Nova turned four this past week. We had planned to throw a big party, but with family in town, a packed schedule and a China trip coming up in a few weeks we decided to LOWER the bar… a lot.
Instead we threw together a little DIY party when my mom and Nova’s cousins were in town. And guess what, it was JUST as special! Of all the lessons I’ve learned as a new mom one of the most important is that it’s often a good idea to lower the bar. Making memories with kids doesn’t have to be a whole thing. It can be the simplest, easiest things!
We spent the day making cookies and blowing up balloons and gave Nova a little party with our our family. It was perfectly simple and magical.
A few days later on her actual birthday we asked her what she wanted for her birthday and she insisted that the thing she REALLY wanted was the stay up late and play with the fireflies.
I strolled though the toys aisles at Target that day. I think half of it was my own projections (I was a child who loved toys, Nova isn’t) and also there’s just a big part of me who always wants to give big gifts. But I left the store with no toy, just a box of popsicles to eat on the porch while we waited for the fireflies. It was kind of a turning point for me to realize that a. children don’t always need/want more stuff and b. something as simple as staying up late for fireflies can be better to her than any gift.
Little gal got her wish. I ended up leaving my phone and camera inside, which I rarely do (Jeremy took this one photo) and just soaked in her four year old magic for the night. She was running all over the yard saying, “thank you thank you thank you for letting me stay up late” it was the cutest, sweetest thing. Her heart is so pure.
Jeremy and I were sitting on our steps watching her run around and I said- “Next summer we’ll have a two and a half year old (the same age as when we met Nova) and a five year old”… we both were just speechless trying to imagine it.
Happy birthday Nova Winter. You are so loved!
