It's Avery's Party...

...and she didn't cry a bit! Well, only once when I took her away from Lolli. We had Avery's party yesterday, July 24th, at our house. On the guest list were family and some close friends. Since Avery isn't at an age where she actually has friends, only one child was in attendance. I doubt I'll be that lucky next year. Avery chose party day to take an extra-long afternoon nap and had to be woken a little after 3 to get ready for her 3:30 party. We got her in her special birthday outfit and were ready to get the party started.



Not sure why this picture is crooked, but I wanted to show her cute paper products. This is the napkin on one of the larger plates. The large plate had a giraffe and the smaller cake plate had an elephant. I thought they were so sweet and not over the top. We added some pink, green, and yellow balloons inside and out, and that was the extent of our decorating. It will probably be the easiest of her parties to plan and was definately the way to go.



We did presents and Avery's cake in our seldom-used basement room. The pool table was moved out and my chair moved in just in time for the party. The room is very long and there is extra space that you can't see here. We brought down extra chairs but still didn't have enough seating for the 25 or so in attendance. The adult beverages were in the back of the room so those partaking didn't mind standing! We put the video camera on the tripod so that Ned could take pictures. Luckily Lolli thought to move the camera when Avery moved to her high chair. And, always remember to take note of your DVD length and watch your time. I spent most of the afternoon thinking that we had missed getting Avery's priceless face when everyone sang because the DVD had run out. We got it though!



Ned and I gave Avery the wagon and some play clothes for the babysitter. She also got an alphabet train to take to the beach which was kind of birthday too. As you can see, Felix wanted to make sure everything was in tip-top shape for our guests.





Avery got so many wonderful gifts...interactive learning toys, walking and riding toys, her first baby doll, toys for the bath, clothes, Crocs, and many other things. She should be set until Christmas. We've only brought up a few to play with and hope to stretch the newness out for awhile.



Once she got her hands on this ribbon, she had no need for presents. In EVERY picture of us opening gifts after she got the ribbon, it's either in her hand or in her mouth. I'm surprised our guests didn't take their gifts back! She certainly kept everyone entertained as she opened her presents...tearing paper, throwing tissue paper, tossing things aside when she was done with them, standing on her own, etc. I couldn't believe how happy she was and was not bothered a bit that so many people were around.



Avery couldn't figure out what in the world everyone was doing as they sang "Happy Birthday." Her face was so serious that we all laughed through the song. She broke out in this big smile when everyone was done though. I'm surprised she didn't break out with a dance. All she needs to hear these days is a little beat and she's dancing away.



Avery enjoyed picking at the icing flowers on her cake but never ate much of the actual cake. She had never had icing and had only had a small bit of cupcake before. She enjoyed digging in but didn't get too messy. After her cake we all went upstairs for our cake. The big birthday cake was made by Mrs. Kitchen, who has made all of my birthday cakes, my wedding cake, and even one of my baby shower cakes! If Avery ever wants a decorative one we'll just have to have two. We had cake, ice cream, and other snacks for our guests. My mother-in-law gave me the wonderful idea of freezing scoops of ice cream in muffin tins, and it was a great time saver. Avery enjoyed playing with Hunter, who will soon turn 5. She touched him, patted his head, and even scored a kiss on his way out. Avery also had to eat her dinner in front of some of the guests. She hadn't had her afternoon bottle, and I guess that icing wasn't very filling.

After everyone left, we went back to check out the gifts. Two of the toys had already gone upstairs and are missing from the picture. Some of the toys and clothes are hidden also. What a pile! She also got a giftcard to choose another toy, but I may have to go with books. I won't be able to do that for long! Avery did better than I had ever imagined during her party but was done by about 6 pm. Lolli and Poppa stayed for pizza and helped entertain her. She went to bed early but had to cry herself to sleep because her day had finally caught up with her.

I must admit, I get a little worked up about having one couple over for dinner, so almost 30 people in my house was a stretch. But Avery's party was the most fun I've had in a long time and definately our best entertaining experience so far. I'm not one to brag on how cute she is, and I can't always brag about her behavior because, well, she's a baby, but she was precious through the whole party. She'll never remember this special day, but we have lots of pictures and video to show her. What I really want her to know is how lucky she is to have so many people who love her who came to celebrate her life with us. It certainly was a celabratory year, and we can't wait to see what the upcoming year has in store. Now, if we can just find a place for all the toys!