I know we’ve all had them.
Those moments as a parent where you are reminded just how short and precious the time with our children really are. Those moments where you are gazing into the face of your “baby” and what you see staring back at you is an independent, little grown-up making you wonder where time has gone.
Nora’s fourth birthday was one of those moments.
A reminder that my baby is no longer my baby. This truth is a beautiful paradox of intense pride and joy in the little girl she is becoming and sadness at the fleeting nature of time.
We went all out for this birthday, as it’s the first one that I really feel like Nora was able to help me plan and I clearly knew what she wanted and how she wanted it done. It started with a Cookiedoodlez cookie party at her school.
Anyone want to guess the theme? Yep- Frozen. These cookie kits are SO much fun and I loved them because they required absolutely no work on my part! The kids loved decorating their own cookies, and you can see in the pics below that some may have had a bit too much fun with the frosting! These cookie kits are perfect for those of us with little time (or ability) to create our own and bring some serious fun to any party!
Sprinkled into the classroom fun, I had those moments where I came face to face with the reality of time. Watching my little girl clean the tables, pass out her birthday plates, decorate her cookies, and interact with her friends, I was immensely proud of the beautiful person that she is and is becoming.
The next day we finished off the birthday celebrations with a fun trip to Jay Peak Pump House and a birthday celebration at home with the family. We had a beautiful cake made by New Moon Cafe in the My Little Pony theme Nora requested.
They did a fabulous job replicating a picture I sent over and making it special and unique for Nora. She LOVED this cake and we all loved eating it 🙂
Again, throughout the day, I was struck by this little person who once found a home inside my growing belly and who made Robin and I parents on that February day 4 years ago. Most days I find myself so busy with the day to day of parenting; the good, the bad and the ugly, that I forget to stop and marvel in the beauty of it all. It truly is a privilege to be Nora’s mom and to watch her grow into a beautiful little girl who will one day be a beautiful young woman. It’s a joy to watch her marvel in the world around her, love her friends and sister deeply, and delight in the beauty of every day things.
She is so cute! And your right, so big! Its such a overwhelming feeling, watching them grow up. I think we try to tell ourselves if we take in the moments it wont happen so fast, but it still does. I heard this quote once, and the humor in it helps 😉 “Life is like a roll of toilet paper, the closer you get to the end the faster it goes”.
Wow, so fast it flies. She looks so fun and happy. Love the cookie kit idea.