Landie invited us to her birthday party!
I bought Shane a skateboard for the occasion, but skateboarding is hard.
In Shane's defense, we have a gravel driveway. It's not conducive to roller sports!
Ellie set up all sorts of snacks. The lemon cakes from Costco were addictive.
Yancey is a neat place. I went to a clinic for my vaccine booster here a while back.
It was an elementary school that was shuttered as a school and reopened as a community center. That's a mix of sad and happy. I'm partial to schools and it's sad when one has declining enrollment and has to shut down, but I'm a huge fan of repurposing things. Old schools turned into apartments, community centers, or anything are way better than derelict buildings. I'd rather see something reused than bulldozed.
I strolled around and explored as much as I could without feeling rude about abandoning the party.
Shane was the oldest kid there, but he was happy to be amongst all the chaos! I recognized Lilly and Wyatt, but no one else.
He worked up and appetite and went straight to the chocolate fountain.
Shane and I were the advance team. Carrie was exhausted and sleeping. Carrie's friend, Sarah, must have been doing something similar, because Jason was there in her place. "Sarah told me it started at 2. We've been here since before it was set up!"
We made sure to represent the family and say hi to Ellie and Landie.
I went out to my car and grabbed a bunch of the practice gear I have for soccer. I thought it'd be fun for the kids to make some courses out of cones. They added to the general chaos rather than bringing order, but they were enjoyed!
Shane ran outside at some point.
Which wasn't a bad idea. Schools have playgrounds!
There are community gardening projects and a playground we've visited before across the street, too (I could've sworn I took more pictures and a video while there once, but I guess it never made it to the blog).
I took the opportunity to explore around a little more.
Shane played and where someone is having fun, other kids will show up!
Ellie called everyone back inside when it was time for presents.
She organized the chaos (Her circus = her monkeys!).
Shane went right back to the dessert table.
He took his treats and enjoyed his height advantage to watch the proceedings. I heard him yelling along with everyone else whenever anything exciting happened.
Then it was back to rolling around!
Shane made a party-friend and the show went on.
Carrie came before it was all over. She's woken up, showered, and rushed over still with wet hair.
We were cleaning up at that point, but that was fine with Carrie. She likes having a job to do.
We helped break down tables, clean up, and pack out.
Carrie got her social time checking in with Ellie. She's one of Carrie's closet friends in the area and I don't think we would have met her without running the barn. Knowing Landie has been good for Shane, too.
What the pictures don't tell you is that the wind was blowing like a gale. Carrie's hair was dry by the time we got home!
Since it was Sunday, I was tired by the end of the day. After church, errands, and partying I was ready to call it a night before having to report to work in the morning. Shane wanted to stay social and call someone to see if they'd play online with him. He burns so much energy during the day he sleeps solidly at night!
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