May 13, 2009

We Had A Bday Party

Catching Up - Part II
The boys' had their third birthday party. People came from near and far to celebrate. It was a Backyardigans party this year as last year was Cars and it just didn't seem right to have the same party twice. The boys had a great time. Of course, the favorite part of any party for them is the cake. Even more so than the gifts. Although a close second comes in two parts. They enjoyed the fact that all visitors let them take/eat whatever they wanted off of their plates (I was a little embarrassed at their scavenger like nature) and they loved my mom's homemade lemonade that was freshly squeezed from homegrown lemons (as did all guests - it was an unexpected hit to the party). I would say that hours were spent (especially by Ben) with a party cup and a fork. A fork?? Yes, how else can one dig out and eat the pulp string by string. Amazing what will pass for entertainment these days.

Back to the delightful cake though. I do agree with them that the cake was rather fantastic. Yummy! Vons does the best job and has the most delicious cakes. They did not have a Backyardigans design however so the boys got to pick out the design that they wanted from the cake book.

The good news was that they agreed on something.....that is a miracle in itself. The bad news.....they picked the Ratatouille rats. Okay....I know. The cartoon rats are very personable and cute. But, the thought of rats on top of my cake.....I didn't like. I tried to persuade them that Mickey Mouse would be better. Although still a mouse......a kinder, gentler.....less ratty mouse. We tried Speed Racer, Nascar......even hockey. They wanted the Rats. So, since it was their birthday and their cake, it was their decision. No one seemed to mind and I do admit that it didn't stop me from enjoying multiple pieces.



The boys were treated to an enormous amount of gifts. Of course, they weren't so interested in opening said gifts. I had to do the bulk of that job and had a little help from one of the other children in attendance at the party. Not to say that they didn't appreciate what was inside all of the neatly wrapped packaging and gift bags. They were just too busy running here and there to stay in one place too long. They made out like bandits though and I was just as happy that they got some very nice clothing as well.




We did the obligatory pinata thing. A great hit at any kids party. Of course it is a little stressful keeping all kids out of the line of fire. The boys did pretty well with taking turns. That poor Pablo bird took a beating though. I almost felt guilty at the prospect of watching this poor animal taking so many hits. Its head getting smashed in and knocked about. I half expected an animal rights activist to jump forth from the crowd to rescue the poor thing. Finally, we had to have one of the older kids break it open. Then the rush to candy grab ensued.
Mike was certainly a great host and was the grill master for the day. If there is one thing that we were successful at doing, it was feeding our guests. Not only did we have an island of snacks, but my dear husband was busy for the duration of the party grilling hot links, hot dogs and hamburgers for a ravenous crowd. To my surprise......he didn't char one single meat product. He was on his game folks.




So, I end this installment with pictures of the boys enjoying their party in their new house (bday gift from mommy and daddy). I think the boys had a fabulous time which is what it is all about. And mommy and daddy really realized how old they were when after the party they had to go straight to bed exhausted and passed up on the opportunity to go to another party that night at a bar where drunkenness and karaoke would have been in full effect.





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