It recently occurred to me that I never published any pictures of Caiden and Kynlee’s birthday party this year! What is wrong with me??? We always enjoy the party and have enjoyed it even more since mom and Traci have started inviting everyone to the house. No time limit on fun!! For the last 2 years, we have partied at mom’s with a huge blow-up slide, smaller pool areas for the little kids, and food. And fans. It’s Texas, fans are a requirement when you are outside.
You may notice that these pictures seem similar to last year. YUP. Everyone enjoyed the slide so much last year that they decided to repeat the party. Kynlee was too young to really enjoy the slide last year but she liked it this year. Brynlee was also brave enough to let me take her down the slide.
Mom and Traci put in a lot of time into planning for this year. The day was set to be amazing!! Hot dogs, chips, drinks, and cake……is there anything else that you need for a day spent playing in the water with friends and family?? Tables were scattered around, small pools and water toys were set up for the small kids. There was a steady flow of activity inside, outside, in the pool, on the slide, and at the tables with everyone making rounds to mingle and play.
Cakes
Cakes were made by Sweet T’s Creations, of course. Kynlee is really into Baby Shark, just like most every other kid her age. So she got a Baby Shark themed party with an adorable pink, 3 layer, drip cake topped with shark cookies. Sadly, I have sang the Baby Shark song more times than I ever thought possible. Seriously.
Caiden was turning 12, so Baby Shark isn’t really his thing!! Mom made his cake, too. The Show. He also had a cake and cookies decorated how he wanted them. The table was split with different decorations for each of them because even though they party on the same day, the kids were born 10 years apart so they don’t share the same interests! Caiden’s side of the table was decorated in a baseball theme.
Birthday babies
There aren’t enough words to convey the love I have for my nephew and niece. Caiden took a break from the slide to come over and talk to us. Kynlee stayed in the pool! She loves playing in the water. Both of these babies remind me of my sister in various ways. I am 10 years older than Traci, my sister, so I got to watch her grow up differently than a normal sibling. Of course we fought like most all siblings do!! The greatest thing is that now I get to relive all the things with Traci’s children – all the looks, all the funny comments, all the crazy questions, all of the caring, all of the kisses, and all of the heart-melting love. Only now, I am at an age where I can enjoy it instead of just dealing with it like I did when I was a jerk teenager.
The Slide
There was a steady stream of kids and adults enjoying the slide. The staircase was a steep incline but the reward of the slide was worth it. Thankfully the stairs included straps on the side to help pull yourself up!! Brynlee, Crystal’s daughter, trusted me enough to take her down the slide but carrying her up was difficult and would have been impossible if not for the side straps to help. After a few times of going up, she got brave enough to walk up by herself as long as I was behind her. Kynlee went up with Traci or Mimi, and a few times with me.
Eventually, Caiden and I started trying to film ourselves going down the slide doing random stuff! I cannot post videos on this blog but I can post the videos on Facebook so if you want to see some videos, check out the JourneyWithoutBoundaries Facebook page. Let me warn you in case you choose to watch the videos……holding the phone while skidding down a wet slide is hard, but keeping our faces on screen was even harder!! There is a lot of water, slide, and sky shots in the video! LOL!!
Honestly, the best part of the whole day was during this time. Caiden and I would climb the stairs, get into position at the top of the slide, and come up with all kinds of different things. Let’s go down backwards, laying down. Let’s go head first. You get the idea. But the simple thing that meant so much is when Caiden started up the stairs but stopped and turned around to tell me “You aren’t like other adults, you are way more fun! You will do anything!” It occurred to me at that point that I am an adult. I don’t feel like an adult and apparently I don’t act like one!
I should wrap this up right here because there isn’t much else I can say about a perfect day where I get to celebrate the day that my niece and nephew were born, play on an inflatable slide, eat delicious cake, and spend time with family.
