Welcome to Esmeland!

Esme had the ne plus ultra of birthday parties today - attacking goblins, make your own sundaes, a huge bin of dress-up clothes, and a two story castle with a moat and a drawbridge that went up and down!
Her Aunt Katy was the mastermind of this event and created the great majority of the items. She and Esme brainstormed the activities of the party - a table for crafts, the dress-up area which was attached to the "sweet rose cottage" next door to the castle (which was really a climbing structure inside my in laws' livingroom) and the do-it-yourself sundaes. The goblins were really pinatas with m&ms, skittles and little toys inside of them.
Eleven children showed up for the party; I expected a lot more NOs because of the Michigan/Michigan State game today, but apparently, I didn't understand how kids at a birthday party meant more time for the dads to focus on the game.