You Say It's Your Birthday?

The kids have been fired up all week, getting ready for Daddy's birthday (this past Thursday). Any excuse for a party around here is a good one. We consistently have birthday parties for the stuffed dogs, and an oft-asked question is, "Who's birthday is next?"

It's important, you know.

I went about the day, madly cooking several time-consuming dishes for dinner, and trying to keep the house clean. I gave the kids the sole task of "decorations" in every form. They took this assignment to heart, and they did nothing else for the remainder of the day, except take a break for lunch and raid a package of cookies. There were arguments, discussions, planning meetings, and in the end we had one fabulous-looking house, ready for our Dad to enjoy! At one point I casually offered the suggestion, "Why don't you take pictures of your decorations?" Here's what our camera-girl Boo captured on my camera phone (keep in mind that she took about 10 pictures of each image. I have a lot of deleting to do!).

The red "You are Special" plate. It's a must at every birthday.
The plate proudly sat at Dad's spot all day.

No streamers? That's okay. We'll just use scraps of wrapping paper and delicately fold it around every doorknob and handle in the house. At one point I remarked, "Oh, we don't have any birthday wrapping paper," to which Yaks replied, "Dats okay, Mom. Santa can just wrap duh presents when he comes tonight!" He's a problem-solver, that Yaks. I just love that boy. Santa comes on Birthdays, too, I guess.

Plastic Bowling pins, strategically placed to add some "pop" of color.

This was my favorite feature. They got out the vacuum cleaner, unwound the cord and then expertly tied it to the string of the blind across the room. Then securely attached the plug to the banister of the stairs, creating the perfect bough in which to decorate. As if that wasn't enough to block every fire exit in our house, including my pathway up the stairs, they strung balloons to the vacuum cord.

At first bunched...

And then spaced out.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you about these balloons. I bought them at the grocery store. There were 12 in a package, and they looked fun, being different shapes than the usual round globes. Well, I'll never buy them again. They required the wind force of a hurricane! Honestly, every one I blew up I thought my head was going to explode. Even the kids became concerned at the red shade of my face, and the pained expression. They coached me thorough it, though. Boo said, "It's okay, Mom! You can do it! We're right here!" Cute kids. Horrible balloons.

Needless to say, Josh wasn't as pleased as we were to see this decoration come to fruition.

Finally, what's a party without a party outfit? Yaks thought this was particularly important. He chose his new DRAGON shirt.



Little Diddle-brains sported her little Panda outfit. It's from Carter's.
Don't they make the very softest clothes?


Head...


to toe cute!
This is also for our Aunt Abby, who is in China teaching English. She is working hard to "become Chinese". I think dressing in Asian-themed clothing counts, don't you?