gus' 7th birthday party

gus being silly

i think i can say, without a doubt, that this year was gus' best birthday party yet! we had 10 absolutely crazy, over-sugared, extremely loud and totally hyperactive kids running around the backyard and through the house for two hours last saturday. the noise was impressive--but they were all happy noises so it was okay. no injuries; nothing got broken that couldn't be fixed (two sprinklers in the backyard bit the dust). the theme of the party was "american idol" and we got gus and a couple of the other boys to perform for us. gus sang "baby you're a rich man" by the beatles, george sang "you're beautiful" by james blunt, and cole sang "lime in the coconut" by harry nilsson. it was fun. thank you so much to everyone who sent birthday cards and gifts to gus--he loved all the attention and had a remarkably good day!

the moms, of course, congregated in the kitchen (i provided beer)

rich, single-handedly, trying to get the cd player to work

george singing "you're beautiful"

gus singing "baby you're a rich man"

me and sophie

mmm, cake

these kids are trying so hard to be patient

erika and valerie

back outside for some craziness

and more craziness

juliet takes a mighty swing at the piñata

scramble for the goodies!

i am so wiped out by the time it is over...