I'm kind of a birthday fanatic. I love them. I may not be the biggest fan of growing older, but I am most definitely the grown woman who announces her birthday to everyone she comes into contact with and may have worn an "It's My Birthday" sash everywhere I went on my most recent birthday (Kroger, dentist appointment, bus stop, etc.).

When it comes to birthday parties for my daughters, I go all out. I start months in advance, deciding on a theme, making decorations, designing the cake. (Thank God for Pinterest.)

What I'm trying to say is that I consider myself a Birthday Party Snob. I'm a control freak who only does parties at her house because nobody else could do it to suit me.

Dear Readers, I was wrong. So wrong. Ella was invited to a birthday party at CKRH Riding for Hope located at the Kentucky Horse Park. May I now present for your consideration, the pictorial evidence of my wrongness:

This is Happy Feet, one of the miniature ponies that the girls got to brush, adorn with tiaras and jewelry, and paint.

That's right. They painted ponies. Did you know this was a Thing?

I couldn't help but wonder about the ponies' feelings on the matter. (Look at your LIFE, Happy Feet. Look at your CHOICES.) In all seriousness, the miniature ponies were very sweet, and the perfect size for 3-year-olds. The girls had a ball. As soon as we got home, Ella grabbed her baby and told me that she was naming her Happy Feet.

I consider that a Win.