Birthday Celebrations

In our family, we limit birthday celebrations with friends to every other year. On the off-years, it seems like a great idea. As for the on-years, well, the idea of throwing a party can still seem overwhelming, even with two years to prepare. So when Brooklyn's December birthday rolled around, we convinced her to postpone the party until her baptism in January. Once again, this seemed swell until January came and I was still swamped. Predictably, the party was pushed back once more until NomiAnn's March visit. Of course, by March our family had both added a newborn and (temporarily) subtracted a Dad. Only one solution remained: pay for a pool party.

For sixty five dollars, the Sand Hollow Aquatic Center provided swimming, decorations, treat bags, pizza, hot dogs, nachos, and drinks for twelve cute munchkins. The only thing we brought was the cake. While I'm usually all about saving money, the convenience was worth every penny.

So Jason, in honor of your birthday, here are some photos showing how Brooklyn celebrated hers:

Brooklyn and her best friend Anna check out the treat bags before they swim.

Here we have Talia with another good friend, Sofia.

Time to swim!  Here's Brooklyn laughing with her Girl Scout friend, Skye.

Kolter in his swim goggles.

Talia hitches a ride on Brooklyn's shoulders while Phoenix swims nearby.

We asked our neighbor, Kess Johnson, to come help keep an eye on Eli.  As you can see, they had a great time together.

Naturally, Kess was only too glad to hold Annika as well.

After an hour and a half of swimming, everyone was ready for cake.  Since this party was all about low-stress, we let the bakery make it.

NomiAnn leads us in a song.

Brooklyn makes a wish.

Back at home, our grown-up Brooklyn proudly displays her birthday balloon.

Meanwhile, Talia retrieves a rogue beach ball.

Few things in this world are more beautiful than the love between sisters.

Happy Birthday!