And then this weekend, we did it up real good. Friday she had a bunch of girls from her class over.
They jumped on the trampoline:
They painted pumpkins:
They made their own mini-pizzas and also decorated cupcakes:
And she received a Vote for Pedro shirt so she can nerd out with Olivia and Miele. Who knew that the cult classic would resonate so much with third grade girls in 2019?
Also the girls screamed incessantly at each other. They were a case of wine coolers away from a sorority party bus. My poor ears!
Then Saturday, her actual birthday, we went to Harry Potter world with her two most Hogwarts loving friends, Lexi and Keira (and Keira's mom.)
Ellie got picked to do the wand demonstration at Olivanders, which was very thrilling to her:
The wand is basically a remote control that if you move it in a designated pattern at one of several locations, will cause something to move. MAGIC! (it's magic how much they charge for those things - they're basically television remotes that frustrate kids because you have to be pretty exact with your wand motions, and make sure the camera is picking you up correctly.)
They only have two rides in Harry Potter land - one that is in the castle and moves between virtual reality and animatronics, and one roller coaster. We went on the big ride first, and afterwards came to find out that Lexi and Keira both had their eyes closed through portions of it! Good news, after we rode the roller coaster we stood in the 90 minute line a second time, and this time they were all very brave. To their credit though, I found myself pulling my legs in so the dementors wouldn't get them.
They really were a fun little bunch, very into the whole thing. We had lunch at the Three Broomsticks (do no recommend the butterbere) and went to Honeydukes and got chocolate frogs. Afterwards, we went and watched an animal show and then went on the Simpsons ride. I was joking with Victoria that it's a pity they took out the Backdraft attraction. I mean, sure, no one has watched that movie in 20 years, but the flames and the crashing and all of that - definitely a good way to scare the girls! Speaking of, they were trying to tell us that they would be brave enough to stay in the park for Halloween Horror Nights, but on our way out we walked by Beetlejuice and I motioned to him to scare the girls and they FREAKED. The best part was when he saw Ellie's birthday badge and told her "crappy birthday!" and she was absolutely outraged.
On our way home, we stopped at Bottega Louie for dinner (treat for mommies and little girls!) They read each other Harry Potter trivial pursuit cards and argued about every point, ate a pizza and were slowly getting more and more tired.
Shortly after this lovely photo was taken, Ellie started crying because her mint ice cream tasted too minty. Please note, this is the same girl who could easily eat a whole box of Altoids in one sitting without batting an eyelash. That's how we knew it was time to hit the road and try to get into bed at a reasonable hour (did not succeed, but the thought was there.)
Then yesterday we were up and at 'em so we could brunch with the grandparents and others. Halyn brought along the sweetest birthday cake and Ellie got one more good round of birthday singing.
Then cried because the cake had raspberries in it. Even though she likes raspberries.
So at nine, Ellie is quite obviously, a complicated and complex little sprite. She's an inquisitive scientist, a great mathematician, a budding musician, but told me the other day that reading is boring because it's just looking at words on a page. She still loves art but also REALLY loves video games. She has a lot of opinions about what music she wants to hear and is always up for a dance party. She's a great teacher to her brother and also a prime tormentor. She insists on filling her bed with stuffed animals and then sleeps under a blanket that barely covers her long legs, no matter how often I go in and tuck her in under her regular quilts. I love her confidence and her smarts, am already doomed with the amount of eye rolling that she throws my way. She also told Tim recently that we are "strict and rude," which hopefully means we're doing our job okay with her. It's amazing to think how quickly the first half of her childhood has gone - our first sweet baby.
