This past Saturday was a very special day for our family. It was our Beanie Boo's fourth birthday, a day that we (especially Bean) had been looking forward to for several weeks. Beanie was so excited for her birthday, and with my help, had her birthday festivities all planned out. I was originally scheduled to speak at a conference in Raleigh this past Saturday, and our plan was for daddy, bro & Bean to explore the Children's Museum of Raleigh while I joined the conference, and then to have a special dinner together. We even talked about riding the train from Salisbury to Raleigh for extra special birthday fun!

Knowing that I was scheduled to work on her birthday, and realizing that her birthday was so close to Easter this year, Beanie agreed to let us host her birthday party later in April. She was hankering for a Disney Descendants party with her friends, so we came up with a Donuts and Descendants theme for a Saturday morning party. I made the event page on Facebook, and was ready to send out invites to friends, and then our world drastically changed. 

Parties began to be cancelled, and we knew that we'd be forced to postpone Bean's party until it was safe for us to come together again with our friends. We wondered if we would even be able to celebrate with our extended family by the time Bean's birthday rolled around. While there were plans for grandparents to drop by with gifts and birthday smiles on her birthday, a Stay at Home Order was issued for all of NC, and it began last Monday at 5 pm. No visits... no one in or out other than the people in our household, except for essentials.

We knew that we had to make Beanie's day extra special. She's been amazingly understanding about not being able to have her party 'yet' and not being able to see her family 'yet.' She knows that once it's safe for us to do so, we will celebrate! Beanie's bro 'B' wanted to make sure that we went all out for his sister. He and I got up early on Saturday morning and decorated our dining room with purple party decor before Beanie woke up. She requested homemade biscuits for her birthday breakfast, which her daddy lovingly made for her.

We were able to order and pick up Chick-fil-A, which Beanie chose for her birthday lunch, and later in the day, we celebrated with milkshakes and Beanie was able to open her gifts. We tend to go for practical gifts, so she received a new Descendants nightgown, undies, and her big present was a big girl bike, which she has been so excited about! We went for a family walk, and enjoyed the fresh air and sunshine. It was glorious!

Before dinner, Beanie was able to video chat with her grandparents, her aunt, her cousins, and some of her friends. She received lots of special birthday texts and Facebook messages, which her dad and I shared with her. She felt so very loved!

Stay well & stay safe!