How to occupy children at a birthday party....

Ella had her 6th birthday party last month. I was not about to invite 100+ people over (Mexican style), and instead allowed Ella to choose 5 friends to invite to our house.

Parents don't just drop off their children at parties here, and instead the parents stay for the entire duration! So, it is a fun challenge to try to figure out how to keep children occupied so that parents can visit. A lot of hosts here rent jump houses, but I wasn't about to go find out how much those cost.

So, instead I came up with mix of a treasure hunt and a list of games to play! I had "treasure hunt" clues in a jar ("Sleep tight, Ella!"--the bed "Brr....it's cold in here!"--the fridge), and each clue led to a note that told them a game to play. When they were done with the game, they would choose a new clue, and find a new game!

Luckily, one friend's older sibling showed up, and she headed up the treasure hunt/game...it was hands-free for me!

The kids did races with balloons between their legs....

and games like telephone...

Blindman's Bluff...

And they raced to see who could wrap a mummy the fastest!

The final clue led them to the piñata hiding in the closet.

And after all that was said and done, we unveiled a bunch of balloons for the kids to play with. Ella's friends immediately decided to stomp on them and pop them, which left her in tears. That was not what she had in mind.

Otherwise, a very successful party!

Whew...how do people handle huge parties...5 families was enough for me!

The Circus...

I attended my first circus since my childhood (Mom---did I ever go to a circus? I'm thinking maybe...), and it was quite the experience! This flat empty property became a large circus arena almost overnight. I asked Jared how in the world they could set up these tents, and he suggested they still use elephants (as in the Dumbo movie)....

It was a Mexican ghetto circus...and not a cheap one! We went with some friends from church.

This is Ella with a friend from church (His Dad is a Gringo and Mom is Mexican...she is my first counselor in the Primary).

When deciding to name our boy Ethan, we contemplated how many Ethans there are in the US. It is a very popular name...and I like names to be a bit different, albeit not crazy unique. We finally decided that since we were going to be in Mexico, Ethan would probably be the only Ethan around---no problem!

So, guess what Ella's friend's name is?

Yes, it's Ethan.

:::sigh::: So, there are 2 Ethan's in a ward with less than 20 kids :)

The highlight of the circus was the "Chino Imperial" acrobatic group. In fact, they were pretty much the only highlight (except for the lion trainer...but I feared for his life!). In the below photo the acrobat is about to flip through the top ring. Amazing!

There were also some trashy clowns telling potty jokes (in Spanish, but we could get the gist via their actions), and a few horse and camels doing some trained shows. And that was about it.

Overall, I think I would only attend a circus like this maybe once ever 5 years or so (just so my children can say they've been to a circus before). Not too fantastic as a whole, although I could watch the Chinese acrobats all day!

Birthday Cake

How to make a swirly/colorful birthday cake!

Mix the batter, divide it into bowls, and dye them different colors.



Pour them into the pan

Don't forget some fun swirlies at the end....

And bake! When the cake is cut into, you will see all of the colors!

Labor...

I'm constantly amazed by how much work is being done on the Ajijic Malecon each day. They are painting and fixing up the concrete walls, sweeping the cobblestone (daily), watering the lawns, and now redoing some of the cobblestone. Of course, it is all done by hand with a wheelbarrow, shovel, and hand-mixed concrete. I'm always amazed by the art of laying cobblestone! Can you imagine filling a whole road with rocks?!

Poor boy...

But don't tell him that. He's still happy as can be!

Ella was mad about something...perhaps my insistence that she remove the girls clothes after the photos!

Rafting....

We purchased a raft from Costco last month, and have enjoyed taking the girls out onto the lake. We pack up the raft in the back of our van, drive down the street and turn the corner, and load it into the lake!



Jared does most of the rowing. I am a pathetic rower (I have found 2 separate paddles simultaneously is very difficult)!



The girls jump out and are allowed to hang on to the side of the raft to swim or float in intertubes.

Even Ethan seems to enjoy the ride!

The lake has to be very calm to actually row somewhere.
We once took the kids out and Jared rowed in place for about an hour until we called it quits!
Hey, it's not a fancy boat...but it's water-worthy!!

Scrumptious!

I could eat this baby.

Actually, I could eat all of these kiddos some days!