Alice's birthday party this year was tricky. We considered doing another pool party, but Alice insisted we invite the whole class, and that just seemed like too many. Plus, our pool doesn't have an official lifeguard, so it made me nervous inviting strangers who might drown. So we went for the second best thing: a party at the roller skating rink! It wasn't too expensive, and the best thing is they do everything for you, which was quite appealing since I'm having health problems and have no energy to spare.So, when we took Alice there in May, I had her pose for a picture and then used it to create an invitation, which I sent her to school with to distribute to all her classmates, plus a couple extra for any friends in her after-school care program. I was also worried about the numbers--would 25 people show up? (The party package was for 12 guests). Would nobody show up? (Since the party was in a couple of weeks after school was out and on Father's day weekend). This is why I really hate doing birthday parties--no matter what it's still stressful!
As the big day got closer, only 3 people had RSVPed yes. Would more show up, but just not RSVP? Who knows. At any rate, we called in our back up plan. We invited Emory and Anna and Izzy at the last minute, and luckily they were all able to come. I let Alice know who had said they were coming so she wouldn't have big expectations and she seemed very content with six people. Phew.
So the day finally arrived. I had no energy, and just planned to sit in one of the booths with Simon (I brought some coloring for him) and any of the other parents that just wanted to hang out. Fortunately, Izzy and Anna's mom are good friends of mine, so it ended up being a quite pleasant way to spend the morning. Anna's mom has a PhD in nutrition, so I told her my intestinal woes and tried to get some advice. Turns out food and the body are quite tricky and there are no easy answers.
Meanwhile, Zac skated around and kept everything well-managed.
Alice and Emory
Alice, Izzy, Anna
Alice and Emory
Alice and Tru
Alice, Tru, Leslie
After skating around for an hour, it was time for drinks, ice cream, and cupcakes! Nothing like a massive sugar load to keep the kids going strong!
Izzy, Leslie, Emory, Anna, Alice, Tru
After the cupcakes, the kids were all given five tokens to play the games.
Alice loves getting tickets, which you trade in for prizes.
Simon was actually surprisingly good a pinball. Future pinball wizard, right here!
I do not like this picture.
By the end, Alice was completely tuckered out. Or just having a huge sugar crash.
All in all, the party was great and was the perfect choice for this year. But I will continue to dread these every year!
