Great 6th Birthday Party!

Luke and Alona had one of the best birthday parties any 6 year old could hope for. There were so many friends and family there it was great! What better way to enjoy the end of a long summer than with a big party down at the best playground in town, with all your favorite friends from church coming to hang out. Loads of fun! Here I am cutting the cake with Laura and Luke eagerly waiting to get his grubby little fingers into it. Sticky boy...


Wednesday evening I got back in town from a long trip to Southern California. All I can say is that I am so thankful for GPS. There is one point on I-5 near San Diego where there are 10 lanes of traffic in each direction! Overall it was a good trip, and very nice to see all my friends and family again at the wedding of my niece. Here's a photo of Larry and his evil twin look-alike, Ethan. The two were so similar looking they could have been related...oh, wait, they are. It was also a business trip for me, so I visited 5 different stores, 3 different classes at an art school, and taught one all-day workshop. Quick, packed trip.

One thing I picked up from So Cal was a nice little cold. It was small until I had it compounded by 3 flights home. On the last leg of the journey home, San Fran to Eugene I remember sitting in my seat and closing my eyes. I opened them again and wondered why we hadn't left the gate yet, as the engines were on. I looked out the window and there was Mt. Shasta. I was so disoriented that it took me about 5 min. to convince my body that I really was up in the air.

So you can imagine how much I wanted to prepare for a big party. Luckily Laura and I were both super busy this past week, so neither of us had any time to plan. As it was, I did all the prep for my portion of the party this afternoon- grocery shopping, gift baggies, Luke's haircut, etc. Then we zipped on down to the park. (check out Luke's new do - it makes up for a summer of shaggy hair, though he kept begging the barber for a mohawk - fat chance with mom paying for the cut).



Larry and Joshua showed up, as Diana was still feeling a bit sick from their trip to So Cal with us. Grandma Hallock was there, and later that evening Grandma and Grandpa Walker showed up as well.



We were so excited to see all our friends from church. The Ravens, the Daltons, the Ogans, the Roberts, the Nguyens... and so many more! I think there were at least 25 kids there, and just about that many adults.

It was a potluck, so it was all pretty relaxed, and cleanup was easy. people showed up, ate, talked, kids ran around, and then Luke, Alona, and Michelle Roberts had Happy Birthday sung to them. We cut the cake and then the kids opened presents. Then havoc and fun reined until everyone headed home at dark. We're pretty sure that each family made it home with the same kids they came with, but there may be a few strays still lurking at the park...it's hard to tell there were so many kids there.

Overall, we claim success! Easy party, lots of fun, lots of friends, and the kids had a great birthday. We sure will miss Alona and her family when they move to Las Vagas! Here are a few more pics to leave you with...