Observations in Oman: Wynne Turns Three

Monday, February 14, 2011

Wynne Turns Three

Recently, Wynne let us know that she was going to be turning three soon. She usually did this using our neighbors' boys as a yardstick; "When I'm this many (holds up four fingers) I will go to Marcel and Quintin's school. I am almost this many (holds up three fingers)." She's excited to start going to a real school so I think she viewed her birthday as the halfway point. This never fails to crack us up. I responded by being vaguely happy that her terrible twos were ending, because I know that once kids turn three they morph into perfect little angels. (umm, right?) Erin responded by sending me, two weeks before the event, links to Martha Stewart.com and advised me to "be afraid, very afraid." Erin was determined to get our party on and was perusing the homemaking master's website for inspiration. She found it in many shades of pink, sending photos of a vanilla iced cake with no fewer than six visible layers of pink shading.

Wynne's real birthday fell on a Sunday, which over here is the equivalent of a Tuesday (work week). She got cupcakes and family presents on her actual day - a little people airport (From "Adam") and a boatload of Playdoh with the fun factory so she can make Playdoh spaghetti, which is of course more appetizing for Adam when he comes along and eats it.

Airport Fun

So the party was held a few days after on the following weekend. With inspiration in place, a "small" group of invites were sent to THIRTEEN other couples and their offspring. We're not great at throwing parties, we can typically only handle dinner parties - so the possibility of parents and children adding up to 40 people was a bit daunting - at least for me. Erin allayed my party planning fears by limiting my role to what guys do best - BBQ and drinks. She then wisely drafted our neighbor Anna to help decorate. I think it turned out pretty well, the party and food went on long after Wynne went to bed, if that's any measure.