"Here You Go!"

Yesterday was Eliora's fourth birthday.  Rhiannon hosted a Minnie Mouse birthday party for 17 kids, complete with Mickey-shaped watermelon slices, Mickey-shaped PB&J sandwiches, Mickey-shaped cheese slices, and Mickey soy-free, gluten-free yummy cupcakes.  Jason made a vat of strawberry lemonade with lemons from our tree (the first time we used our lemons!). 

Rhiannon made ears for all the guests - parents and grandparents included. 

Ears for all!

Ears for all!

Rhiannon has the kid-party down: 
     1)  Guests to arrive and decorate their gift bags; free-play in the yard and bounce-house
     2)  Party games and favors
     3)  Lunch
     4)  Piñata (made by Jason)
     5)  Cupcakes
     6)  Presents

When the computer went to sleep, cutting off the Pandora stream of Disney-tunes, I jiggled the mouse and saw Rhiannon's spreadsheet including the schedule and the number of guests (including how many wouldn't be eating (babies).  When the last guest arrives Rhiannon marks on the spreadsheet how many of the guests actually arrived (it's usually within one or two of the number that RSVP'd). 

Needless to say, Rhiannon is a planner.  I knew that her oldest daughter, Nayeli, takes after her.  She's been making lists for a few years now and has melt-downs when her plans go awry.  One morning (a couple years ago) she told her dad that she was tired because she stayed up late the night before "ornagizing things."  Eliora, or "Peep" is much more of a free-spirit.  She has her own fashion sense; she loves to mismatch her pajamas. 

Brielle sorting out Eliora's gifts

What I didn't know until yesterday is that the third daughter, Brielle, also takes after her Mama.  When Eliora finished unwrapping her pile of presents, Brielle started sorting them out. The big kids went back out to the bounce house.  Brielle picked up each present, showed it to the grandparents, then put it in some kind of logical pile. 

"Here you go!"

Brielle handed a couple presents to Pam, Marty, or me, saying "Here you go!"  She decided the Baby Minnie Mouse should go home with her cousin Kyle.  She trotted over to toddler Kyle, "here you go!"  The Minnie Mouse was quickly returned to the present pile, but Brielle picked it up again, and tried to hand it to Kyle as he headed out the door.   For a little while Brielle put her hands up and turned in a circle in the middle of the presents and wadded paper, like she was saying "What am I going to do with this mess?"

Brielle, two years old, had been straightening things out all day.  For example, she knows that her Grandpa belongs to her.  Marty was holding baby Declan.  Brielle came over, picked the baby up off of Grandpa's lap, slid the baby onto the floor, and climbed up on Grandpa's lap. 

Declan on the floor, where he belongs

A little later Brielle noticed that Declan was playing with the hem of my long, colorful dress.  She climbed off of Grandpa's lap onto the floor, picked up my skirt and handed it to me:  "There you go."

Yesterday evening the Schmidt family came over to our house for dinner and more presents.  Rhiannon and I were looking at a restaurant's to-go menu on Marty's MacBook.  Brielle picked up my MacBook and walked across the room, computer clutched to her tiny body.  She brought it to me and said, "Here you go!"  Thank goodness Brielle is also very strong (her swim instructor said she was the strongest toddler she had taught).  This two-year-old can handle computers and baby brothers!

"What am I going to do with this mess?"