These neighbors moved in across the street about a year ago after the elderly shut-in lady passed away. We always wave to them and have chatted a few times. I like them because they take good care of their front yard and they frequently get Little Caesar's Hot N Ready pizzas, just like us.
So on the morning of the party, we trooped to Target to get a present for an 8 year old girl that we really knew nothing about other than she often rides her bike in circles in the driveway and the invitation had Barbie on it. As luck would have it, near the toy aisle I found a hispanic mom with a 9 year old girl and consulted with them on the appropriate present (a small messenger bag that you can color on with fabric markers and personalize).
So on Saturday at 5:30 with Alice holding the present, we walked across the street and found ourselves in another country. Everyone at the party was hispanic and speaking Spanish except for us. Even the crispy snacks set out on the table were different (Simon loved them). We've been in the situation before, back in our wedding-attending days in Namibia, so feeling foreign was not entirely foreign to us. I made some awkward small talk with the ladies while Zac drank beer with the men. For supper they brought out plates of rice, beans and meat. The meat turned out to be from a deer that one of the men had hunted.
This party was pretty impressive. There were pink balloons strung from a makeshift canopy, marshmallow-scewer centerpieces, and balloons with Barbie heads on them (Alice kept asking, "Who is that girl?") There was a princess bouncy castle that Alice was afraid to go in until everyone else ran off to play inside the house, then she jumped her little heart out. Simon also enjoyed climbing up and down the ramp to the bouncy castle. The birthday girl, Brianna, was an excellent hostess and kept trying to include Alice, but Alice was more interested in playing with sticks in the woods, a net under their deck, a shovel set against a tree trunk, and a ladder leaning on another tree. We really had to keep our eyes on her. Eventually she acquired a pink balloon and that kept her grabby hands out of trouble for a while.
Alice was really excited about the pinata: The idea that you get to hit something with a stick until candy and toys fall out is right up her alley. However, when it was her turn to actually hit the thing, she refused. But, when the candy and toys fell out, she wormed her way into the group and grabbed some without hesitation. The dad was so kind and brought her over a handful of stuff too. After the excitement was over and the broken pinata was set aside, Alice found a small branch in the woods and went over and beat it some more.
It was late by the time they brought out the giant pink Barbie cake and adjusted the porch lights to illuminate it. Alice was very interested in the cake and got in close for a good view.
