We decided to do a low-key, low-stress birthday party for Cora this year (meaning, not at the house) due to our upcoming (5 days!) trip to Disney (and more). We rented the pavilion at the YMCA's outdoor pool, made cake and cupcake pops, filled one cooler with drinks and another with ice cream, and invited all her buddies. Summer birthdays can sometimes be tough, attendance-wise (with families away on vacations), but her best friends were there (including her "boyfriend"), so she was a happy girl. Just add water, and she was thrilled!
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| Excited to head out and party! |
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| Our little water baby requested a mermaid-themed party this year, so we kept it simple with wave-like cupcake pops, a mermaid on top of an ocean cake (red velvet, as usual!), and some mermaid goodie boxes (filled with candy, of course). |
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| Brother tested, brother approved. |
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| As usual, Cora spent her time following the other daddies around (Stirlin and Al, especially), when she wasn't running between the diving board and kiddie pool (where her younger guests were hanging out). |
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I was proud of all the mommies for letting their kids eat all the cake and ice cream they wanted.
(Or maybe it was just that they learned to ask ME instead of their mommies, and I don't say no...) |
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| When Jamie arrived, Cora basically tackled him and corporal cuddling ensued. |
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| Poor Al... he can never catch a break from our kids... |
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| Just a little bit excited about that cake and being the center of attention... |
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Mason and Marie, Emma and Coltin, Aiden and Jamie, Will and Lauren, James, Adler and Hazel
(I've never seen all the siblings sit next to each other at a party before...) |
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| Who wants more cake?! |
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| Heading back to the diving board! |
After the party, though we had planned to take Cora out for dinner, we decided to grab take-out, watch a movie (she picked Labyrinth - SMART GIRL), and open presents instead (with 2 hours for the pool party, we wanted to be sure the kids got all the swimming time they wanted). She received some really nice things from her friends and family (she opened her gifts from Grambot and PawPaw, and Uncle Davey, Auntie Taryn, and cousins Eli and Addy too): mostly Lego sets and awesome crafting kits (she is very into both of those things lately!), but also a pretty dress and new sandals (which she decided to add to her line-up of portrait outfits for tomorrow), a cute doll in swim gear that came with a great story book, and some fun jewelry (from her "boyfriend"). She had a lot of fun opening her presents before bed (and a lot of help from her big brother).
Thank you everyone for coming out today to celebrate with us!
It's hard to believe she'll be FIVE in just one little week...
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