Spring Fling

Yesterday we had our first annual Spring Fling (big celebration for all the Spring birthdays between my sister's family and mine). We met at the park for what turned out to be a very generous brunch. I made a complete glutton of myself and thoroughly enjoyed the bounty. [Thank you, Jamie, for the giant cinnamon rolls. They were fabulous!]
We hired our friend, Angela, as a face painter. She's an impressive artist! The face decor was the hit of the party! We'll definitely be requesting her presence again at the Fall Party.

Daniel instinctively backed into a hug from Uncle Mike after getting his face painted. I sure do love that little boy! Isn't he the cutest?
Stephanie and Alex are such sweet siblings. (I told you homeschooled kids have great sibling relationships. Look at that love!)
Liddy Bitty and her adoring Daddy:
Ainsley, Jamie's middle child, was only too happy to smile for the camera. She was having such a good time.Jamie's littlest, Lillian, is the sentimental type. She always reads the sappy cards before opening the gifts. She has such a thankful heart.
Stephanie and Maya: best friends & beautiful butterflies! More good friends: Dan & Tracy (parents to Maya's best friend, Stephanie & Isaac's best friend, Alex). They came over to play games with us after dinner that night. But we never actually stopped talking to play a game. Sat on the couch the whole night solving the world's ills. Good times! Grrrrrr! Isaac wants to try out for the musical, Cats! but I'm not too keen on being a stage parent. I don't think I'll let him.
Did you know a slinky could also pose as a clown nose? This picture is so indicative of their personalities. I can still hear Chloe and Ainsley giggling when I look at this silly picture:Pretty pretty Princess Elena:Party animals:
While I was taking pictures of all the painted kids, Shannon, my stepmom, snuck over to Angela's booth and had her own face painted! After almost two hours of face painting and relaxing socializing, we decided to go ahead and open presents. Bubba & Nana (my dad & stepmom) gave the kids a zoo membership and Nealy & Pappy (my mom & stepdad) gave them: (Drumroll, please.)

Something from our favorite store, Vision Forum. . .What is it??? There sure is a lot of it!
A complete set of Jonathan Park CDs!!! Woo-Hoo!
Daniel was also thrilled about his new set of Kid K'Nex. I was pretty thrilled about that one too. I'm a big fan of "play quietly" toys! [Dad, remember when I was a newlywed and I swore I wouldn't buy loud toys for my kids?? You laughed at me back then. Remember? Remember?? Who's laughing now, huh Dad? Who's laughing??]Isaac got a set of cap guns with a fancy shmancy holster. He was giddy! I immediately reminded him, with a big smile on my face, that those are outdoor toys. He knows this, though. He always plays the good cop. Um, I bought these for him. [Nevermind what I said earlier, Dad. I take it all back. But I still don't buy battery-operated toys!
Well . . . there is that one thing. Oh forget it!]

It was a great party and we're all looking forward to the Big Fall Party now.