Happy Birthday Emmaline- a "Lucy" adventure

Emmaline's birthday seems to always be a bit forgotten somehow. We are either on vacation, at a family reunion... summer birthdays are just hard. To combat this, she decided to give out invitations to her friends before school ended . We had to make quick work of deciding what kind of party to have and making the invitations at the last minute.

Raging Waters seemed a good choice since they have a Monday night deal where you can get 8 people in for a cheap price. What is it they say about the best laid plans? She came home from school admitting that she was pretty sure the invitations were getting passed around and she wasn't certain how many kids where coming. Luckily it had an "RSVP by" date and we found out that only 12 kids were planning to come (some of the parents called saying... "My child tells me they have been invited to Emmaline's party but we aren't sure about the date, time or location." Hmmm.)

The day before, I began getting calls from parents asking if their kids could catch a ride. "Of course," I thought. Tyler can help me... as long as I don't have EVERYONE to transport (the invitation asked that they meet me at the water park). It becomes clear around the time that we need to leave that Tyler isn't going to make it so I load 9 kids into my car and ride as carefully as possible to the party to meet the other guests (my car holds 6 kids- don't ask). As we are unloading, I realize I've forgotten the cupcakes and the camera. I get all 12 kids, plus Savannah and Emmaline into the park and make a dash for home with my boys (luckily 5 minutes away- that's what lifeguards are paid for, right?) and witness an AWFUL car crash and say my grateful prayers it wasn't me with the carload of kids several minutes before.

After that, the party was really a breeze. I think everyone had fun and it was great to see Emmaline with so many friends.

This kid and his hair... what can we say?!!

He claims he was "massaging" her with the flashing gummy yo-yo's we used for party favors. Aren't little brothers the best?! =)

All told, she got $115 in cash and gift cards in addition to various gifts. I didn't know you were supposed to give 11 year olds a twenty for their birthday. YIKES- we've been skimping.

And luckily Tyler was there to help me transport them home... and give Tucker a napping place as well.

Emmaline is a little ball of energy. She is the one in our family that comes up with all the ideas- whether it be crafts, games or activities. I think it frustrates her that the rest of the world can't usually keep up. It has been fun to watch her this year as she works to overcome some of her challenges. We love you, Emmaline.