Carpe Diem Natalem
19 April 2014
Last Sunday, our baby, Sophia Lorelei, turned NINE! Holy cow. One more year, and all of our kiddos will be in their two-digit ages for the rest of the time we're together on this earth. Good Lord, time flies. "The days are long, but the years are short."
I totally bought all the ingredients for an incredibly awesome arts and crafts-themed birthday party for her, but I completely neglected to plan the actual soiree in an epic parenting FAIL. So maybe we'll do that next year?!
I went to 7-Eleven that morning, for a diet soda refill. I do that all the time, NBD. Chloë grabbed her purse and came with me, so I figured she'd buy herself a little somethin'-somethin'. Instead, she surprised me by asking me what flavor of Slurpee Sophia likes best. She didn't even get herself something; she only bought her sister the Slurpee. She's a keeper!
A couple of months ago, I had purchased a deal for the Barbie Dreamhouse Experience in Fort Lauderdale, on the Groupon-like site, Living Social. A couple of months ago, Sophia was still into Barbie. She's really not anymore, not at all, but I had the thing and nothing else to give her, really, so she and I went off to have a special Mommy-and-Sophie day together.
I had no other money for anything extra, and she understood this. At Sawgrass, where the Dreamhouse is located, we spotted one of those cool spiral money donation thingamajigs. She loves them, so I gave her a penny. She was so thrilled to watch her penny go down, and I was equally thrilled to have made my baby girl smile for only 1¢.
Once we arrived at the Dreamhouse, we were told that it would be an hour wait before the next tour. We signed up for that and then headed back outside, into the sunshine. Er, what sunshine? It was starting to drizzle. But you know what? Sophia loves nothing better than to run in between raindrops and jump in puddles. And guess who she gets that characteristic spunk from? ;) We danced on the fountains together in the rain, while onlookers stared. I didn't give a fig, either. My babe was having fun, and I was having it right along with her!
The Barbie Dreamhouse Experience - we waited. And waited. An hour is a long time when you're nine, y'know?
Of course, we paused for a few obligatory selfies in that timeframe, too. I posted this one online and got called "stunning" by Stephanie of STIM fame. Cool!
Finally, it was five minutes before the tour, so we headed back into the Dreamhouse to wait. Sophia got in the Barbie doll box for a fun photo op, and I obliged her despite the multitude of warnings disallowing photography. Really? Why else would it be there? ;P
Photo Op #2 amongst the Barbie flowers
Photo Op #3 in "The Oval"
(The signs stated "Barbie's FRIENDS" were the only ones who could take pictures in there, but the hired FRIENDS didn't seem to care that we mothers were snapping pictures left, right, and center, so I felt no shame. Besides, I was friends with ol' Barb long before these kids were ever even dreamed of.)
The Dreamhouse itself was a pretty lame experience. I'm glad we didn't pay anywhere near full price for it. And I'm glad my kid is too old to want to go back again, now, but I'm even gladder that she still managed to have fun anyway.
This guy was playing Miley "Look at Me Twerk" Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball" on his electric cello for tips, in the center of the mall. It took me a second to place the song, because it was so beautiful! Surprising, huh? I wanted to take a picture of him, because it was blogworthy, but I didn't think I should do so without leaving some sort of tip in his jar. I dug through my purse and came up with about 55¢, which I threw in the jar after I snapped a pic. He looked at me with utter disdain. Hey, dude, I get it, but who's the one playing to a vastly unappreciated audience in a shopping center?!
We popped into the Godiva store for a free birthday bonbon. She chose the Death by Chocolate one. A girl after my own heart!
After a brief stop to admire the spinner chimes we'd admired on the way in, we headed home. I didn't think it had been much - or anywhere near enough - for her birthday, but she officially declared it a great day. Satisfied, she slept all the way home and put herself to bed early. I did, too. Here it is, a week later, and I still have yet to make her a cake of any kind. "Birthday season," I can hear my mama-in-law insisting, and so I don't feel too terrible about it.
Fin.