Thank Heaven for Little Girls

One of my favorite songs is Maurice Chevalier's rendition of Thank Heaven for Little Girls from the movie Gigi. I think of it often when I think about Our Little Princess and Her Highness. It is especially fresh in my mind today. Our Little Princess is three years old today and she is growing up in the most delightful way.

We spent the weekend in San Antonio celebrating with her.

Saturday was a cool, misty, and at times rainy day. Her birthday party was held at the Kiddie Park on Broadway near Breckenridge Park in San Antonio. The Kiddie Park has been there since 1925. The carousel has been there since 1918. The best thing about the Kiddie Park is that it's only for little kids. There are no scary rides or roller coasters, just a few rides geared for small children. I remember going there as a child. It has not changed substantially in the past 50 years.

We watched the weather and were hopeful that the rain would clear in time for the party at noon. There was a slight break, but it misted off an on most of the time we were there and it rained for short periods of time.

All three grandmothers were there. I was so busy taking pictures that I didn't get a photo of myself with the birthday girl. Katy did manage to snap this picture of me.

I know you're waiting for an update on the birthday cake. As it turned out, Omi made the cake. It was a Rapunzel doll cake from the movie Tangled. It was beautiful and, since Omi actually lives in San Antonio, it was great for me that she volunteered to take care of it. She also brought some beautiful cupcakes which made serving the little ones quick and easy. The quick and easy part turned out to be a very good thing.

 The rain/mist stopped for short periods and the kids did get to ride the rides.

Then more clouds rolled in and we decided to eat the pizza, blow out the candles, and serve the cake as quickly as possible. We almost made it too ... almost. But everybody pitched in and held the umbrellas over the kids while they ate.

Then the rain started in earnest and we grabbed the presents and headed to the cars. She had to open her gifts at home, but it was like extending the party ... and it was warm and dry.

Sunday dawned with blue skies and bright sunshine. Wouldn't you know it!

Happy Birthday, Princess! You are growing up in the most delightful way. Grams and Pop-Pop love you more than you can even imagine!

On a whole different subject, I just got a message from Katy that Her Highness took her first steps today. She's 10 months old. Look out world -- here she comes! You can tell in this photo that she was just about ready to walk this weekend.

And, by the way, doesn't my hair look terrific. My next-door neighbor's granddaughter, Kandyce, cut it for the first time. She's finishing up at the Aveda Institute in Corpus Christi. I still think of her as a little girl, but I think she has a very bright future. She's really good at cutting hair.

The Vanecek Christmas Party

The Vanecek Christmas Party is an annual family tradition. My mother-in-law's maiden name is Vanecek. There are four Vanecek siblings who were raised mostly by their father, Pete, in San Patricio County in Texas. Aunt Estelle lives in Sinton, Aunt Marilyn lives in College Station, Uncle Peter and Aunt Margaret live in College Station, and Ruth (my mother-in-law) lives in Corpus Christi. They get together every December, usually the weekend before Christmas, for the Vanecek Christmas Party.

This year we gathered at Joejoe and Brooke's home. Joejoe is Aunt Estelle's grandson. They have a lovely home with a huge great room that will hold The Vanecek siblings and their descendents.

Sometimes it's been a year since we've seen each other, so the party starts with friendly greetings.

Then, while the adults visit and talk, the kids play.

Joejoe and Brooke prepared chicken and beef fajitas as the main course. We always have tamales too. Each family brings a covered dish or two. There is always plenty of food and lots of leftovers.

The highlight of the party is always the gift exchange. We play "Dirty Santa." Every adult brings a gift for the exchange. Years ago, we originally started out with "white elephant gifts" but we have evolved over the years. Most gifts are valued between $10 and $20 and often include wine, small appliances, gift cards, etc. Usually "gag" gifts are accompanied by a modest gift card, so most people feel like they got something good.

I think everyone knows how to play "dirty Santa" but, basically, everyone draws a number. The game starts with number 1 choosing and opening a gift. Number 2 can then either choose another gift or take the one that number 1 chose. If number 2 takes number 1's gift, number 1 gets to choose another gift. It goes on until everyone has chosen. The third person who gets a gift gets to keep it.

One other note, children are not included in "Dirty Santa" because most of the items exchanged would not be appropriate for children. Since there are quite a few children who attend the party, each child's family brings a small inexpensive gift for them to open. They don't exchange gifts, they get to open whatever their parents or grandparents bring for them.

This year, as in most years, there was a gift left over at the end of the exchange. (I'm pretty sure that Aunt Marilyn always brings an extra gift.) It was clear to everyone that it was a stick horse. So our eight year old niece, Libby, opened it and handed it off to one of the little boys. I'm not sure who had it first, but I thought you would enjoy the video of the ensuing fight. Jaxon and Junior are first cousins. Suffice it to say, they didn't exactly agree on possession of the stick horse.

In spite of this little incident (wink, wink) between the cousins, everyone had a good time. It's so good to gather with family and catch up on what everyone is doing this year. Thanks to Joejoe and Brooke for hosting a lovely family gathering.