Party Hat

In the months leading up to our moving, there seemed to always be a reason for a party - Mikaela's birthday, my birthday, Canada Day, goodbye parties - it was one social occasion after another. Additionally, Mikaela is a big fan of Dora who is constantly attending surprise parties, fiestas, and carnivals. Therefore, it was not shocking when she started talking about having a party late last week. She needed a party hat.

Initially, I tried to put her off. Dave's birthday is in a couple of weeks, we'll have a party then. It was no use, now she wanted a party hat, to sing and eat cake. Defeated, I did what any good parent would do, I decided to throw a small intimate surprise party for Dave. To clarify, by intimate, I mean it would only be the three of us.

On Monday, we set out to find our necessary supplies. Party hats were our first priority, it was no contest, we snatched up the Fairy Tale Dora ones. Mikaela insisted on putting hers on immediately and proceeded to wear it for the rest of our errands. We picked up our obligatory candles and balloons, then it was time to chose a cake. Our limited attendance didn't require a full size cake so we selected two individual options; Mikaela selected the American Fudge Brownie, while I chose the healthier option of an Apricot Macadamia Nut Loaf.

At home, an amused Dave put on his Dora party hat and joined in the festivities. There was only one flaw in my party planning skills, we had no matches. Despite my best efforts to light the candles using the burners, this only resulted in smoke and melted wax. Mikaela was non pulsed by this, and carried the cake plate with unlit candles to Daddy while we sang 'Happy Birthday'. She helped him blow out the candles and then requested a second round of 'Happy Birthday'. The party was an overwhelming success, and as I look around, there are still brownie crumbs to prove it.