Birthday extravaganza!

Here's some photos from Ava's party. I think the kids had a good time and for a few it was their first birthday party. Ava had all her best friends here and they got along really well. Luckily the boys were able to stick together because the girls ransacked Ava's dress up box within 5 minutes of arriving. Even her princess pajamas were fair game.

Jaime reading her new book and Ava annoyed that I'm interrupting

Ian got an ABC book from his Tia

Ava blowing out her candles

Grant giving the princess pinata his best efforts

But in the end it was Miriam who gave the final blow

The Bounty

This was a mummy game I made up. It did not go well. The paper kept ripping and two kids ended up in tears from the confusion and attention of being wrapped in toilet paper.

Hannah the mermaid

Miriam the princess

Ava received a bounce castle from Ben's parents and it was a big hit at the party

And for my friends who want details on the menu, we served BBQ pulled pork in a crockpot, chips, and broccoli salad for the adults. The kids got pizza rolls, pirates booty, grapes, carrot sticks, goldfish crackers and an extreme sugar high.

As Ben was tucking Ava into bed that night he asked her what her favorite part of the party was. First she said it was the gumdrops on her cake. Then she said she liked the presents and the castle cake and having her friends over to play. Finally she told him that she did not like mama's mummy game. "Why not?," Ben asked. "Because it was wasteful and inappropriate."

I have spent two years drilling into her that you are only supposed to use a certain amount of toilet paper because it comes from trees and then I pull out three rolls and have them wrap each other in it. You live and learn. :)

Parties are a lot of work but at the end of the day you really feel like you've given a gift to your child with the experience and the memories. It's a good thing they only have birthday's once a year because it might take me that long to recover.