Audrey's 6th Birthday Party: November 14th, 2009

Graton had the fabulous idea of hosting a birthday party at Hidden Pond, our favorite nature center. We were thrilled to find out they did indeed allow birthday parties for an amazingly low price. Audrey chose the "reptiles and amphibians" class. Brian did a fantastic job helping the children learn about and experience the center's collection of frogs, turtles, and snakes.

One attendee's mother laughed about the fact that Audrey wore her customary khakis, while Alyssa came adorned in a pretty party outfit. All I can say, is I wanted SOMEONE to wear a party outfit, and it made sense to dress up the little girl who loves dressing up :) Audrey and I compromise by her wearing a clip in her hair. I'm also looking for a cute bracelet to go with the khakis.

The Eastern Black Rat Snake. Probably the same snake we found in our basement apartment this summer, but luckily it was much smaller. I don't know if I would have kept my cool if it had been this size!

I don't know if I'll ever get used to how comfortable Audrey is with bugs and reptiles. I've heard other mothers talk about how they don't want to transmit their insect phobias to their children. I felt the same way, and although I have been able to supress the desire to jump on a chair and scream every time I saw a spider, in favor of calmly moving it to a cup and taking it outside (unless Graton was home, in which case, I wouldn't go near it), my guess is that Audrey's "sang froid" is innate, and not inherited. She has yet to be successful in convincing me to hold insects for pleasure, and though I did hold a smaller snake, I wasn't about to wrap this one around my neck.

Me holding a much smaller snake.

After the class, we had some refreshments. Veggies, fruit, crackers and cheese...

And cupcakes with green glitter and gummy frogs.

We were so glad to have our new friends from church, the neighborhood, and the homeschooling community join us. Audrey was especially excited that her sunday school teacher came, which was so sweet of her.

Alyssa wasn't sure why there weren't any gifts for her, but contented herself with the goodie bags of plastic balls and reptiles.

One of the best parts for me was that Graton got a glimpse into our "world." He was able to see why we love Hidden Pond so much, and was able to meet our homeschool friends.

Lest I get any unearned credit for this fabulous party, I have to acknowledge that Graton did 95% of it, planning, shopping, preparing food, etc... I don't know if he'll want to continue being the family birthday party specialist, when Alyssa starts asking for ballet and princess parties, but as long as he's willing, he's hired!