Happy Birthday!

We had Penguin Girl's birthday party on Saturday.  It was an exhausting day.  First, we went to her preschool's carnival.  It was wet and drizzling the whole time.  The kids each had a pony ride.  Then Mr. Destructo went to camp out in the fire engine that the local fire department brought to display for the kids.  Penguin Girl had to play all the games.  We started going to this annual event when Penguin Girl was 2.  This is the fifth year she's played these same games and she's still not tired of them!

We got home and had lunch.  Then I was thinking that the kids are all going to show up and see Penguin Girl's face painted and her hair all funny colors (from the carnival) and think that that will be part of the party fun.  I actually had some spray on hair color that I dug out.  Car Guy insisted on going to Michaels and getting face paint and he took Penguin Girl with him.  The first guests got here before they made it back!

Luckily Mr. Destructo was napping most of the time because it was such a madhouse doing the main activity of smash shirts.  I sent the girls out to tramp around the wet, drizzly yard to collect leaves and such.  Then we set up under the covered porch and let the girls smash imprints of nature onto t-shirts with rubber mallets.  Then I took the shirts to quickly fix the chlorophyll in a solution of alum and toss them in the dryer.  Activity and favor all in one!  They turn out pretty nifty.

Then we did hair coloring out on the porch.  The girls thought it was really cool.  You actually could not see that much color on most of the girls because the color is more subtle on black hair.  Then on with the cake.    Everyone really liked the cake.  Half the girls had seconds!

That night, Car Guy said the party was too exhausting and that next year we have to have it at a party place.  I told him we can do that but it'll cost $250 or more.  He had no idea how much the local party places charge.  He backpedaled pretty quick.  I think next year I'm going to try and convince Penguin Girl to invite two friends over for a sleepover and lock the girls in her room for the evening.