Memorial Day Soiree 2010

It's Memorial Day as I write, with thunder rumbling and rain pelting on our tin roof.

I commented to my husband over our messy, tired dinner table companion's ramblings that I am supremely grateful that we enjoyed our picnic last night and not tonight.

Where would have we gone with 18 adults and 34 children?

The families who came were what made the party the fun time that it was. If I would have had space and sanity, I would have invited many more people who are so close to my heart...but when i counted up the children already coming, I knew I had to draw the line. (but it was hard!)

Here are a few pictorial memories of a "Memorial Day Soiree" that was made special by the people who graced the crowd with their presence:

Our little pipsqueak took charge of the beverage table, subsequently starring a splash of water down the front of her dress for the entire evening.

As I told a few of the ladies, I am allotted 2 good ideas a year. I was pleased as punch they both coincided with my Soiree. The first came to me in the attempt to make this gathering as stress-free and enjoyable as humanly possible for the parents. Thus the day before, I put together 34 simple paper bag dinners for the children so they could simply grab-n-go, and eliminate all the fuss of food lines. Inside of them were pb&j's, a bag of Cheez It's, napkin and a juice box (the Ice Cream Sundae bar later in the evening was desert.) It worked well.



As you can see below, there would have been quite a bit of work getting plates together for all these precious little mouths.

I asked the children to enjoy their dinners and try not to interrupt their mom and dad's while they ate there's (within reason) and guess what? They did!

There were friends of old...

...and brand spankin' new friends who we can't wait to know better.

It was touching to see the generation gaps respected by the young.

He knows not of the hero he's speaking to...and only time will tell of what heroism this young boy might display in his lifetime.

I was excited to have my treasured lifetime friends who are twins, holding my twins!

In elementary school, because the three of us held the same last name, sometimes a substitute thought we were triplets (even though we don't look like each other, really).

My daughter was captured on camera by my friend, Sally, concocting her own ice cream recipe:

1 sugar cone

1 good squeeze of Hershey's Chocolate Syrup

2 scoops of rainbow and chocolate sprinkles

and (most importantly)

1 distracted mama who isn't paying attention.

The after dinner entertainment involved the children breaking up into 3 groups and giving them streamers, poster board, markers, tape, etc. and they were to decorate a 'float' (wagon, wheel barrow, trailer) for a "Memorial Day Parade" for the adults after their dinner. They took to it beautifully and it was entirely sweet to see what their young, creative noggins came up with!

(Tiara's and Lais were handed out immediately before the parade left for it's route...)

The 91 year old man standing next to his jet black Camero, and the lovely wife in the passenger's seat were our guests of honor. I have spoke of him before in this blog, as they are good friends of ours. She basically raised 5 children solo while he served in the Air Force during WW2, specifically the Berlin Airlift.

There is no man more deserving of this black Camero, or any higher honor, than one like him. We were so thankful they could come, and that he was able to share a little of his experiences to the adults while the children were preoccupied with their patriotic floats.

At the end of the evening, after the guests had left and 5 weary, play-worn heads rested on their pillows, me and my husband sat and talked about the special people that had so kindly etched their presence into the fabric of this home.

"All great change in America begins at the dinner table"

-Ronald Reagan