OK. Last birthday post. I promise...at least until December when it's Delila's turn. So, Jake's actual 'birthday party' took place on Friday, October 1st. As you may recall from
this post, we decided to go with a home party this year. The guest list quickly ballooned. We panicked a little. We regrouped. And we survived -- and even had some fun along the way.
At the final count, 27 kids showed up ready to party. Fortunately for us, Mother Nature showed not just mercy, but extreme favor by providing us with an absolutely gorgeous evening for an outdoor party. The only reason anyone needed to set foot inside the house was to use 'the facilities'. All the fun, food and games took place in the front yard. While we waited for all the guests to arrive, the kiddos entertained themselves on the seemingly endless supply of ride-on toys & sporting goods that have amassed in our garage since we moved in four years ago. (Where on earth did all this stuff come from?!) Duke had everything all set up in the driveway and the kids needed no coaxing to help themselves to the fun. It was a little surprising when the sprinklers went off. The kids found it hysterical and didn't seem to mind getting a little wet - especially since we'd prepared them in advance for a little messy fun. We thought it was pretty funny too...until we couldn't manage to get the sprinklers to stay turned off. Duke made sure the switch was in the off position, but 60 seconds later they were on again! It happened a couple of times, and each instance was greeted with squeals of delight from the kids. We're increasingly convinced that there are gremlins living in our garage. Not only do the sprinklers turn on a will, our garage door seems to have a mind of it's own as well. Very strange.
After all the guests arrived, the Garage Cafe opened for business. The juice was flowing and the pizza was plentiful. Maybe a little too plentiful.
**Note to self: 31 kids & a handful of parents will not eat 16 large pizzas. **Another note to self: No man, woman, child, nor combination of all three can live on pizza leftovers for more than 3 days without swearing off pizza for a long, LONG time.
After the kids were fueled up on pizza, it was time for The Jake Games to begin. This was Duke's part of the party. We divided the kiddos up into teams and then set them up with a series of sports challenges, including: hockey, lacrosse, soccer, basketball, football (of course), and a relay race.
The kids did great! They followed the directions and worked together pretty well on their randomly generated teams. I also have to give a shout out to the parents who helped keep the games moving along. It would have been utter chaos without them.
After the games were complete, it was time for another rousing rendition of that classic kid favorite, the Happy Birthday song!
Then the wish was made, the candles were blown out, and the kids dove in and devoured most of the 61 cupcakes I painstakingly baked and decorated. I'd say that part took about...oh...60 seconds, maybe.
And then...the moment everyone had been waiting for. The big finale. The water balloon fight!!
Oh yes! It was wet! It was crazy! Not everyone enjoyed it to its full potential (Delila). But it was good clean fun. And Mimi & Bubba get the credit for it. They're the ones who spent the entire afternoon filling ~200 balloons...and popping a few too. Poor Mimi got quite wet in the process, and I'm sure Bubba's hands cramp up just thinking about the experience - but they were really good sports about it, and it was without a doubt, the pinnacle of the party. Well...
...Jake might argue that point a little. After all, he's the kid that got to open all the presents. That part was pretty fun too.
And that's it. There is no more...at least not until next year. Will there be a 2nd annual Jake Games? I don't know. This years games were pretty fun. Maybe after a year's rest....
