Party of the Year! (literally)

In Korean culture, the one year birthday is a big one! Some friends of ours, Patrick and Nancy, invited us to celebrate with them when their little girl, Charlene, turned one. We were spoiled! We feasted on salmon, various pasta salads, prime rib, and cake. The kids even got their own special meals of chicken strips and fries. It was spectacular but the thing I was most impressed with was the balloon sculpture at the place of honor. Check it out...

Isn't this just adorable? I've never seen balloon bees and stems shaped like that. And the name done in balloons?? It was just too cute for words.

Here's Mikayla and daddy enjoying the chaos before the food was served.Our friends hired a balloon "twister" (for lack of a better word) to make balloons for all of the kids and wow, was it well received. After about a half an hour, just enough time for all of the kids to get their own balloon sword, the war began. There were kids everywhere, swinging swords and trying to avoid each other in the pandemonium. It was truly a party atmosphere. I was so proud of Mikayla. She actually sat and waited her turn for the balloon man to make her a balloon. She sat there so long, with Tyler, that I actually had to go up and ask the man to make her a balloon because she was letting everyone go ahead of her. I can brag and say that she was patient (which was a big part of it) but I can also say that I know she was afraid to ask for her own creation. She told me later she was afraid that he would say no. She has such a sweet heart and she will make an incredible lady someday.
Once Tyler got his sword, he was all business. This was the "war" face that he had on him from the moment he got his sword.

Unfortunately, his mouth doesn't look the same as last night. While playing with their balloons and the fan in the living room, Tyler's mouth connected with Mikayla's head and shoved 2 teeth behind where they should be. Conveniently, the friend who invited us to the party last night is a dentist so we called him to see what we should do. After I pulled the tooth back into place, he graciously came by to check it out. Thanks Patrick!!!! He told me it would take about 4-6 weeks for the fractured bone to heal but that kids are pretty resilient. I just have to be careful and not let him bite on tough foods for a while. My poor, clumsy son.