We had Katie’s first big girl birthday party today as she turned 4 this week. I call it a big girl party, since there were no other parents involved. That was great for Katie, but by the end both Becky and I were trying to see if we had any alcohol in the house.
Katie invited her friends from daycare, Mya and Jalynn, her neighbor friend Tessa, and the sons of our friends Luke and Ben. Unfortunately Luke got sick and couldn’t make it. So with Amelia and Katie, that was a total of 6 kids to try to herd. We went to pick up Tessa as the other kids were being dropped off. Tessa is a very smart 5 year old who loves to talk and tell stories. I don’t think she’ll ever work for the FBI though, because she likes to tell secrets. She told Katie what her present was on the way to our house because she just couldn’t keep it in. Then she told everyone that her dad’s sister used to curl his hair when he was a kid – that was supposed to be a secret too. It was pretty funny.
We headed out for the local bowling alley after sucking down some healthy popsicles that Katie had been very excited about us making for her party. The kids got to sit in the super-secret back seat of the car, and we just hoped any cops would not notice us as we drove by with 6 kids in the back out of car seats. They opened a lane for us when we got there, and once we got everyone the right shoe size, we started bowling. They don’t have the gutter protectors there that they have at some lanes for kids, so instead we used a contraption that allowed the kids to put the ball up at their chest height and push it down to get it started. I had to hold the unit and direct the balls as they came out. It turns out I’m not very good at that since half the balls ended up going in the gutter anyway. The girls had fun and although they ran off a little more than we would’ve liked, we made it out alive and with an extra party goer – Jenna who used to go to daycare with Katie.
So with 7 kids in the back of the car that seats 5, we dropped off Jenna and headed home. Once we got home we worked on the delicacy we were preparing for supper, Mac & Cheese. Katie opened her presents (a little before we were ready) and the kids all got to get a gift bag to keep them pacified when it’s not their birthday. (Becky insisted on this, and I see why – kids this age just don’t get it when one person gets all the presents). The girls sang songs as they waited for dinner, and that was pretty cute – fortunately, I caught it on camera as well. Then the girls and Ben ate their food very well and then we got to have the piece de resistance, the Dora Ice Cream Cake. Not surprisingly, they ate that up well also.
After that, it was free play. That was chaotic, but fortunately no one got hurt. When it was time to go all three girls were lobbying to stay over night. At that point Becky and I just wanted a little piece and quiet and we realized we had two very tired girls on our hands, so it was best to pass. As I took the girls home, Ben’s dad picked him up. Becky said we could take care of him anytime, he just let the girls do their thing and just played with them quietly or played on his own. When he first arrived, the three year old told me his coil broke on his tractor this morning, so you can tell his interests are a little different than most of the girls.
We had a good party – Katie had a great time with all her friends. Amelia didn’t get trampled too badly, so that was good too. I should have some photo evidence uploaded pretty soon.
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