A little while back Raley told me that she wanted to have a mermaid pool party for her birthday because “mermaids and pool parties go together.” David and I went back and forth bouncing ideas off of each other about the best way to go about making this happen. Raley’s birthday is not until September and fall weather in Alabama is unpredictable. It could be 65 degrees or it could be 90. So we decided we would do it a little early.
We talked about having the party one weekend in August, but a big part of me was wanting to keep this party very small. If you know me personally or have been a reader for a while, you know how much I LOVE throwing big parties. But the thought of having a ton of people at my parents’ pool made me very nervous this time around. We did a Lilo and Stitch pool party for Raley for her 4th birthday, but back then most all the kids were still floating around in their puddle jumpers and the parents had a little more security.
Now our girls and most of their friends are swimming without floaties and I felt that it wound’t be safe to have a bunch of kids swimming in the pool AND a bunch of adults who can be easily distracted by conversation and other things going on around them.
The more adults there are, the easier it is to take your eyes off the kids.
The more kids their are, the harder it is to keep up with all of them. Plus, it’s so easy for even a good swimmer to get caught up under a big float or end up too far away from the side and not able to make it back.
There were just too many risk factors to have a big pool party this time, which is what led to our decision to have a small get together with a few friends on a week day in the summer.
Raley invited a few of her closest friends from MMO to come swim. All these girls are about to go off to different schools for Kindergarten and I know they are going to miss one another.
I pictured this party as being a simple day at the pool with friends, where we swim for a while, enjoy pizza and cupcakes, then swim some more. I’m not sure that Raley quite understands why she has to wait another 2 months to actually turn 6, but I’ve tried to explain to her the reasons we were having the party as early as we did. She was excited about it and had a blast with her friends! I’m sure we will have a small family “party” closer to her birthday, because I like making a big to-do about birthdays around here, and I have to make sure she feels special on her actual birthday! (What about you? Do you have any special birthday traditions with your kids?)
This is definitely the easiest party I have done so far. We ordered pizza for lunch, and had some simple snacks and desserts. There were cheese balls and goldfish crackers for the kids to snack on throughout the party, and mermaid cupcakes and cookies for dessert. A friend from church made the cookies (which were also given out as party favors) and they were adorable (thanks, Amanda! They were a big hit!)
My big girl had a wonderful time at her party and we can’t wait to celebrate more closer to her birthday. Thanks to those who came to swim with her! It meant a lot to her to have you there!
You may also enjoy:
Raley’s Tinker Bell Tea Party
Audrey’s Flamingo Birthday Party
Raley’s Lilo and Stitch Luau
Audrey’s Trolls Party
Or visit the Let’s Party Archive for more!
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