Birthday Season

From April 27th to May 31st we had 5 birthday parties to attend. I think the season is over for a little while, and I am somewhat relieved. We had two one-year-old parties, two five-year-old parties and one four-year-old party. Three of them were backyard/house parties, one was at a park and the other (and definitely the most exciting) was at a Pump It Up. It is really fun to see what different families do. Personally, other than a one-year party (which is truly just for the parents), I like to keep the celebrations small and simple. I prefer backyard parties where the kids can play, mostly homemade goodies, and a few age appropriate games or activities. The Pump It Up party was pretty awesome, though. The parents of the birthday girl didn't have to do anything but spend a bunch of cash. It was all organized, set up, and cleaned up. This last party on Saturday was pretty fun because it turned into a monsoon-mud party. Danny and Annelise were the oldest kids, and they just played outside in the mud. We knew the weather would be bad, and our friends have this tiny little co-operative townhouse... so I dressed the kids in their grubbies and let them get as messy as they wanted while we visited with the adults. So fun! The season of parties has reminded me how much I miss our Verano park parties in Irvine. Hi, UCI friends!

Here are a couple of pictures of the kids at Pump It Up. Randy and I had as much fun as Danny and Annelise (down the slides, up the ladders, bounce, bounce, through the obstacle course!). There is a lot of action in these pictures and red eye that I haven't fixed, yet, but you all get the idea!