Tammy and my dad planned some fun events for all of the party goers. It started with a dinner and then a day at the water park, a brunch, baseball game and then the party.
We missed a dinner but we arrived in time for the day at the water park. I didn't take my camera, since I wasn't sure what to expect, but Tammy did send this one of my dad and Justin on the Lazy River. The Lazy River was the perfect speed for us. Justin and Alaina needed companions to ride, but Travis was good by himself. Justin got plenty of offers so it worked out great. Alaina and I lounged in one tube floating along with whichever boy/s wanted to go along. It was really hot and it has been a long time since I have spent a lot of time in AZ so it's easy to forget how hot the cement gets! I was carrying Justin and Alaina and running from shadow to shadow to get from one place to another. We even jumped into the hot tub for relief one time!
Of course the kids were exhausted after 4 hours in the AZ sun so they were ready for bed. What time did they wake up? Any bets?? Alaina woke up at 4 am. At least we had a suite so I could go out into the other room until the next one woke up. Justin slept until 5 and Travis was up at 5:30. So we went out and got some breakfast. Our first breakfast since the brunch was at 10:30. And I might have had a little coffee too. Here's the kids watching the Ipad while I try to get myself together in the morning.
After Alaina got a little nap we visited my dad in his room. They enjoyed a friendly game of keep away with Justin's bee. The kids loved it!
Even Alaina got in the game.
At least we got everyone settled down for a picture and more importantly, a nap, before the evening's festivities.
The party was at one of the restaurants/party areas at the conference center where we stayed. We traveled around the grounds by golf cart, which the kids loved. The kids got party wear so they were excited to wear their new gear, especially the hats. On the golf cart ride we rode with a woman going to the water park and she said she felt like she should offer me her straw hat to match the boys' hats! The hats have been (and still are) the favorite.
The party area had an center upper bar and around the lower area was the restaurant. The tables were all removed and they used one side for the kids to play. Tammy hired babysitters who brought a ton of toys plus Build-a-Bears for all the kids and glow necklaces and glasses. The kids also got to hit a pinata. They had a blast! I just thought this was so fun of Justin picking out the pink boa to wear. It is going to get fun when Alaina gets older!
The boys wore their hats all night long. So great!
Dinner was delicious and afterwards there was cake. The kids all got their own cupcakes, complete with candles to blow out. But when they came with my dad's real cake, Justin wanted to help blow out the candles on it too. The photographer needed to get a good picture so he ended up getting to blow out the candles several times. He really gets into his blowing!
Afterwards we went outside for some entertainment. The boys were enjoying letting off some steam playing hide and seek. They were pretty easy to find in their hats!
Elvis made an appearance.
The boys didn't know what to make of it. Elvis might be slightly before their time. Or mine, for that matter!
It was a great weekend and the kids had a great time. It was fun getting to see some people we haven't seen in a while. And it was fun celebrating another big birthday! Tammy made some fantastic posters with pictures of my dad through the years. She got some beautiful flowers and balloons and other fun decorations. There was an amazing steel drum band and of course, Elvis. It was months of planning, and it was well worth it. We all made some special memories celebrating a big birthday!
Happy Birthday, Dad!