A week's worth of celebrating

 Side note #1: What is up with Blogger? All week I thought it was down, but then Brian told me to try it in Firefox and that worked. So if you are having issues in IE, try FF. 

Side note #2: Requesting prayer for my Grandpa, who fell and broke his hip on Monday and had a partial hip replacement on Tuesday. He's not one to enjoy being immobilized, so I pray that he's back up on his feet quickly. 

Side note #3: I wanted to clarify since someone asked once: if I post pictures of other people's kids here, I have asked for their permission, and I don't share names. All the kids' moms are good friends of mine, and many of them have blogs of their own. I don't want anyone to think that I haphazardly post pictures of anyone who stands still in front of me.

Oma came a week early and let her pick a cake at the store. Katy had met the baker on a fieldtrip and knew that he had been decorating cakes for 15 years and knows how to write all 26 letters.

For the day of her birthday, I made this number. Katy helped me select it from a group of pictures online.

Grammy, Papa John, Grandpa, and Grandma Sue all came for her birthday. We played mini-golf, which is a hoot.

She takes it very seriously. Like I said: competitive.

Eventually the stroller would no longer contain him. He got so wet and dirty, but that's how it goes these days.

Pile-o-gifts and the manicure that Grammy got with her.

And then we had a friend party, which landed on the ONLY day in all of April and May with both pleasant temperatures and no rain. Seriously, we were SO lucky.

It was a Garden Party, and I had such a blast with the kids (and their moms!). It was a really good time. 

Instead of baking again, we made dirt cups. First, they crushed oreos for the soil.

Taking a lemonade break if necessary (it's hard to see, but Katy made flower straws).

They all helped scoop the "mud," then add the "soil" and the "worm."

Next we made elephant watering cans out of milk jugs (I needed so many jugs that I had to pilfer from other recycling bins. No shame.)

They looked like this!

The tree swing was very popular.

Finally we planted some flowers in pots to take home.

This is laughable because I know nothing about gardening!

Giving her new flowers a drink from the elephant's trunk.

Lunch is coming.

Sanity saver tip of the year: keep the food super simple. They like it better anyway.

They formed a line for the swings - how cute is that?

The dirt cups are ready, and they hold a 5 year old candle just fine. Thanks, friends!