Cori Celebrates with Friends

Since Scott was due to be gone for Cori's actual birthday this year we planned Cori's birthday party this past Saturday rather than on her actual birthday. As you know, Scott arrived back home early so we celebrated her actual birthday together but decided for the sake of Mom's nerves we wouldn't try to change the date of the party.

Normally we have a party with a theme and coordinate the food and decorations around that theme. We also usually rent our local pool or bowling alley or some sort of place which makes decorating and working with a theme a tad bit easier to do. Cori decided this year she did not want a theme. She wanted a normal birthday party and all she wanted to do was play LOTS of games. So play games we did! We started our DRY outdoor party ( with this season being one of our rainiest in years, you can't tell me there isn't something to be said for the power of Prayer!) with a potato sack race. The sacks were a little small but it actually made the race more difficultto play and much funnier to watch.

We also played a great variation of tag. We filled a knee high half full with flour and tied it off. If you were tagged with flour you had to sit down. The object was to be the last one standing with no flour residue on your person. This game was a big hit with the boys; Wren told me it was his favorite game. I enjoyed watching the kids try to walk with water filled balloons between their knees from the starting point to the finish line. The winners only had to share their prize of a nice fluffy beach towel with the wet losers if they wanted to.

We had more games than we had time to play. Eventually we moved on to cake and presents which Cori tells me was her favorite part! Scott made a "Funny Bunny" cake this year. Cori really likes the little guy but we do have to keep tabs on which stickers and shirts she has. Some of them get a little fresh!

Her friends gave her a lot of wonderful gifts. The Swiffer Carpet Flick and the HUGE monkey throw rug were big hits. She even received a nice present(a Cinderalla light) that she knew Cassi would adore. As soon as we were home from the party she told Cassi she should put it in her room. Later I asked Cassi if she received any of the prizes from the party( I was afraid I'd overlooked her) and she declared, "I got the best prize ever", Cori gave me her Disney princess light. I loved the fact that Cori acknowledged what giving Cassi the light would mean and more especially I am so glad Cassi was grateful for it! Being a day full of games to win and lose, I am certain Scott and I were winning the parenting game today!