Well, the party is over, and I think it was a success. The girls loved it, anyway. Grace loved the combination of being atop a horse named "Gracie" and the audience of people watching her ride. She got the rodeo princess wave down immediately. Olivia liked riding, but the audience was her least favorite part. No rodeo wave or even eye contact for her. Most of the kids had fun riding ponies and the older kids even rode them, despite it being against "the code" of the 10-year-old (according to Jack). The only way I even got Jack to ride was by telling him I wanted to get my money's worth. My poor little miser son was 'cursed' with a generous monetary gift from his nana, but with one caveat: it must be spent on something frivolous. He was literally writhing on the ground in agony and finally just wanted to mail the money back, because he couldn't bring himself to blow it. I have no idea how much money he has at this point, but it was a roll with a 3-inch diameter that he wrapped his bill around. Nana got wind of Jack's dilemma, however, and said he didn't have to spend it if he didn't want to. "Nan's so nice," Jack said, "that if she got robbed, I bet she'd give the robbers a tip and make them a sandwich." She probably would, and also get them to enroll in anti-robber classes or something.

Anyway, Mitch's hammock probably won't recover from my and my two sisters' fat asses all trying to sit on it at once. Luckily, we didn't spill any wine as we lay flat on our backs when it collapsed. Somehow, I couldn't believe it was our weight that caused it to collapse, I thought the hammock must have been on some kind of slope, so I suggested we go around to the other side and try it again. Again, flat on our backs. Crappy workmanship, I say.

The girls got many lovely gifts, and it seems we're ushering in the Era of the Tiny Things with Many Parts. Grace is obsessed with her new sparkly purse from Aunt Kimmie (big surprise) which she has filled with a Sleeping Beauty cell phone she bought with some birthday money, lip gloss, and a make-up compact from Mackenzie. Olivia has been busy making sure all her Tiny Things with Many Parts don't get mixed up with Grace's TTWMPs.

As for Henry, he's been moping around missing his cousins and generally whining and pining for them, especially his soul-brother Anthony. The Combustible Twosome.