The Great Sixth Birthday Sleepover Extravaganza (aka Yes, I Have Indeed Lost My Mind)

The scene: ten six-year-old princesses, one three-year-old mini-princess, and "High School Musical 2" on an endless loop for 15 hours in our basement.

Go ahead. Get the hysterical laughing out of the way now. I'll wait...

OK, wipe your eyes and get ready. I know you're going to start laughing again when I tell you this, but I promise it's true: it actually was pretty easy, and it was a lot of fun.

Sure, there was enough high-pitched squealing to make my ears bleed a couple of times. And yes, I do now have a long streak of pink nail polish on my basement carpet. And I am now reconsidering the New Year's Day football-watching party I was thinking of hosting, just because the thought of gearing up for another party anytime in the next six months or so makes me start twitching.

But, it was absolutely a hoot spending time with Princess E planning her "dream sleepover party" and watching her make great memories with her adorable group of friends. It was fun to see them all get so excited over making their mini-scrapbooks, singing and dancing to HSM 2 (over and over and over again), and painting their toenails wild rainbow colors. And it felt great to wake up this morning (okay, it was a 5:30 a.m. wakeup, but I did actually get some sleep - granted, it was only about four hours, but hey, I'll take it) and realize that everyone actually made it through the night with no tears, no calls home, no real drama at all.

Well, okay, there was a little drama. Poor Princess E caught her heel on the edge of her skirt while playing musical pillows and pulled her skirt totally off her skinny little tushie. She was mortified and immediately ran off sobbing to hide in her playroom tent. But this is how sweet her friends are - not one of them laughed at her, and several of them ran after her to give hugs and coax her back to the party.

That moment made all the effort worth it, at least for me, and I think probably for Princess E, too. We have a great family, but we also have been blessed by God with an amazing extended family of friends who love and care for us. So I lost some sleep and gained some leftover cupcakes that need to find a home somewhere other than my thighs. Big deal. I had the pleasure of seeing Princess E surrounded by loving friends who I hope will be around for the long haul and who I hope have great memories of what for many was their first sleepover.

So happy birthday, Princess E. You are a treasure I cherish more every day. I am honored and humbled to be your mom, and I'm truly looking forward to hosting many more sleepovers with you for many years to come.