Nemo Party for KK
My Baby Girl turned 3 on Monday and we celebrated on Sunday morning with all her buddies.
We held the party at the Children’s Creativity Museum where the kids got to run free and play all they wanted before the food arrived.
We rented the birthday room upstairs and her cupcakes and balloons had a Nemo theme. 
It’s funny that her first birthday cake at a Nemo theme as well but this time around it actually meant something to her.
I think most of the grown-ups had almost as much fun at the museum and I actually got to sit and just watch KK play with her friends without having to do much.
KK blew out her candles with no problems this year. When she turned one, she was clueless and I had to blow out her candle. When she turned two, she got gun shy and just straight up refused. This year, she totally gets it and blew them out like a champ. What was funny was how she had such a confused look on her face when she saw the smoke go up after she blew them out.
Watching all the kids eat the cake and bright blue frosting was pretty entertaining. I got photos of as many of them as I could.
Sadie
Theo
Henry
Vivian
Sophie
Isla
After we cleared out of the birthday room (we only had it for 2 hours), everyone rode the carousel twice. KK wanted to ride the dragon chair on the first round.
Then she sat on a horse next to her friends on the second go-around.
We also managed to get a group photo of the kids. I love how Vivian held Henry’s hand for the picture to keep them both from wandering off.
Unfortunately, this was the only family photo we got at the party. I never seem to get enough photos taken when I’m hosting my own party.
Here are a couple thoughts I had on planning this party:
- Amazon.com is great for finding party favors. Nemo stuff is not sold at party stores anymore but there were plenty of things to choose from online. Everything came to my door and I was ready for the party.
- Safeway really saved me money and time with the cupcakes and balloons. The logistics of having a party on a Sunday morning are pretty tough. Most cupcake places are not open on Sundays and Party City doesn’t open until 10. SO, I ordered the cupcakes from Safeway, picked them up at 9:30 am, and they were only 50 cents each compared to $3.50 each at a fancy store. They were also able to blow up the balloons I had bought online in just minutes.
- Our food was ordered from a place that didn’t open until 11 but Jes managed to get there at 10:30 and knocked on the window to get the food as early as possible from the cooks in the back. It helps to have a persistent husband who just doesn’t give a flying fish who he pisses off – all for the sake of his little girl, of course!
- Kid parties don’t need to last very long. The party started at 10:30 and two hours in the birthday room was plenty of time to eat and have cake. Also, most kids were overdue for their naps after the carousel ride so the timing was just about right. KK also passed out as soon as I put her in the stroller and started walking home from the museum.
- I’m glad I waited until she turned 3 to throw a party. We celebrated Year 1 mostly for sentimental reasons and we did something really small for Year 2 (dinner with family). This year, she was genuinely excited for the party and had enough friends who could enjoy the activities. She also loves the “Happy Birthday” song and opening presents was fun for her this year.
Maybe I’m not as good with change as I thought I was after all. This past week was Kumquat’s first week of daycare and I think it was hard on me just as much as it was for her. Wednesday was better than Friday since she was basically clueless on the first day but caught on very quickly on Friday that I would be leaving her. I know that this is good for her and I know that it will get easier but I couldn’t hold back tears on either day. On Wednesday, I cried on my way to work after I left the daycare. On Friday, I had tears in my eyes when Kumquat was clinging onto me for dear life during the drop-off. I made sure she didn’t see my face but boy was it hard to put her down and just leave.
Now I look forward to picking her up in the afternoon and our drive home is so much fun. She’s in the best mood and sings to me the whole ride home. I guess I just love having a little sidekick.
I always hate the last morning of Hawaii. There was just enough time to get something to eat, pack up our stuff, and say goodbye to all our favorite things at the hotel. In the morning, I tidied up and then took the kid downstairs for breakfast as we had done for the past week. 
This time, we grabbed some udon from Lawson Station and sat down at the pool bar by the water. I love this time of day when it’s quiet and all you can hear is the ocean and the hotel staff prepping for the day.
Our shuttle picked us up at 10:45 and while we waited, I got this one last photo of Kumquat free and happy with no shoes on.
On the flight home, the Lams sat next to us again and the flight started out well for us.
Kumquat even took an hour-long nap shortly after take-off.
Thankfully, it all settled down by the last hour and Kumquat sat quietly with her Blue’s Clues before landing. We arrived in SF around 9:45pm so I’d have to say she was quite a trooper.
Oh and here’s a collage of 12 out of the 13 Mai Tais that I had over the course of the week. They were awesome.
*sigh* It’s our last full day in Hawaii. For breakfast, we went to eggs n things and didn’t have to wait so long this time around. Again, I had my coconut waffle and a side of bacon that Kumquat demolished. 
After breakfast, we walked down to Waikiki Aquarium where we met up with the Lams.
Jes and I have been coming here for years and it’s fun to see it again through a toddler’s eyes.
For lunch, Jes and Kevin picked up plate lunches at Rainbow and we ate at the park overlooking the ocean. Jen had brought a dozen malasadas with her so there was dessert for us too!
Back at the hotel, we all jumped into the pool one last time. I also took Kumquat out to the beach for the last time and it was so nice to be able to finally wade in the water with her without a total meltdown. 
I’d have to say that it took a lot of work to help her overcome her fear of Mr. Ocean but so worth the persistence and energy to have this one vacation goal achieved. I hope this lasts until the next time we’re at a beach.
Back at the pool, we just ordered some drinks and lounged on the lawn.
A bunch of people had dinner plans but the three of us stuck around for the sunset.
By the time we were ready to go out for dinner, Holly and Andrew had made their way back from Kaneohe so we joined them for an Italian/Japanese dinner at Arancino. I was a bit skeptical having Italian food in Hawaii but it did not disappoint. I ordered the Spaghetti Ricci di Marre (aka uni pasta) and it was SO yummy. You don’t even have to really eat the uni that was on top to appreciate the sauce. The photo I took in the dark doesn’t do it justice but it will just have to do.
While Kumquat went to sleep in the stroller, Holly was in a bit of a pickle with where to put Andrew. She decided the bench just outside of our table was the only doable spot. Poor guy was so tired, he didn’t care where he laid down. We put out some table napkins for him and then piled all our jackets on top. He had his doggy and sucked on his thumb until he passed out. It was hilarious watching people walk by with a confused look on their faces.
On our way back to the hotel, we walked Holly home and Jes carried Andrew over his shoulder. That was certainly a very memorable way to end our vacation.
Back at the hotel, we went to the outdoor lounge for a couple drinks with the Fernandos and I went out to the infinity pool to hang out on one of the over-the-water lounge chairs. I actually snoozed for a bit out there and it was so nice.
Here is a collage of the tasty food I ate today. It was definitely a delicious day.
I came home at 5 today and didn’t have a moment to sit down until now – it’s 8:30. I had to go to the store with a sick and impatient toddler, cook dinner with a needy and hungry toddler at my feet, then eat and serve dinner to a less-than-hungry toddler, and then bathe the stinky and sticky toddler. So, I let her play to her heart’s content while I sat on the floor of the bathroom and enjoyed a big glass of wine. By the time I was ready to get her out of the tub, her fingers and toes were wrinkled and her hair was almost dry. If only I had a fancy bathroom with a comfy lounge chair in it. If I did, my kid would be squeaky clean ALL THE TIME.
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