DottyNana: Sosie's Third

The party hours were specific: 10 AM to Noon and the castellated bouncy house was delivered and inflated shortly beforehand. No games were planned but there was a picnic table disguised as a craft table where butterflies could be decorated with glitter and style. Numerous mini wheeled vehicles and balls of every hue and stripe were at the guests' disposal while bowls of goldfish nibbles and a cooler filled with water and juice boxes were there for the taking. As we cast our collective eye over the set-up, checking for last minute omissions, the doorbell rang and the first of the 30-odd folks, ready to party, arrived.

It was as though each child had an entourage: This one had two parents and a brand new sibling while that one came with an older brother, younger sister and a dad but the mom was in hospital recovering from pneumonia. Daughter Jane wisely decided not to exclude anyone and just to make it a loose affair with good food. She made four terrific quiches, a big green salad, a fruit salad and good bagels and cream cheese. Odette, a darling three-year old who is going through some asthma issues (hold the dairy), told me that she couldn't have keem tzeez but liked buddor on her bagle. Everyone loved the food and because the kids just aren't given as much sugar as kids of yore, when the cake came out they were psyched!

Sosie (our Sophie who can't pronounce the 'f' sound on any word) was happy and then overwhelmed...every 15 minutes or so. She changed her outfit at least four times so all our pictures look like they're from different days. And here's the day as I saw it, in no particular order.