Before I forget, here is Kayla' birthday part invitation. I used Pamela's amazing mega ABC kit to design it.



The party will be Aug 2nd and we're doing two, yes, I said two parties in one day. Kayla had wanted a party both at the inflatable slide heaven Pump It Up, as well as a pool party at the house. I was very uneasy having her friends from school at the house since I've been told by multiple people that it's not uncommon for parents of 4-6 year olds to drop their kids off and leave. That is too young for the pool - unsupervised except by me. And I didn't want to take the risk. So...we are having the kid's part at the play place and then having family and a few close friends back at the house afterwards. Crazy, I know and I'm sure that day I'll be kicking myself, but I figure on Sunday I'll be glad to have it be over and done with. I will be posting more details and the menu and recipes as it gets closer (or after), but as of now, based on who has responded it will be dairy, peanut/tree nut and strawberry free. I may add egg to that list depending on more RSVP's.

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This week, we went down to the beach in Delaware for the day. My Sister and her family had been down for a few days with her brother-in-law and his family. It was a nice day and the ocean breeze kept the beach cool (actually down right chilly, but it's better than too hot). A lot of driving - 2.5 hours each way - but all 8 kids got along really well. We had a couple melt downs from various children, but overall the day was a success. After a couple hours at the beach we hung out at the beach house on a pond and the kids fished with the men. My Sister's in-laws ar wonderful people and voluntarily made the day dairy-free so it was as safe as it could be for Kayla. It was amazingly generous of them (it was their rental) and really made my day enjoyable.

Here are some pics from the day.
Elliot waiting for the beach shuttle (he is 3 weeks younger than Alysa)


Maddy buried in the sand


My Dad in the ocean - he spent the entire time body surfing


Kayla was ALL about the sand


Alysa just loved to snack


Fishing with Uncle Jason




J and little Zach


The older kids with Colin's fish


Colin's so proud of his catch (I can't believe my nephew is 8)


A rare family photo


The whole gang

*We actually got all of them smiling except Alek - but he's 9 months old and the song and dance we were doing to get them all looking and smiling overwhelmed him a bit.*