Wednesday, May 24, 2006

A Birthday Gala-Bash-Fete-Party-Fiesta-Soiree Roundup!

Thanks to e - v - e - r - y - o - n - e (wow, that worked out well) who wished The PB & The J Happy 4th birthday on Monday. They had a very good day and did not want it to end. Also, thanks to everyone who heaped congratulations onto HoMu and I for doing such a damn-fine job in raising them… so far…

MetroDad asked what we did with The PB & The J for their birthday, so I though I would push Random Thoughts to tomorrow and regale you with stories of their birthday celebrations. (It wasn’t one day of partying mind you, it was a few days… rather… it’s their birthday week…)

Sunday was their party… it was “small” this year with 25 people (and that’s just immediate family – though their psuedo-quasi-Uncle Scott was invited too, but, due to circumstances beyond his control, he was not able to make it… which made filming the party hard since he has “volunteered” to be the vide-ographer since their first birthday party… but I digress)

Rather than having it at our home, again, and not be able to enjoy it, we decided we would have it somewhere else.

Following the Twins Club’s bowling outing a few months ago (which I thankfully had to work through as the ratio of kids to adults was 24:8), the girls have had a fascination with bowling, and when we asked where they wanted their party at, they both, without hesitation, said a bowling alley

(I know what you’re all thinking... and no, we’re not hicks, the girls just like bowling)

This was easier than asking what type of party they wanted. One would say The Wiggles (year two party), one would say Princess (year three party), and The PB often said Star Wars (which made me proud) and on one occasion, they both said they wanted a “West Wing” party (Peanut Butter for President in 2045… watch for it)

So they finally picked what kind of party they wanted (Chicken Little) and the place they wanted it (bowling alley)... so the planning commenced.

We had the alley to ourselves, we ate lunch we had catered in, played a game of bowling, cut their cakes and opened their plethora (or if you prefer surfeit) of gifts.

A fun time was had by all...

We thanked everyone and, rather than give treat bags filled with candy, I burned a CD of all their favorite songs from my iPod (they have their own playlist on there), created an insert with their picture and a label with a "personal" message from them and we gave those out to everyone who attended.

On Monday, their actual birthday, HoMu and I took the day off. First, HoMU took them to see a friend of her family’s who shares the girl’s birthday and was turning 99 (99 and planning a trip to Jamaica to see her granddaughter get married… I can only hope that when I’m 99, I can still get on a plane. – Incidentally, my brother asked if she was going to Jamaica to ‘get her groove back’… ewwww)

The PB & The J then went to get their 4-year pictures taken.

I then met up with them and we went out for lunch to McDonald’s (birthday girls choice)

We then ran some errands (had to buy blank DVD’s for my new toy – a brand-spanking new digital camcorder), and went to see “Over the Hedge.” (My one-word review of Over the Hedge: “Meh”)

After that it was dinner at their favorite pizza place, Monical’s, and then home where they opened up their gifts from us (we always hold a couple of presents from us back so they have something to open on their actual birthday)

Then, as quickly as it came... the day was over and it was bedtime.

But their birthday celebrations weren’t done yet...

Yesterday they had a party at my mother-in-law’s daycare (where they go 3 days a week - free daycare; whoo-hoo!!) and the girls cutely and politely asked me to take their bounce house over so they could play with all their little friends (the bounce house was a gift to them from my parents last year… and still stands as their favorite summer “toy”… though the new bikes we got them this year may surpass that soon…)

If you ask them, they will tell you they had a “super cool.”

We don’t spoil our kids… do we??