California adventure: Happy birthday Katherine!

Back to my California recap (yes, it's been nearly a month since we went, but hey, life has been busy!)...  The biggest reason we went out there was to attend my niece Katherine's fourth birthday party.  On the way to the party, we had to pick up 20-something balloons...


The children were back there somewhere...


Katherine wanted an "Ariel cake" for her birthday, as in the main character from "The Little Mermaid," and that's just what she got!  Just look at this wonderful cake:


The children were impressed:


My newest niece, Lauren, looked on from below and said, "Yeah, it's pretty neat."


While waiting for the guests to arrive, Katherine and Thomas took a moment to entertain Lauren (or vice versa):


Thomas was most intrigued by Lauren.


Soon all of the children arrived, and then came the special guest...Ariel herself!


After some bubble time, she offered face painting (Katherine did it, Thomas was too shy and preferred to ride tricycles instead).


Katherine definitely seemed to enjoy the party:


Thomas had a ball on the many different types of wheels available to ride:


There was a game of Limbo:


...and magic time:


...and fun with the parachute (bouncing stuffed animals):


Thomas loved that part:


After cake and ice cream, it was time to open gifts (Thomas wanted to help Katherine do this, but he had to settle for being a spectator):


It was a wonderful party and we were most happy we were able to be there to share it with Katherine and her family.  Everything was so much fun and everyone was so kind.  At the end of the day, this picture summed it up well.  Lauren did what we were all probably ready to do, take a rest.  Here she is with her Grandma.


Thank you Katherine for allowing us to spend such a wonderful day with you!