Delaney Turns 6

In the Clark household, we have a tradition of having family birthdays and friend birthdays, alternating every other year. So, one year it's easy on Mom and Dad's wallet as we go out to dinner as a family and celebrate with cake and ice cream at home. The next year, it's a friend party that inevitably costs much more than two adult entrees and three kids meals. But of course, the kids look so forward to the friend birthdays.

This year was Delaney's friend birthday party. She wanted to have it at our local splash park. The best thing about having it here? I pay one flat fee, and then we can invite up to 200 people! Yes, 200! Do we know that many people? No, but this way she was able to invite all the kids in her school class, church class, Daisy Girl troop, gymnastics team and neighborhood. Siblings were welcome and we had about 80 kids come. We had it a few days before her actual birthday because I was leaving for girls camp the morning after her birthday (which, I survived, by the way...though have no pictures to prove it!)

The worst thing about having it here? Having to rely on the one thing I can't control...weather! For 10 days previous, the temps had consistently been in the 90s with not cloud or rain drop in sight. The morning of her party we woke up to thunder, rain and wind. However, as the day went on, the skies cleared and we ended up with a fairly nice evening. I think I checked the weather radar about 1000 times that day and swore to myself I will never again plan a party that is dependent on weather. But, we ended up with a party cloudy evening that was warm enough for everyone to enjoy.

Here's Delaney saying "hi" to Hank, from her class. They were the two shortest kids in the class, with Delaney being 1/2 inch shorter than Hank, making her the shortest. I didn't realize how small she was for her age until the end of the year when her teacher measured them all and their heights were are recorded on a poster.


As much as this park is geared to little ones, the big kids still had plenty of fun.



One rule in our backyard is "No Water in the Sandbox!" The fun thing about the huge sandbox at the splash park is that there is water running through it. Both Delaney and Jackson talked their friends into burying them.




There aren't too many action shots of Addie from the party. Addie's pool style all summer has been to get in the water for 30 seconds, and then sit on a lawn chair for 20 minutes. Pool for 30...chair for 20...over and over. Her favorite, Mr. Scot, kept her company through most of the party. I think they bonded over a shared cup of goldfish.


All in all, the party was a huge success. I wish it had been sunnier, but after a crazy day of weather, I was just grateful it wasn't raining. Delaney couldn't have cared less about the weather, and she had a blast, so in the end, I suppose that's all that mattered.


What would be the only downside of having 80 kids at a birthday party? That worked out to be about 30 presents!! What child needs 30 presents?!? She got more for her birthday than she does for Christmas, so unbeknownst to her, as she got distracted by opening a new present, Jeff and I slipped some away and stashed them for a bored, rainy day.

Spoiled rotten, I say!