13th Birthday Party at the Lake

 Evan is turning 13 next month and wanted to have his friends over for a party at the lake.  We decided to celebrate a month early so we'd have nice weather for swimming.  That didn't really work out so well as our month and half long heatwave broke the day of his party.  We had cloudy skies, winds, and cooler temps in the low to mid 70's.  Luckily the water was still quite warm and the weather didn't keep any of the kids from having fun.


We began our day on Saturday by preparing food, cleaning the patio, decorating, and kayaking over to get the floating dock.  I snapped a few pictures of Alec and my husband kayaking it back to our house. 




All decked out-- I was told to not decorate much and to not go overboard with a theme.  We picked tropical/ fruit and I only bought a few hanging pieces, some plates, and napkins. 




The birthday boy picked out the menu too which we also kept nice and simple-- chips, cheese/cracker platter, fruit & dip, veggies & dip, burgers & hot dogs. 


He requested cheesecake cupcakes and they were a huge hit! We made the chocolate ones we made for my birthday and topped them with whipped cream and mini Oreos instead of chocolate ganache and strawberries.  We also made chocolate chip cheesecake cupcakes with Nilla wafer bottoms and topped those with whipped cream and mini chocolate chip cookies (I can write up a recipe post if anyone is interested). 



By 12:30 we were ready for everyone.. and mostly wearing sweatshirts. 



Evan ended up being the first one in when he got tossed in by his friend (whom Evan had been trying to push in!).



After that just about all the kids ended up in the lake. 




They finally pushed the floating dock out into the middle of our swimming area and lowered the anchor.









We took some breaks here and there to eat lunch and then to have cupcakes and watch Evan open his "gifts" (really at 13 they're all cards with gift cards)




It's great that most of Evan's friends are Alec's friends too so he has just as much fun.  

I love all these moms too and it was great getting to see and talk to everyone.   

Linking Up With: Spread the Kindness,



Comments

  1. Everything looked wonderful! Happy Birthday to your Sweet Boy!

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  2. It looks like everyone had lots of fun. Happy Birthday to your son.#mmbc

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  3. The birthday party looked like a lot of fun for the boys’. Cooler weather really doesn’t affect kids when water is involved.

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    1. It really doesn't! I was so thankful too as I wasn't sure what else they'd do for the 3 hours.

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  4. What a great celebration of your guy!

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  5. So glad he had a fun celebration!

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  6. It sounds like a wonderful time! Glad he had fun.

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  7. That is nice he had a good day. He is only a few months ahead of my youngest. :)

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    1. I just keep thinking it's crazy that they'll all be teenagers!

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  8. Awe! Bummer that it went cooler but you are right, the kids don't care, haha! It looks like they had a BLAST!!!! And I love everything he picked for you to serve; my kind of kid.

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    1. I was so thankful that everyone had a great time and didn't seem put off by the weather at all.

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  9. That lake looks so amazing and refreshing. What a great place to celebrate a birthday party. That food spread looks amazing too... yum!

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    1. It is very refreshing! Though my boys only tend to use the lake when we have company over.

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  10. Happy birthday to your son! Looks like he had a blast, and the food looked delicious!

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  11. I didn't realize we both have 13 year old sons!

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  12. It sounds like Evan had a great party. The decorations are fab and the food looks so good, especially those cheesecake cupcakes. It looks like everyone had a fantastic time. Happy birthday to your boy x

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    1. He really did have a great time! I am finding that cheesecake cupcakes are much less intimidating to make than actual cheesecake.

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  13. 'Don't decorate too much or make it too theme-y', haha typical teen boy! Looks like you did it just right!

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    1. Right?! I thought the same thing; what a typical teen boy thing to say.

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  14. Sounds like a pretty swell birthday even if it was cooler than expected. Oh, those cupcakes. Divine. I am making a German chocolate pie tomorrow. Hope it will be half as tasty as those cheesecake cupcakes look. Is the floating deck community property? I would be jumping off that thing all day long!

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    1. The floating dock belongs to my husband's family and we borrowed it for the day.

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  15. Happy birthday to your handsome son! It looks like he had a wonderful time with his friends at the lake and many delicious treats.

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  16. What a fun party! I love the low-key decorations, especially the plates. They're so cute!!! And the cupcakes look delicious.

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  17. Looks like Evan had a fantastic birthday with his friends. It’s such a great age when the kids can make their own fun and games. Gift cards are a great idea. I hope Evan enjoys spending them.

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  18. Lovely post, one of my grandson's had his 13th birthday this past weekend too!
    Although it's winter here in Australia so it was fun with his mates beside the fire.

    I'd love to see the recipe for the chocolate oreo cupcakes.
    You're most welcome to join me in a cuppa at Tea With Jennifer,
    Jennifer

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    1. I did link the recipe for the chocolate cheesecake cupcakes above. We used the same recipe for my birthday and just swapped out the toppings.

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  19. Happy birthday to your son. He looks so handsome and intelligent!

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  20. What a fabulous party. I bet they didn't care about the weather. Fun just being together. I thing you pitched the theme just right. #mmbc

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  21. Looks like so much fun! I need to think about my son's bday which is in 2 weeks!
    www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com

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    1. I almost forgot altogether! Luckily he asked me and brought it up... I even said we don't do 12th birthdays only 13th and he said "yeah, that's what this is!" Oops!

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  22. What wonderful and awesome memories made in COVID times...that was such a treat to see kids enjoying themselves like that. I have to say, in some states of Australia there can be no parties, no gatherings and no picnics. Your post made me smile!!


    Thanks for linking up this week for #LifeThisWeek. Next week the optional prompt is 34/51 Self-Care Stories. #5. 24.8.2020 and I hope to see you there. Take care, Denyse.

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    1. We are allowed to have pretty good sized gatherings outside now but there were several months where they weren't allowed either.

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  23. What a wonderful way to celebrate 13! Happy birthday to Evan. It looks like all the kids had a great time and I swear they are never really phased by the weather. Kids just want to be with their kid friends! Thanks for sharing and linking up with me.

    Shelbee
    www.shelbeeontheedge.com

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    1. Yeah, that is so true! Especially after our long spring apart.

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