Nina’s 5th Birthday Party

Yesterday, we had Nina’s birthday party.  The entire week last week had at least one thunderstorm each day, but Saturday was perfect.   It was sunny and hot and a great day for an outdoor party.  As we all know, Nina loves dogs.  She has been asking for one forever!  So, we decided to give her a dog party this year. 

When the kids arrived, they started by painting the big doghouse we made for Nina.  It was messy, but fun.

After that, we had all the “puppies” run an obstacle course in two teams – the Golden Retrievers and the Poodles.  They had a great time racing and cheering on their team.  As you can see from the look of determination on Nina’s face, she’s not at all competitive.  I wonder who she gets that from….hmmm…. Mark?

After the obstacle course portion of the party, I lost the ability to take pictures.  It’s busy being a dog trainer!  Thankfully, my mom helped run the games with me while Mark grilled some food.  We had the kids playing all kinds of dog games for over an hour, then after everyone was tired and hungry, we fed them lunch, ate some cake, and the party was done.  Nina really had a great time!

Thankfully, the fun didn’t end after the party.  Jill, Mark, Jonathan, and Kate stayed to hang out and the guys and the kids did some fishing.  They all caught fish, and had fun playing by the water and climbing on the rocks.

After catching this 3 pounder, we finished up at the pond.  We thought it would be fun to throw the filthy kids in the bath at our house and eat some dinner before the Rumples had to head back, so Jill and I took the kids home while the guys went to Target (to get clean clothes for Jonathan and Kate) and pick up some pizza.  With baths, clean clothes, and pizza, the kids were happy and tired, and the adults were happy and tired as well.  It was a really fun day and a great time with friends and family!