Party Animals

"So how did it go?" another mother asked, as she arrived to pick up her son (err.... I mean Darth Vader).

Umm... well, that's a tricky question. How did the big party go, where we dared to host 10 kids in our small house, all dressed up as witches and ninjas and, my favorite, Harry Potter?




I'm still standing.

The house is still standing.

(Stefan, unfortunately, is not standing, but I'm sure his herniated disk has nothing to do with the party. )

None of the kids got hurt, and they all smiled and laughed at one time or another.

So does that mean it is successful?

We sure planned a lot of activities... I was a bit worried about what TEN BORED KIDS could do in the space of two hours.

We painted pumpkins, then did Halloween tie dye.

Then we went out front and took turns hitting the pinata. The kids really liked this--or was it the candy and gum that fell out?

Then we tried for a bubble gum blowing contest, which wasn't quite as popular. Only three or four of them knew how to blow a bubble.

Then we went down the SPOOKY BASEMENT where there was a "mummy dissection". Stefan had created a child-size cardboard "mummy" with spots for little hands to reach in and feel the internal organs. The brains were fried eggs, the "guts" were spaghetti noodles, the fingernails were almond slivers, the toes were unshelled peanuts, and the heart was a tomato.

Now THAT was fun, especially proving to Stefan that they weren't to be fooled, and guessing what all the different "body parts" were.


Then we were back outside for more fun... this time alko-seltzer-film-canister rockets.

I actually enjoyed this part. It's pretty simple. You take one-fourth of a tablet and put it in the bottom of a film canister container. You then fill the canister half-way with warm water. Then--quickly put the lid on, give it a little shake, flip it over and stand back. A few moments later, BOOM. And it goes flying off into the sky. Well, "off into the sky" is actually defined as about six or seven feet up, in this case.

And what's a birthday party without some cake and ice cream??

And where was Jameson during all of this Halloween craziness? Getting lots of attention, hugs, and ice cream from his grandparents. All four--yes, all four!--of his grandparents were there. He was as thrilled as Alex is starting off on a new Lego set.

We ran out of activities with 30 minutes left, so we parked them in front of a Halloween movie. The peace and calm only lasted about 15 minutes, though, so I turned them loose in the backyard. Where they ran around screaming until their parents showed up. (Don't get me started on my theory that they I think they might have enjoyed this part of the party more than anything else...)

So what it a success? I think it was.

But, was it worth all the work and effort and the getting-up-at-5am-to-finish-the-cake? Was it worth the numerous shopping trips, buying all of the supplies? Was it worth all the planning and effort and stress?

In a word, yes. I hope that Alex remembers the joy and happiness that his friends showered on him. I hope he remembers how much his parents and grandparents cared about him and worked to create a wonderful celebration.

But all things said, I'm enjoying this morning so much more. My parents took Jameson out of the house for a while, and Alex is sitting near me working on Legos. There's some warm pumpkin bread sitting on the counter, convenient for slicing off little pieces when I walk through the kitchen. I loaded the crockpot with apples, in an attempt to make homemade applesauce, and the cinnamon fragrance is just starting to waft through the house. There's a big mug of tea by my side, and an hour or so of writing to do. Yes, this is much better.

Happy Birthday to my Alex.

More pictures here...