birthday party 101

 i think thomas and i have finally mastered the art of throwing a child's birthday party. we didn't have a single squabble about anything when prepping for scarlett's 4th shindig. it was a new record. what i've learned:

1. don't make anything. buy everything. those little water bottles with special labels are cute but completely unneccesary. especially if you can hardly wield a glue gun and craft stores are your nemesis.

2. everyone loves a pinata. it's that primal urge to beat things and be rewarded for it.

3. have a swim party. no other games or activities are neccesary.

i was feeling so magnanimous that i even let scarlett pick out what she wanted for her party. no interference from me. so it was a pink/hello kitty/princess party/hawaiian lei. i gagged a little because of my aversion to princesses but she was so happy that i was happy. and i did have ultimate creative control.

we rented our pool social hall(storage closet):

we invited all our besties:

i ordered a cake from my special top secret bakery(costco):

i was a little embarassed when one of our little friends read the cake and told her dad there was a bad word on it. i forgot kids could read.

not everyone minded though. miss holly enjoyed her piece of cake.

and thanks to the cake, i didn't have to cook very much on sunday.

fun was had by all.

scarlett especially enjoyed the gift opening portion of the afternoon.

on her actual day of birth we opened presents. our family tradition has become that we open some presents at breakfast. scarlett even wore the same hand me down pajamas from birthday 2010.

birthday 2010 at breakfast:

i dressed up for the occasion too.

and then we went downtown to have lunch with daddy and we also enjoyed a gourmet cupcake shoppe.

the cupcakes were overrated but the company was not.

the most exhausting week of my life

or, the first week of summer break 2011.

in one week, we've been downtown to the fountain.

(ps. if you've ever wanted to visit us, this is the time. plenty of snakes to herp, stank teeth to cavitron, civil war sites to observe, art to feel artsy about, rivers and lakes to tube or whitewater raft, moutains to hike, carolina vinegar and mustard-based barbecue to digest, skeeters to swat, SEC football to worship and a temple to boot. start planning your trips and booking your 15 passenger vans.)

 after the fountain we mosey-ed over to a delightful park located under an overpass.

how great is this picture? he tolerates me but he adores his sister.

we've been swimming 3 times.

this is my watch tan:

we made the mistake of going to the park, doing a nature walk and having a picnic on a nearly 100 degree day. that's a recipe for familial disaster. the swings burned our bums, the geese chased us for our lunches, and the bugs really are bigger down below the mason dixon. that's why there are so many registered handgun users here.

 we initiated sergeant simpson's summer school. i really dislike dumb kids so we've been having school time everyday. it's been a hit. the m&m part that is.

we slipped and slided for about 15 minutes and came to the conclusion that bruising is just not worth using proper technique.

i collapsed into bed each night. only 9 more weeks until school resumes.