Party #2 Recap

The celebrations continued on Saturday, March 12th, when we had our family party. Since Ashlyn still loves horses, we went with an "All American Cowgirl" theme.

I was so excited for this party, and for mainly one reason - we rented a pony! It was so much fun. Totally worth every penny. I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.

We rented the pony for three hours and had it scheduled to come one hour before the party began so that Ashlyn would have the pony all to herself for awhile. Ashlyn didn't have a clue that a pony was coming to her party. So, when the pony arrived, I took Ashlyn and Trent upstairs to change into their party attire (click here if you want the pattern for her cute handkerchief skirt) while Brian got the pony into the backyard and hid her on the side of the house, out of view. Once we were all dressed, we took the kids out on the back porch and sat them down and gave Ashlyn a little talk. I think she was a little confused at first ;o)

We told her how much we loved her and how important she was to us, and then we told her that we had a surprise for her. Then Brian walked the pony around to the back. Now, Ashlyn really isn't the 'jump up and down' type of gal, but I could tell by the look on her face that she was thrilled.

We made sure to tell Ashlyn right away that the pony was only staying for the party and wasn't hers to keep. Once Ashlyn got up on the pony, she told Brian, "Dad, this isn't just a cowgirl party, this is a horse party! This is so awesome! Thanks Dad!"

After only a short time, she started wondering when all her cousins were going to come. She wanted to make sure they didn't miss out on riding Penny the pony.

I don't think Ashlyn left Penny alone for a minute during those three hours, except to occasionally get her a carrot or apple. She was in heaven! And she has already told Brian and I several times that she wants Penny the pony to come back again next year.

Penny proved to be a very gentle pony and after only a short time, we realized that we didn't have to worry about a thing, and Ashlyn took over with the lead rope.

Only a couple people knew about the pony rental, so it was a surprise to almost everyone who came. We had the country music playing, and when the guests arrived, the kids were each given a handkerchief and a cowboy hat before being sent outside to see the surprise.

The kids each took turns riding her or leading her. The were all so easily entertained with the pony that I didn't have to worry about doing a bunch of games and crafts. A breeze for me!

Our three hours with Penny ended all too soon and it was time for one final ride and a hug goodbye.

I was a little worried that Ashlyn would have a hard time saying goodbye, but she did great. We watched Penny (and it was when then that the owner informed us that her name was 'Annie', not 'Penny'!) jump into the back of the truck. Then we waved goodbye and watched as she drove away.

The party went down hill after Penny left. Well, not really. There were still plenty to do. Before eating dinner, the kids practiced tying knots with licorice.

As per Ashlyn's request, for dinner we had "horse food", aka apples and carrots.

And to appease the rest of the crowd, we also added in bacon-wrapped hot dogs, chips, potato salad, and beans. For dessert, 'cow pies' - aka no-bake cookies, 'haystacks' - aka rice krispie treats, and marshmallow smore pops. I opted to not make a cake or cupcakes this time since the only thing that ever gets eaten is the frosting!

The decorations were fairly simple. We had the house decked out with red, white and blue streamers and balloons. And a wanted sign with one of my very favorite photos of Ash Belle. Plus I had Ashlyn get out all of her toy horses and place them throughout the family room.

I also wanted to highlight Ashlyn's first five years of life, so I created a little hanging photo time line. It was really fun to put together, but it also made me so sad. It is just crazy how fast five years can fly by.

After dinner, and almost three hours after the party had started, it was finally time to open presents! A special thanks to everyone's generosity.

And last but not least, the traditional "Happy Birthday" song, followed by ice cream cones for anyone who wasn't sweeted-out!

As our guests left, they were each given a favor. We were lucky enough to have seven out-of-state guests: Aunt Monica and her two kids from Missouri, plus Jamie Andersen and her three kids from Arizona.

It was a very fun and memorable party, but I was worn out on Sunday! I'd like to say that I'll never do two parties again, but I probably will. But, I certainly won't do it every year, and not even every other year. Not unless Brian somehow becomes a millionaire...

And that's that.