Bouncing through the years

Hey, so I have three kids. Sometimes I have to remind myself of that...seems that I keep forgetting one or the other. And we're not just talking about getting their names confused. My mom used to call us by every name (even the dog's) before she got the right one. What I mean is that the Boy had a birthday and I never even mentioned it.

When I was LARGE with child during Boo's 6th birthday, we let Build-A-Bear host it for us. A bit on the pricey side, yes, but so very worth it to a woman giving birth in a few weeks. Since the Boy's birthday was wedged between our Spring Break camping trip and my departure for a cruise, I needed something on the easy side. The Boy began campaigning for a local collection of bounce houses as his dream location. Kangaroo Zoo has always been popular with my kids. They have rooms for parties and offer special packages so I decided it might be worth it. Turns out that the party packages are much cheaper on a weekday and I found a $20 off coupon. That put it within my budget! They even provided custom-made invitations, complete with waivers for parents to sign before the kids could jump.

(And here's where I'm going to rant for just a moment...if your child is invited to a party, please call and RSVP! If your child is invited to a party at Kangaroo Zoo, Build-A-Bear, or another locale where the parents are forking over some serious cash in exchange for your child's entertainment, an RSVP is absolutely mandatory!! While we only had two kids who told me they were coming, we also had one kid that never responded and never showed. Since the party is for a set number of kids, it costs me the same if not all of them are there. So please drop this terrible habit that society has engendered of not responding to an invitation and call the hosts! Okay, rant over... for now...)

The party guest ran around like crazed baboons, jumping, sliding, and bouncing on every inflated surface. There was even a "party host" provided that chased them, taught them games on various structures and showed them the new attraction they recently installed:

Blaster guns! These are air-powered guns that shot foam balls. The goal was to get them in the black net bag in the middle of the room. That was soon abandoned in favor of other targets, such as the party host or the birthday boy. I got in a few good shots, too.

Then we had presents! Each party room has a special throne for the guest of honor. 

And just to make singing "Happy Birthday" a little more fun, I had the kids sing it as loud as they possibly could. The Boy loved that! For another picture (and explanation) of the cake, go to here.

A good time was had by all and the kids were very whiny when it came time to leave, which I always take as a sign of success. Added bonus? No after-party hurricane debris for me to clean up!

Happy (BELATED) Birthday, Boy!