Round Of Applause For Mom-Of-4 Blake Lively Who Went To A Birthday Party At Night

Taylor Swift celebrated her 34th birthday this week, and she had a whole lot to celebrate: her Eras Tour became the hottest ticket on the planet; she was named TIME’s Person of the Year; and she started a new relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. But she was not the hero of her star-studded birthday party, not by a mile. That distinction went to mom-of-four Blake Lively, who got dressed up and courageously attended her friend’s birthday party even though it was late at night and we all know she probably just wanted to go to bed. That’s friendship. That’s bravery.

Lively, who is mom to 8-year-old daughter James, 7-year-old daughter Inez, 4-year-old daughter Betty, and an 11-month-old baby with husband Ryan Reynolds, really went for it at Swift’s birthday party in New York City on Dec. 13. As in, she managed to show up to a party that was happening AT NIGHT and out in public. A feat of dizzying proportions for a mom of four.

She looked stunning in her head-to-toe leather ensemble (she is Blake Lively after all) but that is actually beside the point. She was awake and present at a party peopled mostly by ultra-fabulous singletons who have the cultural references of people 10 years younger. And she was doing this while also going over her kids’ Christmas lists in her head and calculating how many hours she had to sleep before they all woke up in the morning.

Just look at this photo of Lively with fellow mom Gigi Hadid and her pal Taylor Swift. She looks happy, sure, but also there’s a certain glazed-over quality that speaks of early nights and early mornings with four children who just never stop needing you for something.

To be fair to Taylor Swift, she has been an incredible aunt to Lively’s children. She helped out at Inez’s 7th birthday party, which is the single person’s equivalent to Lively going to a late-night cool party as a mom.

Children’s birthday parties are not for the faint of heart, after all. But these two are finding crossover events to keep their friendship strong. Like going to Travis Kelce’s football game, which was an event that conveniently started earlier in the day and was presumably much more manageable for a mom of four. Plus Lively could just stand around in jeans chatting with friends and relaxing. That’s the sweet spot right there.