Over the weekend, we celebrated Mira’s 4th birthday with our family and a small group of friends that our Birthday Girl has known since she was a baby. The Frenchie theme was Mira’s idea. She loves all things French- quiche, Madeleine, big bowls of hot chocolate, dancing to Edith Piaf- and has been speaking “pretend French” for months now.
“Bouley coozzzzzay cha ta la maaaaaaahhhhh.”
“What was that, Mira?”
“Mommy (slight eye roll), I said that Raggedy Ann has a charming voice.”
“Oh?”
“Mouley haaavay sahn faaa oooooh ay.”
“And what did you say now?”
“That we would like a chocolate milkshake to celebrate.”
Oh, of course. Mais oui.
So, when we planned the party, I felt that certain things should be available. Macaroons are a clear essential and very en vogue. Neighborhood chef-and my daughter’s favorite- Bouley makes the prettiest, tastiest macaroons. You bite into the perfect crunch and then find a luscious, melting center. One of Mira’s first words, in fact, was “BOULEY” and one of her first and still favorite foods, his quiche lorraine.
Chocolates from Brooklyn chocolatier Jean-Francois Bonnet’s Tumbador were also a must. We chose chocolate covered animal crackers, marshmallows, and ginger in addition to a gorgeous selection of bon bons to adorn the table.
The rest was made chez Maman-including the Salade-Nicoise, the cake (a very un-French affair), the flag banner (from The Creative Family), most of the napkins, and the Birthday Girl’s dress. Mira and her godmother, La La (Linda for the Big People), created the art work for the walls the night before. We tried to infuse love and care into her party and, as much as possible, made or used things that could be enjoyed again and again.
The piece de resistance, though? Our new permanent fixture, the Eiffel Tower, found on Etsy and created by Chuck E Bryd.
As I have mentioned before, we like to let the kids just play and explore, so we handed out berets and let them go to town. What made the party, for me at least, was the way the babies and the bigger kids played together, creating little games and imaginary worlds that included the younger siblings. The smiles? C’est magnifique!
