Because, of Course, It Had to be a Panda Party!

As you know, we don't do a lot of birthday parties.  I always try to encourage a special family vacation or outing to celebrate birthdays.  But, since Ella had the big sleepover at the beginning of the month, there was no way Delia couldn't  have a party too.  When considering what type of party would honor Delia and not stress me out too much, we came up with this perfect idea-- a panda party with Delia's favorite food for lunch, Chinese!

In the spirit of keeping it real, I'll confess that everything you see here is the product of me typing "Panda Party" into Pinterest.  I'm pleased that we could so easily pull off so many cute ideas! (The invitation above, the table setting below.)

For party favors, every girl got to adopt a panda to take home.  We had a funny questionnaire for them to fill out about their pet panda too.  Master cake decorator Ella was put in charge of the cupcakes and did a great job!

One of my favorite things we did was a panda photo booth.  Delia's abundant collection of stuffed pandas served as some of the props.  The picture above is us testing it out the night before guests arrived and, of the dozens the girls took, it's the photo I like best.

Though 10 friends were invited, only 4 were able to make it due to family vacations and busy schedules.  This ended up being just fine.  After seeing just half of that today, I actually can't image 12 energetic girls squeezed into my living room or around our table!

One of the things I love most about Delia is her enthusiasm.  She was SO pumped for this panda party that she couldn't fall asleep last night and was the first one to bounce out of bed this morning, quickly dressing and begging me to do things (like display the cupcakes) many hours before anyone was supposed to arrive.  You can see her zest in the above picture-- she opened each gift with this much excitement.

For lunch, the girls had a huge variety of Chinese food to sample.  Some were brave and tried new foods!  And about half of them hung in there with the chopsticks after Dave gave a little demo and lesson!

This is a sweet group of girls,  They had a lot of fun singing karaoke, playing four square, telling stories, and letting the guinea pigs run around their legs.  But, I had a few games planned too.  The above pictures were drawn on their heads.  It's supposed to be a panda in a tree, eating bamboo, and wearing a party hat, with balloons and presents around him.  Below is the party classic Twister.  The girls also had to blow green Q-tips through straws at a partner holding a panda cup for a "Feed the Panda" game.  It was a good mix of organized activity and free play time.

And here we are serenading our panda-loving birthday girl.  Whatever work went into the planning and ordering of food and supplies was all completely worth it when an ecstatic Delia nearly knocked me over with a huge hug after her friends left and told me, "Thanks Mom!  That was the BEST party ever and I'll remember it FOREVER!"

Mount Hermon Short Videos

Every year I write about and share pictures from our week.  Here is a short (under 20 second) peek at just a few of the real life, tangible memories that keep us coming back to Mount Hermon!

The zip line that concludes the Discovery Grove ropes course.

Ringing that cow bell at the top of the rock climbing wall.

Those crazy counselors serenading us on the train.

"Ceiling, floor, window, door, people..."-- Murphy's daily dance party!

2017's Mount Hermon Memories

This year marked our 10th year of attending Mount Hermon.  While most of it remained the same as it has been the past 9 times we've gone, a few new changes made this year feel different and special.  The  biggest change was Ella graduating out of Day Camp and into the Middle School Youth Group.  She LOVED this!  Her favorite parts of the week were the more intentional opportunities for spiritual growth-- a dynamic worship service each day, a speaker, and a Time Alone With God, quiet devotion time built into each morning.  She loved her small group and their leader.  And she loved hanging out with her friends on her own and being a bit more independent from us.  I was recently telling a friend that Mount Hermon is a good way to mark the passing of time/aging of children. While Ella FINISHED Day Camp this year, it seems it was not that long ago that she was thrilled to START it!

This year I will chronicle our Mount Hermon week with a daily journal...

After settling into our cabin and attending Sunday night's opening carnival/picnic/program, we jumped into Monday's activities with vigor!  We started playing the whole-campus scavenger hunt right away, searching in all places, from the welcome sign to the cafeteria, for numbered balloons.

I love doing this right away, because the hike across the grounds is always one of my favorite parts of camp.  We were excited to encounter 5 banana slugs hiking on this first day.  Never caught sight of one after this day, though.  We joked that as the camp filled up and got busy, a warning went out to all their slimy friends, "HIDE TILL FALL!  THE CAMPERS ARE HERE!"

 We were so quick to get our game pieces filled in, we were the first family to turn it in!

We were also able to snag a spot on the ropes course on this first day, so as we waited our turn, we played a little shuffle board.

This year's turn on the ropes saw the least amount of tears and threats to turn around than we've seen in previous years!  Ella flies across (which is why I have just this one picture of her), but Delia still gets nervous.  She showed the most bravery and determination ever this year and we were proud.

 Monday night (and almost every other night!) ended with some heaven ice cream in the Fountain snack shop.

 On Tuesday we made the long hike uphill to Pancake Ridge for the best meal we'll eat all week.

#willhikeforpancakes

Ella has grown too old for the pancake toss, but Delia participated!

Tuesday afternoon our group always drives down to the Santa Cruz beach to meet up with kids and leaders from our church family who are at Hi Camp for the week.

Per the custom, books were read (Ella rigged up this clever shade to see the words on her Kindle), crabs were caught, bodies were buried, and waves were jumped.  Delia did not know I was behind her taking pictures.  I love this collection of images I caught of her frolicking, dancing and leaping for joy in the surf!

On Tuesday night we Zumba with the whole camp!  Both girls delighted in getting up on stage again with the dance instructor.

Wednesday is Train Day, which starts with a little hike down to the train station.  Once we board, those wacky Day Camp counselors come to sing and high-five us off!

On the Boardwalk this year, we chose to go on a few rides.  We were able to finally talk Delia into trying the famous Giant Dipper wooden roller coaster, a ride we suspected she'd love if she was brave enough to try it.  Sure enough!  It got a big thumbs up!  That is actually her and Dave pictured above in the third car.  Fun facts about this historic ride: it used to cost just $.15 to ride and it is the country's fifth oldest roller coaster.

Ella does not care for roller coasters, but not because it's an issue with heights.  She chose to ride the Sea Swings and loved feeling like she was flying over the beach and Boardwalk.

Rides on the classic Sky Glider and Merry-Go-Round completed this morning for us.  The girls were concentrating hard on catching rings that they could toss into the clown mouth.

 That ride back up the mountain is another favorite part of the week.  The gentle rocking of the train, the scenes and smells of the redwood forest, the shifting shadows of the trees...this is peace.

Dave still had to preach on Sunday, so much of our down time, while the kids were in their programs, was spent like this.  Dave had all his sermon research along and I had a magnificent 500 page book that I could barely put down.  A table by the creek, a donut, and a cup of green tea added to the pleasure of this unique time Dave and I got to spend together.

Thursday had us on the climbing wall, where each girl made it to the top to ring the bell this year!

Thursday afternoon we all split up.  Ella met a friend for ice cream, but played some "Dodge and Arrows" with Dave before she left. And Delia and I headed down to the pool.  Hotter temps than usual and the strength the girls gained in their swimming last year had us spending a lot of time at the pool this year!  Delia especially loved the water slide.

On Friday we took a creek hike with our group of friends.  For maybe a mile or so, we hike along the valley floor, right through the bubbling (sometimes rushing!) creek to a sandy shore with a waterfall.  This hike is adventurous and fun!  About 5 people in our group slipped and went all the way into the water this year!  We moms on the hike managed to stay on our feet (a good thing since we were the photographers holding the phones!).

At the end of our hike, we happened to notice that the boats were open-- an unusual thing for those us who attend this first week of family camp.  Ella was already off with some friends, and we had Delia's friend Tessa with us all afternoon, so we took the girls out on first a row boat and then a canoe ride.

Saturday is the day to pack up and say goodbye to our friends and our beloved Mount Hermon home.  We know the year will go fast, as it always does, and before we know it, we'll be back making new memories in this same setting!