McKenna turned FIVE in August! We had a small, family and neighbor get-together on Kenna's actual birthday. We sat outside, played in the grass, and tossed around balloons. Good, cheap entertainment! Then, on Saturday, we had an "Alvin and the Chipmunks" themed party at the park. Here are some pictures and details of those events:
Sitting, waiting patiently for cupcakes and ice cream!
How old are you Kenna?
These are three of McKenna's MOST favorite people to play with. Our neighbors, the Nolans. Dave, Alexis, Noah, and Baby Phoebe are the BEST, most patient, neighbors EVER!! Dave carried ALL of the presents back up the stairs and into the house for us after the party. (Not many husbands will do that for other women besides their own. Thanks, Dave!)
Here's Grandma Ladybug with four of the six granddaughters. Kenna refused to smile or look at the camera for the picture! (She can be a little turkey about that sometimes!)
Here is the picture we sent out with the invitations for McKenna's Chipmunk Party....
It took a lot of creativity to come up with ideas for McKenna's party, because there is NOTHING out there for an "Alvin and the Chipmunks" party theme. **For all of you Mom's or Dad's out there searching for "Alvin and the Chipmunks" party theme favors and ideas -good luck! I had very little success at finding anything. Feel free to steal the ideas I will share in this post,and PLEASE comment and share what you, too, have been able to come up with.
For decorations...we made the balloons to match the Chipmunk's sweater colors...adding Alvin's "A" for effect. 
Then - for a party banner - my 8-year-old, daughter made music notes, initials of the Chipmunk's names, and we copied pictures of an actual toaster waffle to add on! 
For party favors, we bought the "Extra Large Cheese Puffs" and bagged them up. The kids loved it.
We had a little "Party at the Park" this time. Shirlene, our local "cake lady" and friend, makes the CUTEST cakes each year for the Girls' birthdays. As always, she did NOT disappoint! We found some Chipmunk Coloring Pages online and sent the picture to her. Check out the finsihed product!
The best part about Shirlene's cakes is that they taste even better than they look! Thanks so much, Shirlene! The kids played at the park for a bit. Here are some cute pictures of McKenna and friends having a good time.
McKenna opened presents and it was so cute to see her sit there, really concentrate on the cards, and enjoy her surprises. She was very blessed with many fun things! Thanks to all. 
All in all, it turned out to be a fun-filled day. I was touched to see how grown-up McKenna and her friends are becoming. Maggie, Murin, and Rileah couldn't have been sweeter with her on this day...and McKenna truly felt special. That's all you can ask for in a five-year-old's world.
Happy Belated Birthday, Little Bug!
