party over here!

tuesday was our easy day this week. the only thing on the agenda was bubba's baseball game.

sa-weet!

daddy had class and sissy had to work, so baseball baby and her two sisters got to come enjoy the game. she climbed onto this seat and sat and watched. and she only fell once.

our poor yankees had another loss. although there were a few rallies and it wasn't as bad a loss as we've had in the past. (i can't remember the exact score) daddy got out of class early, so he came, he watched, he picked up babies for home. it's always nice to enjoy a game without chasing after girlies. :)

tuesday night was a late, late night. i ended up staying up till after 2. i just figured i'd rather get as many things done without kids as i could. so i made 72 cupcakes, dips, juice, oobleck, and prepped strawberries and grapes, picked up, gathered outside balls and bubbles and tables. basically everything i could do in the middle of the night. 

wednesday was busy, busy. parties are so fun, but a lot of work, especially when you have a super stressed hubby and are flying solo - which is probably the case for most mama's, right? i set up every chair i could find - patio furniture, beach chairs, rocking chairs, lawn chairs, and my small kitchen table chairs, set up some toys for kids, set up tables and tablecloths, and frosted the said 72 cupcakes. i finished right at 4. it was pretty perfect and only a little bit frazzling at the very end. 

there was a lot of this going on -

that's the whole frosting top of a creamy buttery cupcake, which then made a creamy buttery mess on the floor. there were a lot of spills. but we pushed through the pain.

 the party was fun. :)

 here's what happens when a well meaning bubble blowing child enters a no bubbles allowed bouncey house. and then other well meaning water gun squirting children squirt water into spilled bubbles in a non water gun bouncy house.

these are just a few quick pics i took from my phone. chris was in charge of operating the big camera. when he wasn't inside napping, at least.

i had a special card for papa johns that was supposed to allow for delivery, but then when i called, at 3:30, they said we'd have to pick the pizza up. so matt picked up addie from school and made it to the party right at 4. he said that addie kept saying "i wonder if my guests have arrived!" we're very proper.

then matt had to leave to pick up pizza at 4:45. then after he dropped off pizza, he left for his pack meeting. with lexi at work and chris napping half the party, (i only wish i was joking) i was seriously flying solo.

everyone seemed to have a fun time, even with a lack of proper hosting.

with no help, (i know other moms would have, and did,  help, but you know) and 25+ kids, i decided i wasn't up for the whole group opening of the presents. plus, there was a bouncey house, forthelove, so what 5-year-old wants to watch another 5-year-old open presents? 

turns out most 5-year-olds.

i had gone around and told parents that i was flying solo on the parental front, so we were gonna skip the group present opening, but if their child wanted addie to open the present they brought, that would be great. so one by one, kids brought their present to her as she sat on a bench and she opened each present with the present giver. it was actually pretty sweet and i think i'd like to do it that way again. :)

it was a good party. a whole lotta work, but a good party. after all the guests had left, chris and i (he was all refreshed from his nap) sat out and enjoyed the gorgeous evening while the little girls enjoyed the quiet bouncey house. they were pretty shocked when the bouncey house guys arrived at 7:30 to pick it up. and then the next day, and the next day when they still hadn't brought "our bouncey house" back. it would be so fun to own!

christian decorated the front of the house with pink crepe paper. :)

not what i had envisioned, but pretty cute.

after party dress-up:

this little diddy started as a bad guy outfit - note the black tights - but then ended bikini, sailor girl.

we're a hot mess.

delaney blew me some bubbles while we rested for a few minutes after the festivities.

 

after the party, the clean-up was pretty actually pretty quick. chris put away all the chairs, most of the food was gone, and i was able to quickly hose off the deck. 

the most important thing was that addie had a good time with her friends and felt loved and celebrated.

it doesn't matter how much work went into it when there is success on those two fronts.

 hooray!