Between Henry's classmates, neighbors, and cousins, we had about 20 kids and probably a dozen adults show up. The party started at noon, and by 11:55, Henry was at his station near the parking lot to receive his guests. Most of the kids came in a rush right about noon, but even after they all ran to the playground to play, Henry stood by to greet the rest of the kids. No one asked him to do this. I was very proud of my responsible seven year old!
The playground was a popular place all afternoon:
We had brought a Halloween craft for the kids to do, but we never got to it. I had been worried that the kids would get bored, but how can you get bored when there's a river nearby and rocks to throw in it?
While looking for skipping stones for the kids, I came across something that made my day:
There was also a great tree for climbing, the branches worn smooth from hundreds of climbers:
and some cupcakes and ice cream and a round of singing "happy birthday cha cha cha":
After lunch, we headed uphill to visit Chief Leatherlips:
where the "no climbing" rule went largely unobserved:
With the clues from the Dublin Arts Council in my pocket, I led the kids toward the nearby Riverbox. Just like the last ones, Henry found it before I really got started on my clues:
Of course, once they found that, the kids were excited to charge off after the other Riverbox on the far side of the park:
They were moving so fast I didn't even have time to sign the guestbook. I'll have to stop by on a future bike ride.
After that, it was back to the playground and the creek:
At first, I tried to keep the kids dry. I quickly gave up on that fantasy and just concentrated on keeping anyone from drowning. Kids safely undrowned, they all made it back to their parents safely, if not cleanly.
Happy birthday, Henry.
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