Birthday # 12

Twelve years ago I became a Mom.  What a feeling - having a little one to love and care for... I should do it again.  Hmmm... maybe that will be another post.

This one is about Madeline.

We got home from picking her up at camp about mid-afternoon yesterday, and spent the rest of the day getting ready for today's festivities.  After church today we did some last minute prep, then sat back to wait for the girls.

I had decorated around her seat at the table last night so she'd have a nice surprise - this is her at lunch in her birthday outfit from Auntie Carla, and the bunting I sewed up last night.

 

When the girls arrived, we headed down the street to the park for a little photo shoot, and took the bunting along...

 

We headed home for a little water balloon fun in the front yard, then M opened her gifts.  Thoughtful friends...

 

From there I put them to work!  Here they are decorating cupcakes - they had a great time and came up with some real crazies.  This was a great activity with this age.  We had the family over for supper after, so they were decorating for both parties.

 

And finally one showing our happily full backyard - 26 people: the 3 of us, 2 grandpas, 4 aunts and 5 uncles, 8 cousins and one "almost family" family of four.

 

Note the bunting in the back... and there's some along the fence to the right as well.  It may have been my favorite part of the whole day!! (Besides the people of course...!)  Besides the cupcakes, the menu for supper was a yummy pulled beef on buns, marshmallow salad, bok choy salad, pasta salad, veggies and dip, and chips and pop.

Oh, and the one I almost forgot - Jello Slices.  This was a good one.  I saw a link that showed these great colorful treats (check it out quick and then come back so you'll know what I'm talking about).  I had a bunch of grapefruit to use up (the recipe called for oranges, but I figured these would work).  I made purple, orange and green, not all six, and they turned out looking so impressive!  I forgot them in the fridge till after a number of our guests (and the smaller kids that I actually made them for) had left, but all who were left were game to take one and try...

I played a good joke and didn't even know it - the grapefruit flavored the jello and the jello was STRONG and TART...!  It was awesome and funny and I might never live it down, but it was worth it.  I still have half in my fridge and am wondering who else might I get to try?

All in all, a good day.  M is downstairs watching a movie with the one we are letting sleep over, and we are just about ready to crash.

My baby is 12, and we celebrated well.