Birthday Party…a little late

Well would you look at this. I’m actually posting sometime other than Monday or Tuesday! I really do want to make it more of a habit. I’m sure it would help if I would actually follow the nice and very workable daily schedule I’ve created. I’m much better about creating organization than I am about using it.

As I was going back through pictures to be reminded what I’ve wanted to blog about, I realized I never posted anything about how we celebrated Olivia’s birthday! So, that must be a priority! Then I’ll go back and catch other things.

Olivia’s birthday requests were quite simple. She just wanted a little swim party, and the Stones were, as usual, more than happy to give us free reign of their back yard for the celebration. She wanted simple meals for the day – pancakes, chicken pot pie, and peanut butter sandwiches with Cheez-Its. Meanwhile, her cake request had been pretty solid for some time – a jello cake with some birthday candies for decoration. But as we were shopping that Friday for the final birthday cake/meal details, she changed her mind. She remembered a 3D duckie pan stored up in my cabinets, and she decided a duckie ready to go swimming would be the perfect swim party cake! So, the jello cake plan morphed into a rubber duckie in a purple float! I was actually kind of excited. I knew it would take more time, but I do enjoy decorating the kids’ cakes every year.

We started her birthday morning with the IMG-20120308-00158discovery that the round cakes I’d baked for the floats had been attacked! There were gouges and claw marks accompanied by tell-tale orange and yellow fur marking the culprit very quickly.

I quickly baked up another cake, but I can’t say I so quickly got over being mad at Jack! At least it wasn’t the duck!

Olivia wanted to chronicle the decoration of Duckie, so I handed her the camera while I got to work. Olivia8Olivia7Olivia6Olivia5

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Next came our light lunch sandwich lunch followed by presents! Angela made her another sock doll – this one the “son” of William and Susan. His name is George. Steven gave her a Star Wars Lego kit, and Doug and I got her an “Olivia’s Laboratory” Lego kit and a rolling cart for her school books. I think she was happy!

Finally came swim party time. We headed over to Gary & Mary Ann’s back yard, set up the table (Mary Ann left the adorable table cloth out for us. Wasn’t it perfect?!), blew up balloons, and waited for friends!

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Several of the people she’d wanted to have at her party weren’t able to come. But, we discovered at the last minute that several people we didn’t expect to be in town were able to come! Unfortunately, I didn’t get pictures of the party gang (I was too busy enjoying the party!), but we were delighted that Rachel Hillman and her three kids and our precious friends Bart & Tara came to party with us! Bart & Tara moved to Texas last summer, and we look forward to any chance we have to visit with them.

We sang “Happy Birthday,” Olivia blew out the candles, we enjoyed cake and ice cream, and then everyone jumped into the pool.

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After a couple of sweet hours of visiting and kids climbing all over poor Bart, we said our goodbyes and headed home for an evening of showers, chicken pot pie, and relaxation. All in all, Olivia deemed it to be a great way to celebrate turning 11!

Comments

Sounds like a fabulous b'day, and what wonderful friends to share their home and pool :D

Happy b'day, Olivia!

Julie
Choate Family said…
Olivia is growing into a beautiful young lady - inside and out!

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