Hawaii Party–Part 1 (before the guests arrive)

Yesterday was Ally’s 9th birthday party – Hawaii was this year’s theme.

Even though Becky baked all day on Friday and last weekend we did the major decorating there was still more to do the day of the party.

Palm trees! Beth brought giant brown paper tubes, and we cut out palm leaves from green construction paper, and attached brown balloons for coconuts. This decoration was ALL Beth. The trees were fantastic.

The biggest challenge was beach balls. Beth brought some HUGE (26” diameter) beach balls. Inflating them was a battle. We tried human lung power – that was a lost cause, then we tried an air mattress pump – that was only marginally better and the noise from the pump was giving us all headaches. Beth and I took the balls to a local gas station to use the air compressor – but that was a huge failure- it was a windy day and we were freezing and blowing away and while we had some success, we got the needle for the pump stuck in the first ball. We went home. Once at home we tried a bike pump. That was exhausting but at least it was working and not a nuisance noise. Finally Beth headed outside with the pump and sat reading her kindle and pumping up the beach balls. Eventually she figured out how to adjust the valve was able to pump them up really quickly.

We tried stacking them to make a column, but the base was too unstable. Finally we just piled them in the front hall, and sent a ball home with each guest.

Every year I make Ally a photo album of 2 pictures of her each month of the year. Actual printed photos. I found her in the quiet time before guests came sitting in the living room looking at this year’s book.  She is so amazing.

Becky took a break with Cloey on the couch to rest before the party started, and Beth braided Ally’s hair.

Cloey even had a hibiscus on her harness. When everyone arrived, she went to her crate and was quiet in there the whole time.  The rest of these are pictures of the house to show the decorations. Becky was setting up in the kitchen. We served tropical smoothies (pineapple, mango, banana, vanilla yogurt and orange juice) in coconut cups.

Ally’s room was decorated with palm trees hanging from the ceiling, and surfboard garlands we made.

The beach back drop in the living room, next to the “pin the coconut on the palm tree game”.

The cake table also had leis and hibiscus for each guest, and a neat display of Jell-O with drink umbrellas in each cup.  Ally loves to make walls of streamers hanging down.  The dining table had more yummy treats – Ally asked for popcorn, and we had chocolate covered macadamia nuts, and homemade coconut bread with pineapple butter, dried mango & pineapple, and salted macadamia nuts. All on display with Ally’s birthday year photo book.

The view from the living room looking into the dining room. Al close up of Beth’s palm trees.

One night last week, Ally and I painted 2 pineapples to use as decorations. I made the wreath of drink umbrellas for the bathroom door.

Then it was time for posed pictures. Beth and Ally looked so un-natural I told them to loosen up.

This is what I got.

Our family.

Epic Cake

This year Becky actually took a day off to bake and decorate Ally’s birthday cake. For weeks Ally has been working on a drawing of the cake. Then she hit a wall for the top tier. Yes tier – she wanted 3 tiers this year for her Hawaii themed cake.

Last weekend Becky did a couple renderings of her thoughts, based on what she thought she could actually create, and I purchased a few cake decorating accents to put on the cake so we wouldn’t be trying to mold chairs out of edible modeling paste and making surfboards out of fondant.

I am thrilled to say the cake came out AMAZING. Becky did a fantastic job and Ally was thrilled.

On the left is Ally’s drawing and then on the right Becky’s ideas. Below is the baker, her daughter and the finished cake!

a 3 tiered caked with a waterfall (lined with Whoppers for boulders), bottom later the ocean with dolphins and turtles swimming in it, since we snorkeled with both of these creatures. The middle layer has the waterfall running from the top lush green tier. But the middle layer is the beach, with gold sprinkles for sand and plastic miniature surfboards as decorations. The top tier, which we have saved to celebrate with as a family on Ally’s actual birthday on Monday, is a green lush mountain with a beach on top complete with palm trees and a beach chair.  The mountain also has candy purple hibiscus flowers on it.

 

A look back thru the years of Ally’s birthday cakes.

8 Years old – Penguins   7 Years old was a weather party so the cake was a rainbow and rain.

6 years old flowers   5 years old fish cupcakes

4 Years old was an Olivia party so we made red and white cupcakes. Then at 3 Years old it was  Pinkalicous party theme so there were pink cupcakes with pink frosting.

2 years old were the famous animal cupcakes, and then on her very first birthday it was a simple cupcake. Which she did not even eat.

 

Ally is pretty standard in her requests – she wants yellow cake with buttercream frosting. It was a lot of cake this year, 2 10” + 2 8” + 2 6” tiers of cake and Becky used 4+ pounds of confectioner’s sugar on the frosting.

What a weekend

Friday I brought Ally to school at 730 as usual, but this day we had arranged for her to take her math test before school started at 800AM. She usually spends her hour before school doing art work, chatting with friends, playing games or on the playground. But I was able to get Ally into the podiatrist for a 10AM appointment, and that meant she would miss her test. Her teacher generously agreed to let Ally take the test before school.

The podiatrist confirmed with the sports medicine physical therapist diagnosed earlier in the week. Tendinitis in her Achilles’ tendon as well as two other tendons in her foot. The doctor thinks that the the other 2 are irritated as a result of Ally walking awkwardly and over compensating for her Achilles pain. My poor girl.

The doctor said Ally needs to rest her foot as much as possible. No jumping, no running, no dancing for two weeks. We asked, and he said she could continue gymnastics practice, and that bars were ok. He wrote her a note for school and her coaches and dance instructors. He also made a heel lift for her sneakers and told us she needs to wear shoes ALL THE TIME. Good shoes, not her cozy U_gg boots or slippers. But real shoes that support her foot and ankle. She needs to have the shoes on at home and the gym as much as possible.  Ally started working with a physical therapist this week, and the doctor said to continue that twice a week for the next two weeks. We go back for follow up on November 23. The doctor and the physical therapist wont give any guarantees but they gave me the impression that with the rest time and therapy Ally should be better in two weeks. I hope so.

We canceled ballet and Broadway Dance (jazz) for two weeks and talked to her gymnastic coach about the situation. Ally planned on attending her meet as scheduled on Sunday, and would compete in bars only. It is a practice meet and one of her friends was competing in her first meet ever. Ally needed to be a good teammate and support her friends and her team.

Saturday we spent the day preparing for next Saturday. Ally’s Hawaii-themed birthday party.

Sunday morning was her meet.

Even though she only got one ribbon, she was happy and in good spirits about it all.

We decided to give her one of her birthday gifts early.

I think its obvious Ally was thrilled with her gift. Hawaii Opoly.

This makes her 5th version of monopoly! The other 4 are:

1)Muppet-opoly

2) Penguin-opoly

3) Rudolph-opoly

4) Monopoly

Day of the Dead–with Daniela

Ally’s best friend at school last year and this year is Daniela. These two spend recess together and eat lunch together pretty much everyday. On Day of the Dead I got to hang out with them for a few hours.

Usually we go with Guatemala Girls to the event at our local museum, but this year none of them could join us. Ally suggested Stella come with us, since her Grandma recently died and Ally thought Stella might enjoy celebrating and remembering her Grandma at the event. Stella couldn’t come, so we asked Daniela to join us.

The first activity was to write a note to one of your ancestors, or someone else you know who died. Ally wrote to our cat Bryce like she does every year. Then you leave the note at the alter.

While making tissue-paper flowers we ran into their classmate Elena. Students at the girls’ school got in for free this year, because the 2nd, 6th and 8th graders collaborated on an exhibit for the event.

Decorating sugar skulls is always fun.

 

Daniela was brave and tried the spicy Mexican hot cocoa, but Ally stuck with the usual kind. The exhibit behind the girls is what students at their school made.

I couldn’t resist taking pictures of them with the skeletons. They were such good sports – Ally high fiving one and Daniela holding the other one’s hand.

After the museum they came back to our house to play for a while until it was time for Daniela to go home.

This picture is Ally with some friends at school and their beloved retired teacher Pat. Olive, Alma, Ally & Daniela with Miss Pat.