Birthday Party.

As the last party guest left, I felt a wave of relief and surprisingly, a slight emptiness. The emotional investment of party preparation had fueled a frenetic momentum that stopped short as soon as the party ended. 

That being said, I'm glad it's over. I'm glad to have an evening to unwind and hopefully watch The Bad Batch that dropped on Disney+ early last week. 

The party was a success. Our big girl and a few friends went to a ceramics painting studio to get creative. They each picked out a blank piece to paint and personalise. They will get to take it home in about a week, once it has been put through the kiln on site. 

Our only male invited guest remarked at some point, "There's too many girls!" 

At home, Papa prepared the "Daddy Meal", his version of the Happy Meal sans the copious amount of single-use packaging. Lunch was served during a screening of the movie, The Incredibles. 

Daddy Meal Cheeseburger

All too soon, it was time to sing the birthday song and cut the cake. The golden apple (requested by her and inspired by Crazy Delicious on Netflix) finally made its appearance.

We ended the day with teaching our children a beautiful Marian hymn, titled "As I Kneel Before You". Saint Augustine said that when we sing, we pray twice. The Spirit certainly moved amidst our prayer tonight. The children sang beautifully as Papa led us on the guitar. 

Ave Maria, Gratia plena, Dominus tecum, Benedicta tu.