Garden Party

Hayden made my year when she asked for a Garden Party for her birthday.  I've been holding on to tea sets and table settings for just the occasion!  I decided to host it at our favorite children's garden at the Botanical Gardens near our house.  A few weeks before her day, I took the kids there to play and Hayden came up and said, "I am NOT doing my birthday here, I am NOT coming back here!"  Come to find out, Abbey told her terrifying scary stories about the botanical gardens and now the kid refused to do her party there.  Abbey apologized and promised it wasn't true, but too late.  The damage was done.

I tried to talk Hayden into a few other options but she was dead set on having it in 'Jane's garden'.  Jane is our next door neighbor who spends hours and hours each day in her garden and I seriously doubted she would go for the idea of ten 4-year olds running around her flower beds.  I really tried to talk up the other spots, but Hayden was insistent.  And I'm so glad, it turns out Jane has a soft spot for her and it meant a lot to her that Hayden wanted to be there.

My Hayden has super sensitive eyes when she is outside and it was even brighter with the white table cloth.  So she went celebrity style and it was all good.

Our beautiful party guests: (above) Priya, Lauren, & Allie (below) Brooklyn & Claire then Abbey, Monae, & McKenna

The girls had no faith in Justin and the birthday candles.  And they were right--just the slightest breeze caused the biggest problem and a near meltdown from the birthday girl.  We ran inside, blew out candles, then ran back out for cake.  Problem solved!

 So what to say about Hayden this year...

I really regret not being able to spend more of my afternoons with her this year.  If only someone could come clean and cook so I could play board games and ponies with her.  She is quietly stubborn and really, really knows how to push Abbey's buttons.  But overall, she stays pretty mellow.

Hayden has the funniest way of expressing herself.  She has some great lines she's said this year, but it's the funny, little day to day things she says that make my day.  Like, 'Mom, clearly I'm sorry for how I acted last night,' or, 'I'm so pleased you could play with us today!', or 'Greatest Idea Evaaaa!'  The other day she was insistent on me seeing some project, so when I finally got up from what I was doing, she walked backwards, facing me, motioning with her hands like an aircraft marshall, saying, "And we're walking, we're walking, we're walking..."

December 2012: Megan and Hayden were playing Spot It and Megan obviously was letting her win a bit.  Hayden was celebrating winning the game and Mom said, “Meg, you get the sympathy award.’  As Hayden walked away she said, “And that means nothing.”

January 2013:  Every time we go grocery shopping Hayden insists on the carts with the car then climbs out of it in the first five minutes.  I'm stuck lugging the awkward thing through the rest of the store so got upset with her today.  She said,  "I always want to go in the car ones.  Have YOU ever tried it?  When it moves, all I feel is lumpiness.   But it looks awesome.  And it fits TWO people.  So I can't help it."

March 5, 2013: Hayden was getting out a game to play and said- “Mom, you know how to spell, you are going to rock this!”

 

Me: Kyla had her wisdom teeth out, should we go get a shake and take it to her?

Hayden:  Why don’t we go get a shake and keep it.

March 25, 2013: The girls have been particularly sassy and Kathy mentioned that the show they’ve been watching, “My Little Ponies” has some sassy characters.  A few days ago, they were talking back and I said we weren’t going to watch that show anymore and told them why.  Hayden asked for it today and I reminded her that we aren’t watching it anymore.  She said, “Nana made it up!  She just doesn’t like My Little Ponies.  But it’s a good!  It teaches us about friendship!”

 

May 5: Dad: “Where did this baby crib come from?”

Mom: “Jane gave it to us, it’s nice, huh?”

Hayden: “Sweet, old Jane.”

May 17: This used to be the basement, but we got rid of a lot of stuff, so now it’s the spacement.

 

I have no idea where this came from, but she makes a LOT of beetle analogies.  Such as, "I'm hotter than a beetle on a sidewalk," or, "I'm dizzier than a beetle spinning in a hot tub," or, "It's darker than a beetle in a tent."

On her actual birthday, she wanted to spend the evening at the Arb.  We were hoping the peonies were out, but no such luck.  Well, for me, anyway.  She was there to build:

I love that she did all that heavy lifting in her dainty dress and pearls :)

 

Hayden surprises me all the time, I don't quite have her figured out.  She is one that I have to set aside special time because she doesn't demand it on her own.  I love her eyes, I love her sense of humor, I love her golden locks, I love her imagination and I love how she plays.  Happy Birthday, Hayden Baby.