Another Happy Birthday

    Last  Saturday evening our daughter Maria and two granddaughters Makaila and Sienna flew in to Columbus from Los Angeles.  

         As Sienna’s 2nd  birthday was the next day,  Maria had invited some old school friends and their children over for a birthday party on Sunday afternoon. 
    Including family and friends we ended up with a head count of 9 children and 13 adults and I took a stab, and succeeded fairly well, at putting together a simple and kid-oriented party menu of:

    Pulled pork,

    Hot dogs on the grill,
    Tater tots,
   Macaroni and cheese,
    Green beans almondine,
     Hummus and chips,
    Veggies and dip,
    Fresh strawberries, and   

    Fresh blueberry shooters. 

    The desserts were:

    A Giant Eagle cake for Sienna and Tom, too, whose birthday had just passed,

    ...and a tray of store-bought cookies.

    Maria had brought along the Frozen-themed decorations (at 2 years old Sienna is already as avid a Frozen fan as her big sister) and we all got to work Saturday night setting up for the party.

    Earlier in the day I’d gone to the Dollar Tree and bought a dozen helium balloons – by the by, if you ever need helium party balloons, they’re only a dollar each at the Dollar Tree – which I hid in a closet until the girls went to bed then set free in the living room so that on Sunday morning the girls came downstairs to a room full of balloons.

The “balloon forest” (as the girls called it) was a big hit. 

    We spent the morning running around getting ready for the party,

    Cleaning up the patio,

    Setting up the pool, parachute and water toys in the backyard,

...and, as party time approached, setting out the finishing touches. 

     Shortly before the guests arrived I told Makaila that it was almost time for the party.  She gave me confused look and replied, “But Grammie, this is the party!” 
     It’s wonderful to be 4 years old.
    The guests began arriving at 3:00, some with more balloons to add to the “forest”.

    I invited everyone to dig into the food as soon as they arrived, 

…though the kids seemed more interested in diving into the water toys.

     The adults, between chasing after and playing with the kids, enjoyed catching up,

…and, of course, eating.



    Me, I went for a hot dog topped with pico de gallo, relish and mustard, a sort of Chicago/Mex combo.  It was quite awesome,  

...though not quite in the same league as the dog put together by Tommy, upon which he piled the same ingredients as mine then topped them with pulled pork and a pickle slice ._

    After a bit we cut into the cake and sang "Happy Birthday" to the birthday girl.

     

Then the party moved to the inside toys. 

    In a while the guests began leaving, each one taking with them a balloon or two.  By 7:30 the last of the guests had gone;

    ...which meant, of course, that it was time to grab another plate and start digging into the left-overs.