FIVE - The Party!

July birthdays in the South aren't the easiest to plan because of the heat.  Last year we did the Children's Museum and this year I opted for the Gymnastic place (no, Gianna doesn't take gymnastics.)  I have been to a few parties there and I loved how much fun the kids had, how it was an hour and a half, and how I didn't have to really 'host' - like I would at home.

 

Cheap Mommy saw the precious gymnastics invites on Etsy and Pinterest and they said, "Oh, but no!"  I made my own - a little Kindergarten craft-like -- but hey, I'm now a Kindergarten mom.  (I made the little gymnast by using only shapes.  I had to color in the hair, because I couldn't figure that one out.)

And I also decided to have this be our first all-girl party. Who knew someone could feel so guilty for making that decision?  I have so many friends with only boys or several boys, but now Gianna has school friends who she's close to and ballet friends and a gazillion other friends she feels close to.  I figured it was the easiest way to draw the line.  It worked out fine and having all-girls was a real kick. 

 

Here's my little gymnast...

 

 She had a ball.

How cute is her birthday outfit?  The tutu was a hand-me-down and the black shirt was $3 at Wal-Mart that she never wore.  My neighbor/friend monogrammed it for me so it would match the skirt.

 And did these little girls PLAY! They had such a good time.

 

I love how they do the little parachute game.  They give each child a chance to run underneath while the rest of the girls lift up the chute.  And then, at the end, they had Gianna sit in the middle and they all came inside the parachute and sat on it while it bubbled up - then they sang Happy Birthday to Gianna.  Really sweet.

They played for an hour which left 30 minutes to eat pizza (it was during the lunch hour or I would have just done cake), sing happy birthday, eat cupcakes and (how crazy am I) open birthday gifts.   We did it though. 

As extroverted as Gianna is, she is very self-conscious about people watching her (when it's not on her terms).  She does have a shy side, so I did some preparation with her with opening gifts and with the birthday song. I even made her rehearse what she would do if she got a gift she already had or if she didn't like something (which I KNEW wouldn't happen - but I didn't want to take chances.) She really is the best kid to watch open gifts.

 I also told her that she would have to stand up at the end and address her guests. I didn't tell her what to say, but I told she had to be appreciative and kind. 

I am PRAYING I can get a hold of the video my friend took of her giving her 'speech.'

HILARIOUS.  I'll have to include that later.