Blythe Turns Six

Blythe is six today.  SIX! I can't believe it.  She is big!  Well, not really big, but growing up so amazingly fast.  She is a kindergarten graduate, she reads, she does math, she is getting more cooperative and less defiant (although there are still moments), she has lots of friends and is interested in all sorts of things.  She still likes art and creative projects, "girl" Legos, dressing up, make over, riding her bike, playing with friends, and being untidy.  She is a confident leader and organizer, and is unafraid to participate in conversation with grown ups.  I don't think she sees herself as little in any way; she's a big girl.  She is funny and bright and sometimes incredibly irritating on purpose.  We love her more and more all the time.

Maybe ten days ago Blythe informed me she wanted a penguin party for her birthday.  She wanted to play penguin games and have treats for penguins, and she insisted we get on the computer and look up stuff to do.  I must admit to a bit of eye-rolling when she said a penguin party, because after all, her birthday is in June.  Penguins are not the first things that come to mind in early summer.  But I complied with her wish and we found some penguin stuff to do.  For games she wanted to eat gooey fish off plates without using your hands, jump on icebergs, and slide along ice somehow.  All of that was super easy, and with the addition of musical chairs where the children had to waddle around paper plate "icebergs," that is essentially what we did.  The games took very little time, but the sliding portion was a giant slip-n-slide we got from Kent's office.  It was a large vinyl sign previously used at World of Concrete and which proved to be ALOT of fun.

There were lots of cute penguin themed treats, but I didn't want to go to a lot of work (is that a horrible admission from a mom about a beloved daughter's birthday party?  If so, oh well.  I'm living guilt free.) so we settled on ice cream cake decorated to look like water topped with penguins we already have from a game, penguin sugar cookies I had made and decorated at Macey's (again no guilt but absolutely delight that I was able to get someone else to do all the work for me), fish crackers, Oreos (because they are black and white) and blue punch with floating icebergs.  I felt good about it and so did Blythe.

There were lots of people at the party, Blythe got lots of presents, and I think everyone had a great time.  Blythe, our birthday girl, had a good time, and so I suppose that is all that really matters.

Penguin cookies made for me (and Blythe) by Macey's.

I love my local grocery store.

These are all the party kids playing the gooey fish eating game.

They began, I clicked the picture, and Sarah Oyler stood up and said, "I'm done!"

Yes, passing out the plates of gooey fish took about twenty times longer than the actual game.

Iceberg jumping.

It was boys versus girls.

The boys must have done jumping three or four times by the time the girls finished the first go round.

Musical icebergs.

It got down to Sarah and Blythe and Sarah won.

I sort of hoped she would let Blythe win, but she didn't.

Here is everyone at the party.

Back row: Makenna, Crew, Luke holding Collin, Brandt holding Grayson, Blythe, McKenna, Shaylee, Sarah, and Cailin.

Front: Griffin, Jarom, Sam, Brick, Emma, Lilly, Ellen, and Kassi

  I took individual pictures so we can write thank you notes.

Blythe with Grayson and McKenna

Blythe with Griffin, Lyla, and Crew (Ava was present but wouldn't get in the picture)

Blythe with Lilly

and with Emma.

Foodstuffs. 

With Shaylee

and Cailin. 

And with Kassi 

and Ellen. 

Blythe with Auntie Lala and Brick

Everyone went outside to eat their goodies which was a good thing

because bright blue and black frostings got all over,

ice cream melted, and goldfish were smashed.  

 

And after all that, we did the slip-n-slide.

Everyone was super excited. 

In the evening, after all was said and done, we had dinner and opened family presents.

Blythe requested waffles for her birthday dinner, so that's what she had.

And she had requested girl Legos, so that's what she got too.

And here she is,

our bright, bold, and beautiful Blythe.