Kendra's 11th birthday

Kendra loves spending her birthday in Michigan!  We had her party the Saturday before the actual day, and she requested the usual...dinner with Bama, Papa, the Garnetts (aunt, uncle, and cousins) and then a game of family kickball in the front yard.  This year we also threw in some water balloons!

Kendra knew she was getting a cell phone for this birthday---I decided that she needed one as she goes to middle school since the logistics of dropping her off and picking her up each day are going to be tricky.  So we decided the cupcakes and party goodie for the cousins would be technology oriented.

The kids and I had fun coming up with the phone acronyms.  The take-away gift was a five dollar iTunes gift card.  Except they don't sell $5 denominations, so I edited and printed graphics of an iTunes card and paper-clipped five bucks to it---they were thrilled.

A rollicking game of ladder ball taking place...don't ask me about the whole boot thing...wearing Bama's shoes is a thrill, I guess.

You can see Jack's arm doesn't slow him down in ladder ball!

Not sure what Luke was doing here--rake-mic?  :-)

I was bummed that Kendra pretty much knew her gifts--she mostly got money and knew about the cell phone from me.  But then I got on the phone with Verizon and ended up with a surprise after all!  We had just planned on getting a basic phone (talk and text only), but it turned out that it was going to be the same price to do a shared data plan, so she got a Smartphone!  Surprise!

Oooohhh...Smartphone!  :-)

Body glitter!

She's wanted silver sparkle Toms for a long time...Bama and Papa got them for her!  Notice a trend?  The kid is obsessed with sparkle!

(PS:  Kendra also got money from Gram and Papa, her dad, Uncle B and family, our friends the Ballards,  and Papa Terry and Grandma Janice, as well as a lovely pair of earrings from Melissa and Sydney.  The girl has more cash than I do!!!)

Family kickball teams were selected with Kendra and Papa as captains this year...

The boys and Bama...Troy, Luke, Jack, Bama, and Jack

Team Sparkles...Tessa, Kendra, Erin, me and Gracie. 

All-time pitcher...Uncle Tim

We ended with a tie after three innings...which didn't sit well with the more competitive family members, but I soon diverted their attention with the water balloons!!!

My sister is no dummy.  She took shelter in the car!

Awesome self-inflicted soaking!

Love that Luke is sneak-attacking Kendra while she douses Tessa!

Because she wasn't wet enough...

We headed indoors for cupcakes...

Didn't think to warn my sis about the water balloons, so the kids ended up in a strange potpourri of clothing from Bama and Papa! Especially love Luke's get-up with the bathing beauties on the shirt!!! 

Wishing face?  And great job, Grace and Tess, holding the candles!

We didn't get to do our traditional birthday pancakes on the actual morning of her birthday, but it is in the plans to do it now that we are home!  Happy birthday to my awesome girlie!