Three

Three-years-old

I cannot believe I just put a three-year-old to bed!  So cool.  Avery had a blast today, so much so that she cut short her reading time before bed.  She's fast asleep.

I didn't take a single picture, though I took lost of video.  I left the picture taking up to Amber & Christie & Sara (I didn't see RHG with her camera).

My favorite moment had to be when Avery, after she'd eaten 1/3 of her cake, starts back in on her broccoli.  Best.moment.ever.  She's certainly not the best eater in her peer group, but I'll take it!

Watching Avery as she ran around the gym was wonderful.  I don't think I stopped smiling a single moment.  The activities ran smoothly, though I should have specified 45 minutes for playing and 45 minutes for eating, but it worked out.  The cake was ... um, what's the word? ... odd.  It tasted delicious, but the mixture of flowers and ornaments requested by Avery left for a very interesting design.  I went with the expensive cake from Piece of Cake rather than a more reasonably priced one or a home-baked one.  I just wanted really good cake so I did it this once.  Truth be told, I did it partially because I wanted to enjoy some good cake for my BD, too.  By the time my BD rolls around, I'm so sick of sweets, so I figured I'd enjoy Avery's BD cake as my own (in my own mind). 

The Great Kiva Discussion

I've thought a lot about my Kiva-loan-in-lieu-of-party-favors decision. I've also talked with lots of people about it.  Before RHG's comment, it never crossed my mind, or D's, that other parents might feel bad about themselves as a result of my decision.  However, even if that thought had crossed my mind, I would have still done it. My logic: it's worth bruising a few egos and perhaps coming off as holier than thou to help some less fortunate people.

For the record, I spoke to another parent who provided a party favor in the same bag.  She thought it was a great idea and wished she'd thought of it (not to be charitable so much as to avoid shopping for a party favor during a very busy time of year).  Another parent from Avery's class brought his daughter to Avery's BD party yesterday.  Neither D nor I had met the father before yesterday.  As he was leaving, he said how wonderful he thought the Kiva donation was and asked if he could contribute $10 to the cause.  Normally I would have said no to accepting someone else's cash.  However, I gladly accepted it and will put it towards another Kiva loan.

All that said, I don't doubt that other parents may have had some sort of issue with it, either feeling badly about themselves or feeling as if I'm attempting to be holier than thou. I'm OK with that, at least with Avery at her current age, when she's oblivious to it.  I can't say I'd make the same decision if it meant Avery might be made fun of as a result of my decision. 

Waste Land

Mom and I went on a date night on Saturday night.  D was at the Trailblazers game with a client.  We ended up eating at Living Room Theater and seeing Waste Land.

Nutcracker

Tonight, we're off to see The Nutcracker.  Avery is very, very excited.  As a result, so am I!  This is a first for all of us since none of us has seen a ballet, let alone The Nutcracker.