Edith Annith: 09.11.11

This morning I had a birthday playgroup for Madeline. I wanted to have a playgroup at the house to catch up and see some of the ladies and I wanted to have some of Madeline's little friends over to have a cupcake and celebrate with us. It turned out really great.

The menu:

chocolate cake cupcakes with Ma Mevec's chocolate frosting
Goldfish crackers
Teddy Graham crackers
Watermelon
Grapes - yummy ones that were the size of plums, crisp and just the right sweet
Raspberries
Choco-co-nut trail mix - a combunation of pecans, almonds, peanuts, shredded coconut, and dried cherries with milk chocolate poored over it and refridgerated over night and then broken up into bits. It was REALLY good.
Tea, juice, and water
And then my overly awesome friend, F, provided a REALLY good chicken salad with crackers, banana bread, and coffee.

It was a really nice set up and I didn't take a picture - something I am doing a lot lately and I am peeved at me for being so careless at capturing delicious or precious moments.

About half the people I invited showed up, which was good because it was still a pretty well sized group. The kids had a good time playing and, amazingly, there was no fighting and little or no crying incidents. I had Madeline's trampoline set up in the main area, the slide and some toys outside, and of course the toys in the playroom. I also had "Go Diego GO, a fave of Madelines, playing on the TV for a bit in the beginning.

For the craft I had each child a rock in a basket and they were able to decorate their rock and then fill out a birth certificate. Most of the kids named their rock after themselves. Madeline named hers "Princess rock." My favorite name choice of the day was "boom boom."

After the playgroup was over and everyone left, F and her little man B stayed and had lunch with us. The kids played with the balloons and had fun jumping. The only way we could get them to eat their lunch was to challenge them at "monster biting" their sandwiches and then, at one point, letting them eat off their plates on the floor like dogs. Hey - you gotta do what you gotta do. At least they ate.

After our friends left I let Mads open her presents that people weren't supposed to bring, and we played a bit with some of them. Then the girls and I went upstairs for a while to relax.

Paul had to work late to prepare for a presentation. Then the girls and I picked him up and we had a light dinner and snacks and left overs and Paul relaxed a little playing some video games.

It was a really nice day.

Here are a few photos from the event. I didn't really get a chance to take many pictures because I was holding the baby and making sure everyone was doing well. It's hard to take pictures when you are hosting an event at your home and trying to socialize and watch kids. No names, just random letters for the sake of my friends privacy.