Isla Turns Four: An Island Party fit for a Princess

Isla turned four on the last day of March. She reminds me daily of this fact and believes wholeheartedly that this magical number makes her a "big girl." I appease her, of course, because being proud of growing up is something I wish for her, but I silently cling to the toddler traits that linger; the dimply hands, the perfectly round tush, her sing-song bell of a voice, her chubby (but thinning) cheeks...so while she fancies herself something of a "big girl", I still look at her beautiful, brown, soulful eyes and see my little baby.

What can I say about our Isla? She is strong, smart, loving, kind, cautious, wise and brave. Her sense of humor is awesome and she lives to make people laugh. Her smile lights up a room. Her mind is a veritable sponge of wonder, curiosity and intrigue. She is absolutely brilliant, a total goof ball and full of personality. She shines bright with her giggles and makes friends wherever she goes. She is an amazing big sister to the twins (well, most of the time!) and makes our lives better in every conceivable way. She is full of joy and so. much. fun. Of course she can be stubborn, willful and possesses the persistence of a hungry used car salesman...after all, she is four. But these things go with the territory of raising a fiercely independent, strong female so I will take it. There are no words that can adequately relay the adoration we have for this little ray of sunshine, but we love her to the moon and back (a million times) and watching her grow is nothing short of a pleasure. Every single day I learn from this child, she has been my greatest teacher.

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I put slightly more effort into her birthday party than I did for the twins. She is now at an age where a birthday matters, at least a little. And I wanted her to feel very special on her day. Of course a beach party was in order...while I did start 'planning' earlier, I stuck with my method of keeping it simple. We invited all her "neighborhood" friends, pre-ordered a couple extra-large trays of pizza, Scott arranged for a special "Elsa" princess cake and we staked out a picnic table on the beach. Of course the beach bar was slinging beers for the adults. What's a party without beverages for the adults, right?

Our very good friends from s/v Necesse made the trip over from St. Thomas to spend four days with us which was definitely a birthday highlight for both Isla and I. Not only is Genevieve one of my very best friends, but her youngest, Ellia, and Isla are only a week apart in age and shared their first birthday's together in the Bahamas. We've been crossing paths with them ever since and every time it is a pleasure to get our kids together (more so now because they fight so much less!) and continue making memories. We adore the Stolz's, and it was very special that they made the effort to come in to spend time with us. Thank you guys!

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As it turns out, her birthday also coincided with the BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival which is a week of partying and racing that happens each year here at Nanny Cay. I wasn't so sure how it was going to work out with our party merging on the beach with the after party, but as luck would have it - Isla's birthday celebration happened just before the race festivities started, and as we began to wrap up our party, the racer's bash commenced. This conveniently into our "after-party" as well. The "big kids" of the group lingered with the mamas, dancing wildly to the live band and enjoying the festive atmosphere into the night. It was an amazing day for an amazing little girl who is loved fiercely and completely.

But enough of that, I will let our party pictures tell the story...

Thank you to everyone who came out to make Isla's day special, you all know who you are and we are SO grateful. Here's to being FOUR!

The neighborhood kids gathered to decorate for her. Note: Horns and balloons will never cease to please kids, apparently.

One of her favorite "big boys"

Working our the finer points of birthday horn blowing.

So simple, yet so entertaining.

Our awesome friend Keanna brought markers and coloring books for Isla, which - in turn - became the hit of the party!!

Isla and two of her best pals. She refers to them as "her buddies" it's pretty adorable!

Keanna, coloring. Because adults coloring is all the rage these days!

Don't let the presence of beer in every single photo frighten you. It was for the adults, I swear.

Daddy arriving with her balloons (one of her birthday present wishes) and cake!

Isla opening a very special gift from her buddy, Stormer. Her very own jewelry box. She LOVES it. 

2 x 4 beach jenga blocks also double as construction blocks for beach kids! 

No beach party is complete without sand toys. Darcy and sweet baby Rio playing with Haven.

Making castles. 

Follow the yellow brick road, Haven!

V and A, two of our very awesome boat neighbor kids! Love them.

Haven enjoying her pizza. Side note: this is also usually the only time you don't hear her!  

These three dancing was absolutely adorable!

Isla and the beautiful hand-made wind chime made for her by her pal, Nico. She loves it and it hangs right by her bed.

The Elsa cake was a HUGE hit!

The party in full swing with all her pals around.

Isla and Ellia looking adorable, eating cake. "Shut your mouth, dear" ;)

Give this little sweet pea some balloons and she is good to go. Take them away and LOOK OUT!

Beautiful, goofy Arias!! I think she liked the cake! 

Haven, yelling as usual (she has almost no volume control!), and holding up FOUR for her sister.

This was the OTHER gift Isla asked mommy and daddy for, an Ariel dress. She was, obviously, pleased.  

"Mommy, don't I look beautiful!" You ALWAYS look beautiful honey, because your heart is beautiful!

This picture, though not the best in quality, sums up this wonderful, joyful child. Happy birthday Isla.

Haven and Mira Turn Two: Beach Party!

For someone who loves a good party, I'm not very good at planning them. So when it dawned on me that the twins were turning two in less than 48 hours and we had nothing planned (will I ever learn?), I scrambled to get something together. While, on the one hand, they were only turning two and really didn't know what all the fuss was about, on the other hand, they were turning two and a little party was in order. So, as one does when you live on the water, we hit the beach. One advantage of island life is the fact people aren't so over-scheduled and busy that finding attendants for a last minute, thrown together party isn't really a problem. Another factor in our favor was that their birthday fell on a Sunday, so most people had the day off and our neighborhood friends weren't in school. And finally, having the beach bar available to make drinks for the adults and pizzas for the kiddos didn't hurt. My parents had brought down the presents we ordered, and my dad had stocked up on birthday horns, hats and decor, so all we really needed was a venue and some guests. I sent out a few messages, grabbed some cake mixes and frosting and we called it a party. A party it was!

But before I delve into the festivities...a word on my twinkles. I cannot believe they are two. It seems only yesterday we had their first birthday party in St. John, and not that much longer before that we got the news that I was cooking two in my womb while in Grenada. Haven and Mira have been my greatest challenge to date, and as with all great challenges, have bestowed upon me the greatest lessons and rewards. Being a mom to twins has changed me in a million ways, but more than anything I am blown away by the love I have for these little fish and the immense amount of joy they bring me. I never thought it would be possible to love two little people - born minutes apart, yet polar opposites - equally (I mean, surely there must be a favorite, right?) But, no. My absolute adoration of each of them knows no bounds. They are also an interesting lesson in genetics as they share not a single feature down to their fingernail beds... But it's their spirits and personalities - also very different yet equally enticing - that have captivated me as of late...It's why I love toddlers so very much; this hyper awareness that these tiny people actually have their own minds, thoughts and desires and - despite what science might tell you - a lot of it is hard wired! Their curiosity, the way they look at the world, how joyful they are at the simplest things, watching their brains soak up the world around them like sponges...it's incredible. Being a mom to our three girls is my life's greatest joy. Sorry to get all mushy, but it really is.

Haven has developed into the feistiest little cutie you have ever seen, not that it's much of a surprise since she's been hell on wheels since day one. She is incredibly strong - in both will and body - and parenting her spirit has taken some adjusting. But as demanding as she can be, she is the easiest to make smile, her laugh is infectious and she will almost never say no to a big hug and kiss. Her little light shines so bright and, when she is happy, she is joy personified. She is so excited about everything and knows no fear. She is mischievous and precocious and so much fun. Her exuberance and energy are unmatched, and she is pure beauty and magic. Mira, more mellow and pensive, is equally as spirited, but in a more understated way. Incredibly pensive and bright, she flies under the radar. Everyone who meets her comments on how thoughtful she is, and how they can just see the wheels turning behind her gorgeous eyes. Her beautiful little face has a thousand expressions and every single day she shows me more sweetness and truth behind her complexity. She is a lover, and when she trusts you, you will be privy to the greatest cuddles you have ever gotten. Oftentimes when we are on the boat, Isla and Haven will be playing with their toys, while Mira and I lay on the settee, just snuggling away. She melts my heart a million times a day.

These two little creatures could not be more different, and yet - I love them equally. Each day I think I love them more, which seems impossible. People ask me all the time how I stay at home with them day in and day out, encourage me to get a nanny, to send them to daycare so I can get a break...and while I do have my bad days, and while I do long for more time to do the things I want (I am researching ways to get "me" breaks), I truly cherish this time with my girls. I love that we are a tight little family tribe and I adore watching the bond between them - three different dynamics in all - flourish. "It's only a short window of time that they are this young" I remind people. "This will go by in the blink of an eye." So, for now, I dedicate most of my hours and most of myself to them. And it's my pleasure.

Anyway...

I took a ton of pictures on their birthday (I treated myself to a new lens - 24mm pancake lens - and tried it out on this special day) and so I will let those tell the story....

Grandpa came over with Grandma bright and early with round one of birthday hats! Having them here was so special.

Haven was very excited by the dump trucks we got her to play with at the beach!

We all had breakfast at our favorite place, Gennekers, at Nanny Cay.

Claire - one of our fave waitresses - even treated the girls to cupcakes! But not until each one gave her a kiss!

After breakfast we took a hike up to Sage Mountain with my parents. More on this in another post! It was beautiful.

During naptime, I made cupcakes and cake, and Scott and our neighborhood friends decorated!

Look at all these sweet monkeys! They *really* enjoyed the leftover icing!!

These two sweeties made this awesome sign/card for the girls, which now stays in their room.

Each twin got her own Melissa & Doug sand baking set (believe me, getting two is much better than one when it comes to twins!)

Isla, of course, helped both of them open their present!

Our sweet boat kid neighbor made this awesome, healthy snack to bring to the party.

The party in full swing. It was laid back, casual, and pretty perfect if you ask me!

Mira was particularly adorable on this day. We LOVE our sport wagon , btw!

Despite getting her own sand toys for her birthday, Haven opted to play with those another kid brought. Typical.

Pizza party on the beach. What could be better?

Our sweet friend, Albertine (I met her and her lovely husband doing laundry one night), loving up little Mira.

My dad did all the decorating, how sweet was that? The theme (if you can call it that) was My Little Pony.

Adults and kiddos having fun.

The staff of the beach bar have all become like family to us, this is our buddy, Garth, slinging drinks for the party.

Isla and the newest neighborhood kid playing away. These two are pretty darn cute together!

Haven and her million dollar smile. This kid can turn on the charm like none other!

Daddy and Isla having a chat on the swings.

Every now and then someone notices that I am taking all the pics and snaps one of me. My beautiful friend and I!

The girls had SO much fun with their new Hello Kitty beach ball!

Having doing her best "monkey hug" on Grandpa.

These two together...sigh...it's amazing. The twin bond is really something. (when they are not fighting, of course!)

Face full of sand, dirt and cake. Life is good!

Wait..there's more cake? Time to sing!

The girls were excited for this part, but weren't really sure what it was all about. 

This, however, she is VERY sure about. Haven speaks fluent "cupcake". I think she had five on this day!

A little twin moment. Would love to know what they are saying to each other!

More cupcakes...well, why not!!

This cake turned more into a smash cake than anything.

Are you counting the cupcakes?!?

Haven trying to explain that, no, she will not share her cupcake with our good friend, Kevin.

The end of the night came fast and we had to get the cuties home, bathed and in bed. One final picture with her adoring grandma. A great day had by all!