A dog party! A BIG dog party! - thank you P.D. Eastman

Because she's lost 6 teeth and is nearly a Kindergarten graduate, #3 has deliberately given up pink and kittens as her favorites.  She insists that dark green and dogs are her greatest loves now.  So even though she started planning her My Little Pony birthday party about 10 months ago, her desire to seem "grown up" forced her to reconsider her party plans.

At first she declared it would be a werewolf party.  (Ugh!)

The next week she revised her plans: a wolf party. (Not much better.)

At last, two weeks before her birthday, a final decision was made: A German Shepherd party it would be! (What? Huh?)

Me: Do you even know what a German Shepherd is?

#3: Yeah, its a huge police dog. Like in Underdog!

Me: (in a very nervous voice) Uh, OK.  Sure, yeah.  A German Shepherd party. If that's what you want?

{I'd already been feeling like my creative days are over and that I'm ready to retire from mom-made birthday parties. So it was hard to meet this German Shepherd idea with much enthusiasm.}

We made it happen.  #3 and her puppy friends went to obedience school, had a kibbles eating contest, played a kitten chasing game and went digging for buried bones (or skittles) in the sand at the park. For a grand finale, we were visited by a real (huge!) German Shepherd which was sweet enough to be pet and cuddled by 9 little girls (and one 8 year old boy who didn't want the dog to leave ever!).

Happy Birthday #3!

#1 was determined to dress #4 as a puppy for the party. You can't see it in this picture but #1 fashioned a tail to hang off her back.  The necklace is #4's dog collar.

#3 with Sage, the beautiful 12 year old German Shepherd that surprised our guests. Sage is a retired seeing-eye dog for a the blind. She was so calm and well-behaved. 

Sage's owner is telling the kids all about how she helped serve a blind man and got to go to movies and restaurants and even to church!

Coco Puff kibbles!

How do you get 9 girls to all look at a camera and smile?

Buster did not want Sage to leave. He is one dog-hungry boy.

paw print pupcakes

My beautiful birthday girl with a look of contentment. 

The only weekend we could give this party happened to fall on a weekend that Spouse was already committed to work.  He wasn't around to "enjoy" any of the preparations or festivities.  (Thank goodness for a super responsible and helpful 10 year old daughter!)  This party exhausted me to the core.  But while I was sweating and swearing under my breath I was encouraged by the thought of #3's happiness.  I worry that she is too often left out of things, is dragged along to her brother's and sister's activities, is made to wait, is told "no" inequitably,  is put to bed too hastily.... is not getting as much of me as I'd like to give her.  It felt good to make a deposit in her bucket of happiness.