Pulaski Days 2009, Birthday Party #1

It is bittersweet to type about our past weekend. It is definitely one of my favorite weekends of the year and I am sad to see it go. We left for Pulaski on Friday to meet up with Grandpa and Grandma Smith, as well as Auntie Jolene and family and Uncle Brian and family. We all stay with my dad when we go to Pulaski and it is quite the house full! 8 adults + 6 kids ages 5-1 + two dogs = one crazy time! Friday night we made our way to the grounds to take in some of that good ol' Polish music! Oh, and eat pierogies, too! We were able to see our dear friends the Hickoks from New York, as well as Amber and Tasha, my two great friends.
Saturday brought a new twist this year! Since Kelsey is turning 1 on August 1, we had a birthday party for her in Pulaski so we could celebrate with our family and friends from Wisconsin. To start the day, the men folk went golfing and the ladies went to the craft show. After we met back up, it was time to set up for the party. We got all the food made and the house decorated before guests began to arrive. A special thanks to Grandma Chris for making Kelsey's cake, Aunt Evie for making the "golden" cookies, Grandpa and Grandma Smith for letting us use their house for the party, and Aunt Jolene and Aunt Molly for helping with the food! The party turned out great! The theme for the party was gold since it is Kelsey's golden birthday. Therefore, we had a gold hunt for the kids. They had a blast looking for the gold coins hidden around the house. They were even able to turn their coins in for prizes. Following the kid hunt, the adults got their chance to show their skills and have a hunt themselves. This time, they were able to turn their coins in for golden tickets (aka lottery scratch off tickets.) I don't know who had more fun! Next came presents and cake. Kelsey received so many thoughtful gifts! Thank you everyone!
Once we were done whooping it up at my dad's house, we all packed up and left for the polka grounds. It was fun to watch the kids reaction to the music. Lauryn and Soren are really starting to get the dance down, so it was fun to boogie down with them. Kelsey seemed mesmerized by the whole thing and enjoyed watching the dancers. I always think how proud my mom would be of us for keeping up the Polish tradition of coming home for polka days.
Sunday we were all pretty wiped out, but we managed to make it out the door to the parade. The kids caught oodles of candy!
Following the parade, we hit the grounds for one last day of fun. What a wonderful weekend! I have posted a few of my favorite pictures, followed by an extensive slideshow with all the pictures from the weekend. Enjoy!