Party time!

If you heard a loud, joyous noise earlier today, fear not. It was not a thundering stampede or even the wild cries of dogs wailing at the sky while fireworks rain down. Yes, the cries belonged to wild beings, but they were not beasts; rather, they were 15 9-year-old boys (and two girls) set free in a room full of inflatable bounce structures.

That's right, it was Mark's birthday party today, and I have to say, it was pretty darn fun. We went to Pump It Up, a private warehouse full of inflatables. They had a bounce house for the little kids, a bigger one for the bigger kids, an obstacle course, and my favorite, a giant slide.

The boys arrived full of energy and ready to bounce. First they watched a video explaining all the rules, including what to do when the whistle blows (stop), what to wear at all times (socks), and if it was okay to push five kids down the slide at once (no). Of course, each time the video asked these questions, the kids yelled the opposite answers back at the T.V. My 2-year-old nephew Johnny didn't like the rules at all, and jumped up to smack the T.V., to the delight of the 9-year-olds. Johnny fit in really well with the big kids!

Then it was time to let loose. The door opened, and the screaming kids ran into the room, scattering. They climbed the obstacle course, they bounded up, then down, the slide, they raced across the obstacle course until they were sweaty and red in the face. Then they raced across it again, flinging themselves down the slide at the end.

It was sheer madness! There were kids flying past me in every direction. I saw Mark zip past with a couple friends, and then saw him perched at the top of the slide, ready to descend. He let out a whoop, and flew to the bottom. He was quickly followed by three other boys.

Mark had a blast, tumbling down the slide and boxing giant inflatable punching bags. But he was never in one place for long, and people kept asking me where he was. (The answer was always the same -- a vague hand wave in the distance, and the phrase, "He's over there -- I think...")

He had such a good time, he bounced himself a little low. I fed him granola bars before we got there, trying to boost his blood sugar so he wouldn't go low from all the jumping. It almost worked, until at one point, I found him lying alone in the bounce house, not moving much.

"You okay, buddy?" I asked. "You feel low?"

"No," he answered. "I'm just tired."

Which is a low blood sugar symptom. I insisted on checking him -- but he refused to come out, so I finally just tested the finger he shoved out the bounce house entrance. He was 73, and lunch was still half an hour away. So I juiced him up, fed him another granola bar, and sent him on his way. Poor kid, diabetes wouldn't even let him celebrate his birthday without feeling sick.

I followed Mark to the giant slide, just in time to see these three jokesters come down:

They were laughing their heads off, and I couldn't help laughing, too.

"Come on, Heather, you've gotta try it!" Kathleen shouted. So the next thing I know, I was climbing up the slide, and then zipping down at an alarming speed. There was a speed bump at the bottom of it, which I completely rolled right over. When I reached the bottom, I couldn't even get up, I was laughing so hard.

It was hilarious! And fun! I tried it a whole bunch more times; once with baby Carver, once with Kathleen, once with Vic, and a couple times by myself. And as only I could do, I managed to hurt myself -- I scraped my arms along the inseam, and gave myself a road rash down my whole arm! I loved that my grownup friends had just as much fun as Mark's friends. I loved seeing a third-grader fly down the slide, immediately followed by one of my laughing grown friends.

After 90 minutes of jumping, the kids were exhausted and hungry. However, they managed to pose for this very nice group shot before running off to lunch:

As soon as we said go, they were running off to the lunch room, where many pizzas awaited. The kids wolfed it down faster than we could replace it! Jonah told me he ate five pieces, and Kyle walked by with pieces 8 and 9. Mark told me Kyle was trying to break his previous record of seven pieces!

"Don't throw up, Kyle!" I warned. I was thankful the jumping part was over!

They also scarfed down strawberries, grapes and lemonade. I turned around at one point to see five boys in a circle lifting their shirts and rubbing their swollen bellies. "My stomach's soooo FULL!" said one boy, patting it lovingly.

But they weren't too full for cake! Back to the tables they went, to demolish a mint chocolate chip ice cream cake. I still can't believe they had any room left...

When they were all good and sugared up, it was time to leave. I gave Scott a box of goodie bags to hand out, and the kids clamored around him, hands out.

"Me, me!" they shouted. "I want a bag!"

"Let me hear you bark like a dog!" Scott told them, and suddenly, the room was filled with barking. "No, bark like a BIG dog!" Scott said, and the barks got much bigger. He rewarded them each with a bag.

It was an awesome day. Mark had a great time with all his friends, and it was just as much fun watching him run rampant with them. He was in heaven -- things to bounce on, climb on, and slide down. I'd worried that he and his friends were too old for a bunch of bounce houses, but they proved me wrong. They loved every minute of it, even trying to sneak back in after lunch.

He was equally excited about his gifts, which included plenty of Star Wars Legos, a few Nerf guns, and other cool stuff. He also got some gift cards and even a semi-inappropriate birthday card. He was thrilled with it all, and spent the afternoon building Legos and shooting Nerf arrows at us.

I'm sad to see my little guy growing up so fast. But if it means watching him enjoy a day like today, among his friends, eating pizza and ice cream, and running wild, then I guess it's a small price to pay. I loved every minute of it, hanging out with my friends and family, watching my boy have so much fun. I loved watching him jump and play, blow out his candles, rip open his presents. And I loved being able to say, "Yep, it's my son's birthday" for the fourth year in a row.

And the party location is...

...Pump It Up!

I took Mark to Pump It Up, and he surveyed the room. "OK," he said slowly, still a little unsure.

"Oh, there's also a giant slide around the corner," a Pump It Up employee pointed out. "Check it out!"

"OK, I'll have my party here!" Mark exclaimed suddenly, and I turned the corner to see what made him...well, turn the corner.

I was not surprised to see video games. Mark's idea of a great afternoon with his friends is to play video games and totally ignore them. I constantly remind him that Sonic the Hedgehog is not a real friend (not even if he can fly like Superman).

Whatever. I didn't tell Mark the video games are extra, and that I'm supplying him with pizza, cake and jumping, not quarters. I know he'll talk someone into giving him quarters (he always does), but I also know he'll jump around like a madman with his friends when we get there. (He hates to be left out of anything!)

So now my conscience is clear, and my deposit is safe. I don't care if Mark said yes because of video games, I'm just glad he said yes. I know he and his friends will have a great time.

And we'll probably have this very same conversation next year, when he cries because I've scheduled his party at a [bowling alley, ice skating rink, roller skating rink, fill in the blank] when he really wanted it at -- WAAAAAAHHHH!!!! -- PUMP IT UP!

Happy birthday to...

Went to some fun parties this weekend. The first, on Saturday, was for a relative's 85th birthday. Her name is Mary, and she is seriously the sweetest person you'll ever meet (sorry, Mom!). She's followed closely in sweetness by her kids and grandkids--they threw the big shindig.

Mary, the birthday girl, and a handsome mariachi

(Yes, I know "a relative" is very vague, and I would be more specific...if I could. My brothers and cousins have all tried to figure out the family connection, but we can't. It's a big family, with lots of people, and anyone we can't instantly place--i.e., anyone not in our immediate family--automatically becomes a cousin. It's not an exclusive club--if you've been around the family a year or two, attended more than one family function, or just have brown hair and eyes, you automatically receive "cousin" status.)

Anyway, the party had everything a good party should have--a gracious birthday host, live music (mariachis!), good food, and microbrewery beer. Oh yeah, and the guests were all first-rate, too--your party is only as good as your guest list, and this one was top-notch.

The highlight for me was simply being surrounded by family. It was so great to see the different generations spread across three tables. There was a table of "adults" (my parents, aunts, uncle), one of "kids" (me, my brother, his wife, and my cousins) and a "grandkids/cousins" table, where we parked anyone under 10--my son, my brother's kids, and my cousin's kids. It was just such a blast to look at the parents' table, and think, Wow, that is my history. That is where I come from. And then to look at the little kid's table next to it and think, Wow, that's our next generation--one time we were that little, and sitting at a table just like that with our cousins.

There was even a slide show that highlighted Mary's life. Mark was fidgety when it started, so I pulled him in close to me, and pointed out the people I knew in the slides. I felt like I was passing on our family history to him, telling him, These were my people, and now, they're your people, too. I thought it would bore him, but he really liked hearing all the stories. He is one of us, one of our clan, and it made me proud that he was so curious about it all.

And then there was Sunday, which was the other end of the age spectrum. My nephew Grant turned four, and his party was equally entertaining, if in a completely different way. Saturday night was about dressing up and enjoying a night out, but Sunday was all about Jedis, and the Force, and a giant double-dolphin water slide.

Scott and Mari sure know how to throw a party, even for a 4-year-old. When Mark and I saw that huge water slide in the driveway, our eyes almost popped out! It was AWESOME! Mark could barely wait to get out there.

The kids climbed up the ladder at breakneck speed, and came shooting down the slide even faster. They landed with a splash into a small pool at the bottom, then jumped out and repeated the whole process. I swear, they must've gone up and down that thing 75 times an hour!

The adults sat alongside the giant slide, nibbling appetizers and yelling the occasional, "One at a time! Wait until he gets out of the pool!" Scott cooked up a healthy pile of ribs and chicken, all marinated in his homemade sauce. Mari prepared and plated all the side dishes, and she wasn't kidding when she said they had enough to feed an army (and what a happy, well-fed army that would have been!). Like they say on the cooking shows, it was all so good, it made you wanna slap yo' momma. :-)

So that was our weekend...lots of good fun with the family. I always tease my mom about spending quality time with me (she hates that phrase), but really, that's what it felt like--quality. I couldn't think of a better way to spend my weekend.