The morning involved many an excitement-induced tantrum, so in order to avoid a situation where mommy threatened and then had to follow through on canceling the party, the birthday boy was banished to his room until the festivities were set to begin.
Luckily he emerged from exile a new man (or, really, his normal self), well-behaved and, like his snacks, ready to party:
Once they were allowed out of
And soon, many children arrived, all ready to party.
JP's slide was a big hit.
This age is so great for a pool party. Pretty much everyone can swim, parents don't have to get in the pool (which is good, since I had no intention of actually baring the bikini I was wearing under my dress), the slide kept them entertained for a solid hour, and the impromptu prize-less "biggest splash contest" at the end was received with great cheers and excitement.
Side note: when did this
become this?
I mean seriously.
(Sorry, I'm just indulging myself now, but who can resist a baby Santa?)
Okay, on to cake!
No one loves having friends over more than Landon. He is such a sociable creature and invites pretty much everyone he meets to come play with him and then wants to send them home with toys when they leave. We have never been to a park without his finding a new best friend or two within minutes, meeting their family, learning the names of all their siblings, organizing a game, and otherwise acting like he's known them all his life, while the new kid's parents look amused and JP and I are still getting Claire out of her stroller. It is a phenomenon that happens over and over again and is perhaps the thing that I find most special about him right now. I always had lots of friends, and JP always had plenty of playmates for his favorite class at school (recess), but neither of us were anything like Landon. He simultaneously draws in and seeks out the kids around him and often I think the new friends running around with him are secretly as bemused as we are.
6 candles!
All in all it was a great party. We had about a dozen kids of varying ages play in the pool for more than 2.5 hours (they were having so much fun, the party ran way over), and no one cried or got upset for any reason! It was easy on our end too- I bought some beach balls for the kids to play with and take home, put out some snacks (gold fish, pretzels, teddy grahams, watermelon, etc.), filled a cooler with waters, juice, and a few sodas, and bought a cake. Oh, and tied up some balloons and a Happy Birthday sign. The big piece of prep was really just taking off the pool cover.
We finished the day with a trip to our favorite pizza place with friends of ours who'd driven over from Dallas for the party, and woke up this morning to thunderstorms and pouring rain, making me very glad we went with the Saturday party date. So far this morning we've cobbled together breakfast, helped Landon assemble toys involving cars, balls that turn into cars, and legos, and watched at least four showings of his beloved Wild Kratts. At some point we'll have to leave the house for food (the birthday boy has requested pizza for his dinner tomorrow, and a donut and blueberry bagel for breakfast) and we'll probably pile on the couch and watch a movie while I go through pictures and video and marvel at how far this little guy has come- and how far he has yet to go!
Nobody cried? What kind of party is that? :)
ReplyDeleteThat picture of Landon as a preemie made my breath catch in my throat for a minute. I know you posted it in a nostalgia kind of way, but it brought me back to those touch and go first days. It's amazing to remember that and look at him now, tattooed, swimming, and drawing in friends all around him.
So awesome. I can't believe he's 6 either!! I remember very clearly trying to decide whether having a baby in law school was a totally crazy idea and devouring those early posts, during your pregnancy. It's so great to see what a special kid he is. Great job, Mama. :)
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