Paris On My Mind

My daughter is turning six soon.  She is extremely into birthdays.  When she was turning two she had firm ideas about her birthday party - it was going to be an Elmo party, and everyone was going to do the Hokey Pokey because at the time we used to read a Hokey Pokey Elmo book and dance together each night before she went to sleep in her crib.  The next year she wanted princesses and we both dressed like Cinderella.  When turning four she was smitten by Peter Pan so we had a Peter Pan party, complete with an "Indian Encampment" (her words) built by her dad and lots of fun like hunting for gold coins in the backyard.  She dressed as a little Wendy.  Last year we had an American Girl tea party, and the girls decorated cupcakes, made crafts, and drank pink lemonade from teacups alongside their cookie cutter tea sandwiches.  She dressed as American Girl Molly.

This year she had a few ideas about her birthday party, but finally settled on the theme she wanted.  She was sure turning six would be even more magical with a Paris party.

Well, you can be sure there were no objections here! Ever since she suggested it, I have had Paris on my mind.  I find myself humming the classic I Love Paris all the time, and my mom and I have had the greatest fun finding Paris accents to add atmosphere to the party.  I set out some the other day which has only made me dream of Paris and a Paris party even more!  Madi already wants to go to Paris, and that has certainly been a dream of mine for a long time.  Perhaps one day we will go together and have our photo taken under the Eiffel tower.  For now we are bringing the Eiffel tower to our home, along with other French and Parisian accents.

I also had fun designing her invitations using a photo I happened to take of her wearing a beret on a Sunday morning a few weeks ago.  I found some darling little boxes for 50 cents each at Target, so along with the invitations the girls received an I Love Paris postcard (found in France at Epcot) and some Bordeaux and Pirouette cookies.

Birthdays matter in our home because people matter in our home. And birthdays are just plain fun, especially when the birthday girl is thrilled by every detail along the way and is a part of the planning!  We are planning a little patisserie, boutique, and more. Madi has told me several times recently that she has an idea for a "quiet little reading corner" at the party, so a reading corner we will have!  What a sweet thought.  She is a unique child, and I love that about her.

I will be sure to update you after the party and share some snapshots of our "Evening In Paris" with you.  But for now, just know that this little blogger has Paris on her mind, thanks to a creative six year old with beautiful vision who thinks birthdays are tres magnifique.