The Party
This year Lily wanted a water party with all her friends. Grandma and Grandpa were nice enough to let us have it in their backyard and let Lily invite all the friends she wanted to. This was quite a few friends, but knowing we will be moving her to a new school next year and that many people are often unable to come during the summertime we threw caution to the wind and let her invite all the girls from school, and some from church, and her new friend from across the street. We bought 2 inflatable pools, and a slip n slide to add to our wiggly sprinkler, and planned on water balloons and water balloon pinatas. We bought the pools and slip-n-slide early and enjoyed testing them out a few times. The weather this summer has been super HOT, but the week of Lily's party it looked like it might not be warm enough for our Saturday plans! I was just started to feel better after my root canal flare up early in the week and I prayed every day that the weather would be warm enough that the kids would enjoy playing in the water and not be shivering in their towels. The forecast got a little bit warmer each day. It wasn't as hot as it had been, but we set up and covered the pools so the cold water from the hose water could warm up in them the day before, and only added a few pans of boiling hot water to get the temperature more comfortable that morning. (Oh, maybe just...24 - up and down the patio stairs before I decided it would do :))
Luckily we decided to test out our water balloon pinata idea the night before. We put 3 little toys in regular balloons and filled them with water for each girl to break open like a personal, water soaking pinata. Such a fun idea, we thought, but kind of unbreakable...! First we tried filling it all the way with water... Mike and I held the balloon tied to a rope aloft from either side as Lily whacked at it with a bat, then a rough wooden stake, sat on it, and jumped on it as it lay on the grass, Mike jumped on it too, and that water filled balloon would just not give! Who knew regular old balloons would be so durable!? We stopped short of sticking anything sharp in the end of it the bat. I was already cringing every time Lily swung near me - I wasn't about to let a bunch of seven year olds loose in the yard swinging sticks with nails or push pins in them!! We tried filling the balloons with a little water and then air. The bat bounced off the balloon still without breaking and hit Sierra who came running up behind smack in the middle of her forehead - we decided it was getting too dangerous... So our water balloon pinata idea was a flop. But we'd already stuck all the little toys inside the balloons. We ended up just filling the balloons half with water, half with air and putting them in a big plastic tub and giving them to the kids to bust open however they wanted to! Sometimes the simplest solution is the best. :)
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| Lily ducked under the table for the funny face shot :) |
The most exciting part of the party wasn't planned. I'm not entirely sure how it started, but the kids started chasing Lily's dad around the yard trying to get him wet. They got pretty into it, and even picked up the big plastic bins we had on the sides of the yards for water balloons and pre-party water warming and started filling them up in the pool and chasing after him with the heavy things. He ended up surrendering his wallet and keys to me and letting them throw him in the pool.
Life of the party! :D
We had a fun time with all the kids, and I think they did too! I look forward to having friends over more when we have our own home! At least I think I do! :)
Lily was so cute opening her gifts. She said thank you, thank you, thank you so many times it was almost too much, but I was happy she was thinking and caring about showing her friends she liked and appreciated their presents! (She always remembers the story I've told her about how I made a little girl at my sister's birthday party feel bad once when I was little by blurting out that we already had the Cabbage Patch Card Game she brought for a present. I still feel sorry about it to this day. I don't think Lily will ever make that mistake!)
Lily is such a good kid. We are so glad to have her in our family and are so proud of what a terrific big sister she is. She is a wonderful reader. Her first grade teacher tested her at a 5th grade level and she is so quick and has a great expressive reading voice. Her favorite books right now are A to Z Mysteries and the Rainbow Magic Fairy series. She often tries to bring them with her to the dinner table. But though she does love to read, she usually picks playing with her sister first. She loves to plan parties and events - dance performances or circus shows, and she gets her little sister Sierra involved in the act. They (led by Lily) go all out with signs, and snacks, music, costumes, sets and props, tickets and programs. I've even heard them practicing their parts. Every single detail you can think of. Lily is very thoughtful and thorough. She is also a really great packer. She told me so the other night. She said she loves to pack and that if I needed help packing up to move into our new house she was my girl! Loving that volunteer attitude (more please)! She should be a good packer... She has lots of practice! Almost every night as they are getting ready for bed I unpack a new bag from a camping trip, or pretend sleepover, or trip to Paris that she and Sierra were packing for that day. And if she gets advance notice we are going to the Doctor's office or someplace - she usually packs a full bag with the snacks and entertainment she thinks she and her little sister will need for the occasion. She likes to be prepared - just like her mama!
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| Reading while out to eat - pulled this out of the pack you see beside her :) |
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| A really cool map Lily drew of all the places we needed to run errands to one day as we were getting ready for her birthday party |
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| Lily loves amusement parks and was so cute helping lift her little sister up into many of the rides! |
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| The pool water was so cold one day her tongue turned blue! |
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| A friend to ladybugs and roly polies |
Lily is still really shy with new people, but not with her inner circle. She's a bold performer for us. And she will lead whoever will follow! She can get very competitive at times. She can be so serious and so super silly. She loves to make her own craft projects and always impresses me with the things she comes up with on her own. She'd much rather do things her own way than follow other people's instructions, but she has a strong sense of how things should be done and doesn't hesitate to let others know how she thinks it should be. At the same time she loves to be reassured she is doing things right. She is a lot more like me than I usually realize!!! (That makes things hard sometimes so I need to remember that.) I am so grateful for her love and confidence in me! It helps me a ton to hear - even when I know I'm falling short - that she thinks I'm the best mom ever! Every night, my loyal girl! She is a wonderful, beautiful daughter and I'm so proud of her. I can't believe she's 7!
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Her happy dance (Pointer fingers in the air in front of her face with eyes squeezed shut and the cutest shimmy with attitude) (..this has rubbed off on her little sister)
Going to the bathroom or down the dark hallway by herself song: "I'm not afraid of anything! (repeated 3 times and ending with) ..Because I am so brave!"
Her favorite bedtime song is still my own "The Bird's Night Song"
Being able to turn an occasional expression of her indignation into guilty giggles with a knowing look. -So hysterical! Death glare turns giggly and the tension dissolves :)
How much she loves every single member of her extended family and remembers them individually in her thoughts and prayers.
You bring us so much joy Lily-girl. We are so glad to have you in our family!!!
And I can't wait to have you write your own blog post another time!
(She really just wants a whole blog all her own)
And I can't wait to have you write your own blog post another time!
(She really just wants a whole blog all her own)
