Pool Party

Mary Grace's 8th Birthday Party

Saturday, August 15th

Last year Mary Grace's birthday fell during the Discovery Channel's Shark Week and we were living in a hotel. So, against my better judgement, we ended up letting her watch quite a few of the shows. I think because it was her birthday and because she had a new found fascination with sharks, she decided she desperately wanted a shark themed birthday party. 

I listened to her talk about this. All.Year.Long.

So this summer rolled around and everyone started getting bitten by sharks and I began to worry that the theme was completely inappropriate. Mary Grace, on the other hand, seemed to think it made it all the more perfect. She's really hard to say "no" to!!

 Party at the pool!

All the kids took a very quick break to sing to Mary Grace and enjoy some cake before hopping back in the water.

 This is the first party in a long time that I have done on my own. One of the best parts of having a party somewhere is that you get party coordinators who make sure everything runs smoothly and that you get a group picture at some point during the party.

I told myself over and over again, "don't forget to get a group picture." But, after I said goodbye to about half of our guests I realized I never took a group picture.

Here is a shot of a few kids who hadn't left and weren't still in the pool-

Molly, Harper, Hadley, Grace, Hayden, Miller, Aubrey, Mary Grace, Hannah and Madison.

 Madison, Hannah, Mary Grace and Avery

 Whitaker, Kinnick, and Mary Grace

 Miller and Robert

 The 1 picture I actually took of the kids enjoying the party...

 I secretly loved this theme! It was fun, easy and perfect for a pool party.

 We kept it very simple! We served cake, "Salt Water" (bottled water), "Coral Reef" (Veggie Straws), "Shark Bait" (Goldfish) and "Seaweed Dip" (Spinach dip)

 This area is what gave me the confidence to finally have a pool party. I've always worried about the weather, but knowing our pool had such a nice big covered area I figured I could always get a bunch of crafts and games together if the weather was calling for storms. 

Fortunately, the weather was perfect.

 Party Favor

 After the pool party we headed back to our house for dinner and to celebrate all of the August birthdays. 

Anna, Mary Grace and Daniel (acting as a stand-in for Uncle Doug who was unable to make it at the last minute)

I believe this finally concludes Mary Grace's birthday marathon. Every year it seems like the birthday celebrations get stretched out more and more!