James' 9th Birthday Party

For James' 9th birthday, we had a water party with the cousins. We filled up water balloons and the water fight actually went super smooth (took 3 hours to fill and the fight lasted less than 10 minutes). The slip and slide (plastic sheeting and sprinkler) was a bigger hit than it was at Megan's party and they played with it for 3 hours! The little kiddie pool was a hit too and at one time, nearly every cousin was in the pool at the same time! I didn't think it was possible. James picked out a fancy cake and we got his new favorite Rocky Road ice cream. I wasn't feeling up to making a 3D cake myself or even trying to jazz up a themed party. We had a BBQ with hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, pasta salad, fresh fruit with fruit dip, chips and soda. James absolutely loved his party and it seems that each one gets easier and better -- I think it's easier as they get older and can handle themselves better. James loved his presents and is so excited to have all that money to go pick out some toys himself. It was a lot of fun!















Unfortunately, the Slip-n-Slide took a toll on the grass. Below is the before and after shot. At least I expect the grass to grow back green in time.
BEFORE
AFTER