I threw my first ever brithday party.  I've had small gatherings before with a couple of close families to share our cake and ice cream... but nothing like a real party.  We recently moved into this courtyard (Feb/March) and have made friends with our neighbors.  There are a lot of young kids and they play together all the time. 

Adam decided he wanted a Scooby Doo party... so we ran with that idea.  We had a cookout - because Scooby is ALWAYS eating.  Then we dropped Scooby Snacks (dog biscuits) into a bucket.  We also took two volunteers (ok, I really voluntold them) and the kids worked together with 8 rolls of toilet paper and made mummies.  I must say, homeschooling dads are the greatest, most willing guys.  :)

Most of the kids were just kids from our courtyard.  One family we knew back in Omaha is here... and they came, too.  We were very close to them.  They have 5 kids, homeschool, and lived 2 houses away from us for 2 years.  We visited every day and the kids played every day, too.  Last spring I moved to notheast Ohio to be near family while dh was in Korea.  Shortly after we had moved, they moved to Dayton, OH with the Air Force.  When I found out that dh was being stationed here in Dayton when he got home, I made sure we hooked up a few times.  The mom, Amy, has been such a wonderful guide and mentor for me.  She's much more even keeled than I am, and has given me such great insight on parenting, homeschooling, and being a good friend.  I love her and will miss her (again) when they leave this summer.

Please take a look at the pictures from our party.  We really had an awesome time.  

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v4...slideshow=true