The fourth birthday party was a success! I made up these practical party favors by appliqueing attendee initials onto regular bath towels, for personalized swim towels that they could each take home. Plus, since it was a pool party, they came in quite handy. And, of course, it’s way better than a bag of garbage…

…but first, there was eating…(the girl insisted on Diego – her favorite. I was just glad that they still have Diego stuff at the party store, considering he’s kind of old news.)

Then, there were eight little girls in the pool… Big sister is under water. It has proven quite difficult to capture a photo of her surfacing so far this summer. She truly may be part fish. And if you counted only seven, I believe the birthday girl took a quick break to tattle on someone for getting her wet – yeah, she’s that kid.

Then there was the ice cream truck which was sort of planned, but not really…it’s a long story. And this one only makes that face when the skin on the bottom of her feet melts.

Then there was cake (that big sister did an excellent job decorating)!

And finally, a super creepy Diego mask to cap off the big day. Trust me, this will scare the bejeezus out of you if it’s the first thing you see walking into a room. (Surprisingly, the cute striped bathing suit did little to de-creepify the mask…)