Colette's birthday party: 5!

The whole idea was garden games. Sunshine. Grass. 10 kids running around for a few hours. Days of sun piled up directly before and after the date of her party, but rain on the forecast was persistent and stuck. It was pouring - the whole day. Luckily, Xavier pulled through as papa extraordinaire, with special assistant Mademoiselle Marguerite. Marguerite got out every costume we own and displayed them on the living room floor. Within 3 minutes of arrival, each girl was transformed. Xavier had the next thing lined up: “statue” dance party. He was the DJ and when he pressed pause all the girls had to become statues. Next was crafts, guided by the truly experienced Marguerite. Off to hide-and-seek: shrieking in closets, echoing up the stairs, under beds and behind doors. All the girls were frightened and delighted to find Colette’s papa in his tricky hiding spots - wearing his scariest face. Balloon stomping/popping (treasures hidden inside 50 balloons), a deafening game. Then Xavier gathered the gaggle of French girls around the player piano and serenaded them all. Firecrackers with cake. Definitely made an impression. By most measures, a total success. Colette did say after everyone had left, “maybe I will just have 3 friends next year.”