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Meera’s 5th Birthday (3 of 8)

Posted by | June 15, 2013 | Uncategorized | 2 Comments
Kane Fairy Houses

{artwork by Tracy Kane}

Meera and I had spent many hours this winter with the Tracy & Barry Kane books on fairy houses. MorMor had given us the story book, Fairy Houses, which Meera loves. Then we bought a Fairy Houses photo book, which we were both totally taken with. I have fond memories of cold nights with Meera on my lap in her bedroom rocking chair, just studying every detail of the fairy houses in that book. We were awed and inspired! Meera spent much time throughout the winter and spring building very rudimentary fairy houses — often with Braydon — in the woods behind our home, and all over campus.

My idea for Meera’s birthday party was to build a handful of very elaborate fairy houses in our ‘Fairy Forest’ in advance, and to have a party where the centerpiece would be a walk in the Fairy Forest where Meera and her friends would discover fairy houses that they could never have imagined. I wanted to build the houses ahead of time, and without Meera knowing, so that it would be as magical for her as it would be for our guests.

As soon as Kyle and Owen’s birthday party was done with and all cleaned up, I got straight to work on Meera’s. First I had Braydon help me clear some spaces in the woods and set up some basic frameworks for the construction of fairy houses. We also had to deal with the rampant poison ivy problem in the Fairy Forest. Once that part was under control, for about a week straight, I spent every spare minute I had making many, many detail pieces for the fairy houses.

The glue gun became my best friend.

There were a bunch of very late nights, there were cups of coffee drank at 5pm, there were several (8 out of 10) of my finger tips covered in blisters from the glue gun… and there was great fun had by me. Let me reiterate: I LOVE THIS STUFF.

the making of 1

Braydon would come check on me at 11 or 12 at night and see what I was doing and just shake his head with utter befuddlement. I sat there for hours making fairy beds and chairs and swings and tables. I loved every second of it.

The bambinos caught on quick to what I was doing. K & O just shake their heads and grin and bear this about their mother. But Meera loves it more than you can imagine. In the mornings Meera would want to check what I had done the night before. In her pajamas, in the morning light, she’d play and play with the fairy beds and chairs and swings and tables. It was like I was making whole play-sets for her pure enjoyment. She could not possibly have conceptualized that I was putting together whole houses for the fairy forest. She definitely did not have any idea that up in New Hampshire, MorMor was doing the same.

IMG_1185

I was very, very into it. For about a ten day stretch it was all fairy houses all the time. The bambinos (and Braydon) started to realize that Mommy was a tad little bit off her rocker when they noticed that I had a new phone case:

phone case

(FYI: I got it for $4.99 as an add-on when I ordered the party invitations on Vistaprint.com)

So, yes, I went a little CRAY-Z.

By the time my mom arrived I had bags and boxes of supplies and fairy house accoutrements all ready for assembly in the forest. She arrived with her car trunk stashed full of pre-assembled fairy houses. We had one night together before we had to set up the houses in the woods. We spent that night hot glue-gunning like crazy and laughing at our selves every single step of the way (well, mostly us laughing at me). I hope I’ll never forget these times with my mom. I hope this post will tell the story to Meera of how MorMor and me had such a good togetherness. I hope we are setting an example so that Meera and me can have that one day too.

the making of 2 the making of 3

The next morning Papi and MorFar took the bambinos out to run some errands. MorMor and Mommy got to work making magic in the fairy forest. By later that afternoon MorMor and I called it quits in time for our Third Annual Pre-Meera’s-Party Trio of Pedicures.

pedicures 1

This year we all got the same color… pink, of course, for Meera. Note: a color that MorMor and I would never ever choose independently. We do this for, and in honor of, our girl (a girl who is — in many ways — much more of a gender-stereotypical “girl” than MorMor and I have ever, ever been.)

pedicures 2

That night we got the bambinos to bed and put the final details on the party room (the lounge of our dorm! a great space for a kid’s birthday party!!!) My dad and Braydon partook in their bi-annual ritual of blowing up about a million balloons and determining the physics of the best way to handle the piñata set up. We called it a night early so that we could be ready for the morning party the next day.

windowtea partyfive and wreath

2 Comments

  • Amy says:

    You should check out: http://www.iseeme.com/my-very-own-fairy-tale-personalized-book.html
    It is a personalized fairy book and you can customize it with Meera’s name. My daughter has it and loves it. Enjoyed seeing your party!

  • Kate says:

    I am like you — my friends think I’m crazy for how I celebrate the little moments but I am spreading the joy and marking the joy for myself and for others — it is the way to get through the tough periods and ride through the stormy seas. I feel the glass is half full! Embrace the crazy creativity, own it, love it, do it, dream and believe, create and weave :) :) I would so be there with you and MorMor!!! Meera is certainly a lucky duck!! And you are so lucky to have her too — to have a chance to share these moments with your mother for your daughter — I can actually see you and Meera (and maybe MorMor!) doing this in the future for her children!!
    – Kate

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