Accessing Her Inner-monkey

There is something about age 6. When else in our lives are we
so sure about what we want? When J walked into the party
supply store and said, "Here comes the birthday girl!" about
herself and then marched down each aisle on the search for
"jungley" party stuff, I realized that I am not the family's
exclusive party planner anymore. Kids can be the party
planners. We are the drivers with money and a cell phone.

Not much was jungley enough for her in the party store, so we
decided to make our own jungle of monkeys and lions from
markers, colored pencils, and Benderoos (wax covered string).
Her friends at the party added to the jungle branches. The up-
side-down one on the right is the birthday girl's monkey. So
amazing what they can come up with uncoached, and without
examples--through accessing her inner-monkey!
 

Benderoos added colorful and jungley details.
(Okay, I am done using that word now.)

After the party was taken down, she wrote thank yous 

and sent the lions and monkeys to her friends that made them.