Perfect Day for a Party

First of all, Happy Father's Day to all dads (including those whose children are feathered or four-legged)!

We slept in really late today. I didn't get up until around 10. It was closer to 11 by the time Lauren stirred. When we both did get going, I made Banana Pancakes with one last banana that was going really soft. Lauren tried calling her dad, and I called the Cape May side of the family, but we didn't have any luck.

It was too nice to be sitting inside. We went for a walk down Goff to the boat landing, and then down Kendall and around to the little playground at the Tracy Conners Memorial Park. It's not very big, but just large enough for the two of us to goof off and Lauren to snap a few pictures of the two of us on the equipment and sitting together on the black metal bench. Lauren also got a hold of her dad; he and her mother had been out to lunch.

It was a gorgeous day for a walk. The sky was blue. The sun was warm, but not humid or too hot like it's supposed to be later in the week. There was a nice breeze, but not as heavy as yesterday. Everything is just so green here. The early summer flowers are debuting - primroses, summer lilies. The trees provided wide, shady canopies over our heads as we returned to my apartment for me to change into my bathing suit and pick up the cupcakes I made last night.

As they did last year, Jodie and Dad were having a Father's Day barbecue. It wasn't a really huge blowout, but it was fun. There were hot dogs, cheeseburgers, and sweet and hot sausages on the grill, along with macaroni salad and that really vinegar-y cucumber salad Jodie likes. My Red and Blue Velvet cupcakes were a big hit. They vanished so fast, the only one remaining by the end of the evening was the red velvet cupcake Jodie put aside for herself. I didn't even do anything fancy. It was just the Duncan Hines Summer Velvets cake mix made into cupcakes, with no frosting.

I spent most of the party in the pool with Jessa, Joe, Khai, and Joe's four kids. 5 year old Danica, 10 year old JoJo, and 16 year old Nick had no problems splashing and jumping around with Khai, Jess, and me. 4 year old Connor wouldn't go in - he apparently hasn't learned to swim yet - but had no problems squirting everyone else with the foam water guns. Jess initially just stuck her feet in, until the kids and I splashed her, and then JoJo knocked her in! Lauren mostly just talked to Jodie's mom and dad. She's not really a swimmer. Their neighbor Sandy was around at one point, and my sister Rose kept an eye on Khai.

Lauren and I headed home around 7. I jumped right in the shower, then made Blue Raspberry Blues Cookies with the Blue Raspberry cake mix I bought yesterday and the blueberry Craisins. We played Kirby's Epic Yarn while the cookies cooled.

Tomorrow, we're going to try to get out to Westmont and Haddon Township relatively early before it gets too hot, then go Goodwill-hunting with Jessa and Joe later in the evening.