Summer and Sun and Newly Crowned Seven Year olds!

Yes, it was time once again to celebrate another year for another niece. It's the kickoff of the summer birthday season! This little princess was ready to celebrate!

Oh to be seven again! To have a birthday party that includes:

Best friends:

 Bounce Castles:

 Slip and Slides:

 and endless supplies of lollipops:

This little niece's party was full of food and fun - including cupcakes (they seemed a little needy):

 ahhh....my influence is rubbing off on even the younger of the set:

 While awaiting party guests, I amused the birthday girl with some trick photography:

 Meanwhile mom was busy getting the cake on!

 Of course, the party girl could not let my gift sit by without proper inspection:

 As the guests starting arriving, the Aloha theme went into full swing!

 and of course, so did the silliness factor!

 The perils of trying to get group party photos:

Check out some of the swell party gifts:

Yes, fish!!  The kids played a carnival game involving the old cups of water and ping pong balls:

Unfortunately, Auntie had to leave this party early due to other commitments...I'll leave you with yet another image of the gorgeous new 7 year old:

Happy Birthday, Girl!!

Rainy Day Birthday for a young man

Of course I had to test out the new Flip video camera on the kids!

My, how quickly children age nowadays!
It's Saturday, so it must be time for another birthday party for one of the niece and nephew tribe. All kids love mustaches right? Well, take a look for yourself:

I bought a package of costume mustaches for the goody bags, and they supplied the kids with a lot of fun. What was even more fun was torturing the innocent toddlers and infants with the mustaches:

Since the party was at the pizza parlor, the usual begging for quarters to feed their unsavory gambling habits started up right away:

Then it was time for a bit of pizza:

some people were distracted by the gambling mecca across the room:

Others not so much:

A little tomfoolery while awaiting the present dive:

and then it was on...oh which one should the boy tear into first?

This kid is the only one I've ever seen that actually READS the card that comes with the gift! This tended to annoy the other children, who got tired of waiting for the boy to shred into his gifts as they do.

Some more tomfoolery while awaiting the next activity:

Once the kids realized that we adults really WERE completely out of quarters (purses HAD been searched, after all), they demanded we become tattoo parlor slaves and presented their various body parts for instant application of their hard won prizes:

Then it was time to dig into the cake! Designed AND baked by the parents, it was a sight to behold...some kind of wheel track thingy having to do with Super Mario Brothers:Of course, a little adult tomfoolery was in the works via "trick candles":

The kid has a great sense of humor and laughed it off, then prepared to divvy up the cake...fairly of course:

And here is a singing group not quite ready for American Idol, but good enough to sing some Happy Birthday wishes to the birthday boy: