Birthday Recap

Boy am I glad that I can still get away with a low-key combined party for both girls. I know my years are limited and soon, I'll be inviting all of the kids in Caitlin's class, making goody bags and reserving the local indoor play area. I'm counting my blessings!

That said, here is what went down for the girls' birthday celebration last Wednesday.

My parents made the trek over from the western slope to be in town to help us celebrate. We started off the festivities by taking Caitlin shopping for some much needed school supplies. She had fun watching the cart fill up with markers, glue sticks, construction paper and the like. She's so excited for school to start.

As a special treat, Caitlin got to sleep over with my parents at their hotel complete with a swim in the hot tub and continential breakfast in the morning.

Cara & I met up with everyone and we prepared to head to the zoo for the day. One of the girls' gifts from my parents was a family pass to the Denver Zoo. Despite the sorching temperatures, we had a lot of fun looking at the animals and riding the train and carousel. I cannot wait to make many return trips as there were a lot of exhibits that we didn't get to see that day.

After the zoo, we met Ben at Chuck E Cheese for some fun & games. Caitlin and Ben had a blast playing the games together and racked up quite a few (almost 300 tickets). Even my parents got into the fun and played a few games. Cara loved the toddler rides, especially the mini carousel. We ate pizza, sipped on soda and had fun pressing our luck at the wide variety of games. I have to say, that the Aurora Chuck E Cheese was one of the better ones I'd been to in a long time. A lot of new, interactive games and all of them were in working order.

We wrapped up the festivities at Chuck E Cheese and headed home to our place for presents, cake and ice cream. The girls had fun unwrapping their gifts and were thrilled with all of them. Caitlin's favorites being her new bike and the Let's Go Fishing Game. Cara loves her Fisher-Price Gumball Machine and her Duplos.

The party was a hit! I just loved watching their eyes light up with excitement throughout the day. That's what it's all about! You can look at pictures from the day-long adventure here. Feel free to leave comments.

I cannot believe that another year has come to pass. My girls are growing up entirely too fast. It is fun, yet sobering at the same time. Makes me savor each and every moment and memory.