"Plan B" for Mikayla's Party

If you are a mom, you know how there are times when you say "yes" to something just to appease them (maybe even to get them to stop begging), without really registering what that might require?  Well, that was what happened towards the end of the school year, when Mikayla was itching to put together a party for her girl friends, and all I wanted to do was get through the end of the week.  She put out a date for a couple of weeks ahead, and I figured I'd be able to handle it by the time came.  

I didn't even really recognize that she set the party time for four hours (that's a lot of time to keep 10 girls occupied!) - or that it was a time Michele and the kids were going to be here, or the fact that I had Whitley so I wouldn't be that useful at running the ever-increasing list of activities Mikayla had in mind to keep everyone entertained.  ("Let's do 'Minute to Win It' games!").  Or, most significantly, it was planned just two days prior to the stretch of three weekend cabin getaway/camping adventure/road trip experiences that will have us only home for one full day from Friday on to the next 17 days...  Sheesh, just describing all of this has me again thinking, "What was I thinking when I agreed to this?"  (I guess I just have a very enthusiastic, persuasive daughter...)

So, as the time approached, the weather forecast began looking very sketchy.  As in, low 60's and rain all day.  Hmmm, that is not very copacetic with water balloons and sprinklers running beneath the trampoline.  Plan B.....and that would be....?  (Can we cancel it?!!!) How about the rainy day option residents of Eugene and Springfield have been utilizing since (at least) the days I was a wee child?  SKATE WORLD!   I'll even happily pay the $3 a kid admission, if parents are willing to drop off and pick up there (you mean I don't have to clean my house?!  Oh, what a happy mama!).

Parents and daughters were gung ho with the idea change and it all worked like a charm.  (We even managed to cut down the time length by an hour...).

The first attraction of the experience was a visit by "Gus".  One of Mikayla's friends (Harley), just got this nine week old Weimaramer.   Oh, those eyes alone....  I could just hold him and squeeze him and love him.....ALL DAY LONG!   As for Whitley, she didn't really care.  I think it's the attention focus....she's used to getting all of it.  She was in competition this time....

Here were the crew of girls that showed up...not pictured were Nati and Ellie who got to come along because they were in town with us.

Whitley made a couple of new friends during our "chill time" on the outskirts of the rink.  This is Heather, the step mom of Hadley.  They were working on getting Whitley to release her iron grip on her new treasured mini basketball to chuck it through the mini hoop (best $2.99 I've spent in a while...).  Every time she released it, she'd gasp her mouth open into a big "O"....so cute.

A couple of shots during the three hours we spent there... Michele and Jonna also kept me company during my "chill with Whitley" time.

Then, we saw one of the kids pushing a stroller on the rink and Mikayla and Nati asked if it was okay.  Yes, it was.  (Had I known, I might have donned roller skates and multi-tasked to get some exercise in).  As it was, they took Whitley out for just a song or two.  She enjoyed it.  In fact, she enjoyed all of the attention so much - there was no chance of getting her to sleep.  I love how much she loves engaging with people and making them smile.  

Moral of the story...in this circumstance, "Plan B" was a very, very good thing.  And, just for that day, I was especially thankful for the rain!