Max turns 5

Five.  Wow.  Time certainly goes quickly.  Not only does it not seem possible that Max is five, I do not feel 5 years older from when he was first born.  A lot more tired, yes.  But not 5 years older.  Damien and I had said years ago that we would have all birthday parties at our house, in our backyard, surrounded by friends and family.  Man, the things you say.  Truth be told, our house just isn't big enough to host a large party.  And each year, with last year as the exception, we have had a big party with lots of friends and family and I get a little stressed out.  Since Max was born over Labor Day weekend, we like to have the party then.  But that means that school has just started.  It also means that weather is hit or miss.  So this year, after attending a party at a local park, we decided that was our best bet.  The problem?  Max declared that he wanted all of his parties at his house.  He certainly is his mother's son.  With a little convincing we were able to hold the party at the park.  There were a few glitches, but it turned out perfectly.  We had it on his actual birthday, September 4th, which was a Friday.  It started at 4pm and by 7:30, it was getting dark and we were all tired out.  The place is wonderful, with a large covered pavilion, a playground and huge steps down to the small swimming hole.  We didn't expect the kids to want to swim because it was only in the 60s but after cake, they all changed into their suits and headed down.  They were the only ones on the beach! It was a great way to end the evening, as everyone just changed up and hit the road.  We did a zoo theme, since it truly was the theme of our summer.  Thanks to everyone that came.  We had a blast.