Elijah is 7!

Elijah at Key West.

Today is Li Guy's birthday.  He invited a friend from school to his "party," which was supposed to include cake, ice cream, and ... and that's it.  Those are the kind of awesome parties that we throw.  We're the best parents ever!  (Funny party story.  A missionary came over to our house for his birthday and his Mom asked us to throw him a little party.  Sent us decorations and such.    So we did it.  As we were putting up the stuff Miciah asked, "Why are you putting this up?"  "Because it's his birthday."  Miciah was confused.  "People decorate for birthdays?"  "Some people do, yeah."  And then, my favorite part came when Miciah responded with, "Why?"  Like I said:  Best parents ever.)

But all our best plans were thwarted when Miciah and Carol, the almost-11-year-old neighbor friend, decided they wanted to throw an Easter party and Carol's mom suggested that the party be this week, during Spring Break.  Hence the combination party was brought into being.

Best Idea Ever.  Seriously.  Rob and I, we don't throw parties.  But who loves to plan parties with all the details?  Miciah and Carol.  Win for everyone!  It was even a better idea than we knew because Elijah's friend from school didn't show up.  Had it not been for our 2 little party planners, and the neighbors' attendance, there wouldn't have been any party at all.  Just one sad little Elijah.

Carol

Miciah

The party started with an Easter egg hunt.  Carol and Miciah did the whole thing.  They found the eggs around the house.  They found the candy for those eggs.  They hid the eggs.  They found baskets for all the kids.  And they helped everyone hide and then find the eggs over and over.

'Brina.  SO fun, that little girl.  She's Tank's bud.

Rob and I supervised egg dying (which we were able to set up while Miciah and Carol were keeping the kids busy with the egg hunt).

Tank.  Check out those cool "buttons" that Miciah and Carol made.

Then the kids went back downstairs to play and Miciah and Carol had everyone doing puzzles.  ...  Never have all 6 of them played so happily together (though, in truth, they usually play well together.  Just not THIS well).  This time was special, they kept saying, because it was a party!

After dinner, Miciah and Carol hosted a Dance Party with my iPod and some speakers.  I thought it was hilarious how excited the kids were for that one.  Tank came upstairs to go potty and on his way back down he stopped to say, "Okay.  Now back down to the Dance [pause for thumbs up] Party [pause for dramatic head nod]!"

Quinn.  Betcha can't tell why Elijah and him are friends, huh?

All the kids chose their poses.  I mean, I wouldn't have chosen them.

This is the cake everyone decorated, as part of the party festivities:

That part that looks like Arabic is Elijah's name.  He wrote it himself.

Oh.  Miciah and Carol made the cake, too.

Elijah says this is supposed to look like him about ready to blow out the candles.

And they made everyone party favors.  And decorated the house.  And gave Elijah presents.  They're hired for every party we throw! 

(A nice side effect of the combination party:  We are now done with our Easter obligations!  Dying eggs, egg hunt, and deviled eggs for dinner?  Done, done, and done.  Woo hoo!)

The only time he looks even sort of normal is when he's not looking at the camera.

Happy Birthday, little 'Lijah.  You're awesome.