Birthday in Review

I used to think Kindergardeners were really small. Miles is pre-K, but he seems so big. This birthday felt like more of a milestone than the last few. Enter the world of big boys!

Miles got an early gift of Spiderman pjs since the space pjs with the feet I'd bought him for xmas he'd insisted on wearing every night, if not all day every day. He called it his "Space Spiderman Suit." So, for days he's been wearing his new Spidey Suit (even under his school uniform, just like Peter Parker!)

I definitely splurged this bday because it really is so different from the others. He's more excited by things, had opinions of what he wanted, and was genuinely, magically enthralled about his gifts. He got a big castle with knights, a book with abbreviated classic stories on heroes (we read a story on Hercules slaying the Cacus monster, for example), a rocket-ship with alien and astronauts (possibly liked more by his sister), and a nerf basketball set (he got four baskets in a row first time ever playing - the highlight of my day, he said).

The weather was great, as it was indoor/outdoor at our place. I limited the number he could invite, and he only wanted boys (another weird first). In retrospect, the mix of boys was pretty diverse, though they are still at an age where they don't really notice these differences (they all speak English, though for some it's a second or even third language): Lithuanian/Scottish, Iraqi, Jordanian/Spanish, Portuguese/Spanish, Jordanian, and English. 

Fe (with a little help from me) made a nice spread for the parents: taboule, fruit salad, chicken spring rolls, and crudite with spinach dip and cheesecake. (What do you feed such a diverse crowd at 2 in the afternoon??) The kids had decorated mini-pizzas, lime jello with jelly-worms, chips (the highlight of the party for Eliza), candy and cake. 

In keeping with the Alien Hunt theme, the kids were sent on a wild rampage, complete with capes or astronaut suits and swords and flag waving... The premise, as dictated to me prior to the party for my re-telling, was that we were on a spaceship headed out of the Milky Way, beyond even the Andromeda Galaxy to a yet unknown galaxy where planet Yikkup is located (Miles's fantasy planet). Next to Yikkup is planet Sirrius where we were to discover an evil alien...(this is the abbreviated version). 

The plan was that I was supposed to distract them while David hung an alien pinata I made (yeah, first time since 8th grade art class that I tried my hand at paper mache). Then he was supposed to create a trail of fluorescent slime... But they were too fast for us. They all went charging up with their various weapons ready to destroy it until the heavily breathing mother/master-of-ceremony showed up and made them takes turns in alphabetical order to be fair and in a valiant effort to reduce injury. 

Each got 2 tries with a broom (no blindfold), then we went for another round of three swings each, during which the pinata fell to the ground without breaking (aaaaaaagh....my plans for the dramatic spilling of red guts-like tissue paper with candy and prizes thwarted!!!). The whole time, it was all we could do to keep the other children back. They kept running in with their swords. It was a miracle no one got whacked in the head with the broom. Finally, David just had to give it one explosive hit, and they went running in - the usual death of pinata scene. There wasn't any fighting over who got what (I'd worried about that). I think because it all happened so fast, and they all got something, and immediately put it in their bag I'd gotten for them so it was kind of a mystery what anybody had. 

We quickly followed with pass-the-parcel which also kept them pre-occupied. That was supposed to happen earlier, but I'd luckily forgotten. I'd also forgotten how to play it, but we figured it out. It's a British thing, I think. The package is passed around while the "music" plays (in this case, the adult singing stops), then the child who has the package when the music stops gets to tear off the outer layer of wrapping paper and get a treat. There are lots of layers with an especially nice treat in the center (in this case a Ben 10 Four-Arms Alien action figure!!).

I was very happy that Miles never once threw a tantrum over not getting something. He wasn't in any fights and really seemed to enjoy himself all day. He told us in the morning that he wasn't 5 until he blew out the candles on the cake, and it wasn't until that time (though actually the wind prevented us from lighting more than one) that I remembered how last year he'd refused to admit that it was his birthday or that he was turning four. We even had to sing happy birthday to Eliza instead of him that year, and when people told him happy birthday, he'd scream: it's not my birthday!! But apparently, his excitement over getting "bigger" outweighed his anxiety over change this year.

Click here for the photos: Party slideshow

My videography was atrocious, but that's what happens when you have to simultaneously prevent kids from running into the danger zone. It was very fun though (as is evident by my hysterical wheezing).