The Birthday Party

I would like to start by thanking merry for inventing muddlepuddle and muddlepuddle camps and the blogring, and allowing me to meet the people who have become friends over the years. and then thank them for coming to mine and Kirsty’s joint birthday party this weekend, being lovely and giving me a really lovely birthday to remember. Also surprising me with a fab birthday cake and Race for the Galaxy , expansion and also Agricola animals!! thankyou v much for all the thought and love for the initiators, givers and organisers . i am indeed much touched. And whilst i am doing and oscar speech, i would also very much like to thank Kirsty and James for coming early and doing lots of helpful hoovering and sorting activities! [and to chris of course!]

So, sat morning dawned, and we grownups did final sorting, some baking and then guests arrived – merry and sarah first and then soon a houseful, so we gave up on final jobs! the girls and all their friends got excited running about outside. we grownups had cups of tea and then worked our way to the odd glass of wine. i had a lovely time chatting with friends, watching the kids having such fun. lots of lovely food arrived. more lovely friends and thankyou so much for everyone that came! [everyone expected arrived! and i was v glad to see everyone, and sorry for those that couldn't make it, who were missed]. kirsty and I were both surprised with an enormous and fabulous birthday cake and also presents which weren’t expected either but were very much appreciated for the surprise, love and thought that went into them.

Day turned into evening and various friends left, but loads stayed [and we found room for all of them!] and kids carried on playing. BB was excited to share a room with r and most of the bigger kids all shared a room, and stayed up later than us adults, with 2 kids staying up all night!! they all woke at 6.30 anyway – groan! but i fell back asleep when they took their noise downstairs! i eventually got up, and we had a lazy day with people peeling off home, with the portico’s last to leave [and lucky to have dry children!].

SO we have had a lazt afternoon, playing games, cracking open SB’s geode – which she really enjoyed, and does have a sparkly centre – and also then watching HP and the order of the phoenix, with SB falling asleep on me – which was lovely. BB had fallen asleep and woken up again, so still with us!!

SO a fab weekend, thanks all. makes nearly turning 40 all that more bearable!