Traditions

Each summer we throw a "Cousins Party" with a different theme.
Last year, while I was in the hospital, my mom, Rachel, Dana, and her mom, Nedra did a Cowgirl party. A couple years before (I was pregnant with Reese), I was in charge of the Camelot party. Look at how young the kids are!

And this summer, while the Texas cousins were in town, we threw a Hawaiian party. Believe it or not, this one was a simplified version of those from years past. Most of them start with a little gussying up. At our Hawaiian party, the girls had face painting and island tattoos.

Then we hot glued flowers to the must haves of the season-- grass skirts. (Yes, I know Greer is skinny... I swear we feed her).

Once the girls were decked out-- we had the token boy cousins-- Soren and Derek-- escort them into the party...

Where Grammy and Nanny (Dana's mom) gave them leis and welcomed them.

Nanny used to live in Samoa-- so she put on a little cultural class about the Polynesian Islands.

My assignment was to teach the girls how to Hula. Thank heaven for Internet tutorials!

Aunt Dana taught the girls how to make flower hair clips. Greer has about 12 in her hair!

Kean and my dad served as the audience.

While I made lunch, my mom read some children's stories from the Islands.

We had great plans to have the guys dig a hole and roast a pig-- but the fire two days before the party kind of threw a wrench in that plan-- so for lunch we did fruit smoothies and Hawaiian Pizza. Hey, close enough!

After lunch, the kids played all kinds of games... a Hawaiian relay race...

Water games... like the ol' slip 'n slide... (since we don't have a beach, we had to improvise)...

Here are all the girls... before we changed into our suits and went swimming at Grandpa Bodily's.

We ended the day, with what else? More eating.

Boy, did the kids sleep good that night (and the moms too)!