I think I convinced her that the uncles can come, too.)
• She wants the cake she saw at Publix with Belle, Ariel, and a fountain on it.  I tried to introduce some other party themes, but she remained firm.  Ella is very much a creature of habit.  She likes to do things the same way.  She had a princess cake last year that we bought at Publix (mainly because I was 8 months pregnant and was trying to do as little as possible).  
• So, in keeping with doing things the same way, she also requested a pink princess balloon tied to the back of her chair.
• John David can have a boy balloon on his chair.
• We will eat cake.  We will also eat chicken nuggets and yogurt.
• She wants to have place cards on the table showing where everyone in her family can sit. (She's been to a lot of wedding parties recently.)
• Games would not be fun at her party.  (Although I have convinced her otherwise on that point as well.  We will have games.)

We went to Target tonight and found a lot of nice door prizes in the dollar section (for the winners of the games) and KJ secretly bought her birthday presents.  I forgot to get invitations, so that will have to wait another day or two.  I got distracted by my son who is now banned from going to the store with me.  He's gotten into the habit of standing up in his high chair, making meals a very stressful experience, and tonight he decided he would stand up in the buggy as well.  Yes, he was buckled in pretty snugly, but he still figured it out.  He continued to stand up, so I had to take off at a brisk pace to keep him seated, and that interrupted my shopping.  I was alone at the checkout because KJ was off buying gifts in secret, and he was climbing out of the buggy while I tried to swipe my card, keeping one hand on him.  I finally had to just hold him on my hip, but his 22-23 pounds gets heavy really quickly these days.  And even holding him is a workout because he is reaching for everything and just wants to be free.  Look out, world.  James Pugh will be walking soon.  Your destruction is imminent.