Jul 08 2008
Ben the Fifth
(Note: Those reading “The Keys Are In It” may read the latest, action-packed chapter, Part Four.)
Can I get a “hole purr?”
Benjamin’s fourth birthday party didn’t go very well. Lucky for us, that was a year ago.
His fifth was almost perfect. The only bad thing was the wind didn’t allow us to light his candles. That and “bad Luke,” of course.
At first I was a bit worried because Benjamin played for only a couple minutes before asking me to push him on a swing. The swings are a good distance away from the rest of the action. “I’ll swing you for a few minutes, and then that’s it. If you want to keep going you’ll have to swing yourself,” I said.
Benjamin had been talking up a Star Wars theme for months. In fact, along the way he announced the themes for his next three parties. They are, in no particular order, Spiderman, Transformers, and Cars. I italicized the last one because it’s the only movie he has seen of those three franchises.
In addition to the theme, he wanted to hold his party at a nearby park with a splash pad. For those unfamiliar with the term, that’s a large slab of concrete with various water-spurting devices for the kiddies.
Ben spent all of one minute on the splash pad.
Some of the children spent almost all their time cooling off at the water features, while Benjamin and the rest of the crew pretended to be Star Wars characters on the massive playground equipment. (Without spoiling too much of the forthcoming video, I will just say one of them was “bad Luke.”)
In fact, unlike last year, when he pretty much didn’t want to be at the party, Benjamin stayed busy playing with his friends the whole time, stopping only to eat and to open gifts. One tip to all planning an outdoor party on a windy day: do not get helium balloons all neatly secured together. Their ribbons will join forces to twist into one massive rope, thereby thwarting all attempts at detangling them.
The next morning, his local grandparents brought breakfast over to our place. Finally, Benjamin got to blow out his birthday candles.
Because we all know Spiderman swims, right?
You know, in the B/W picture, Ben looks like a very young Ron Howard! *LOL*
Great pictures Mark… as I’ve said before, they’ll be something to embarrass him with for many years to come (especially the last picture!)
Happy Birthday Benjamin…!
What does hole purr mean?
Glad everything went so well. The pictures sure turned out great and I can’t argue with the theme. As for aquatic Spiderman…link
We’re currently planning Norah’s 2nd birthday. It will be Kia Lan, themed which will allow for cool pictures of Norah in Chinese garb. I’m hoping I get to have a Star Wars themed party for her some day.
oops…did my html for the link wrong. See THIS LINK for the aquatic spider.
Shoulda used the preview button before.
Hey, I dig the guy wearing the “Inconceivable” T-shirt in one of those shots. (Well, not the guy himself, just his shirt, you understand.)
And Shan, as the resident supreme (smarmy) Star Wars geek, I think I have your question answered. What your husband was going for there with the “hole purr” was an onomatopoeic approximation of the sound of Darth Vader’s ventilated breathing. Which was nearly too geeky for even me to figure out. That’s quite a catch you have in that man there, Shan.
The candy hoarders brought back bad memories from May. I had never seen a whole herd of children descend upon a burst piñata before, and the sight was a little scary. Such single-mindedness, at that age, can really only be brought about by sugar.
I can’t wait for my first Star Wars themed kids’ birthday party. It’ll be so RAD!
I love how you said his “local grandparents”…. :)
I am glad it was a good day! The pics show lots of fun was had by all! I hope you are able to participate in the next Project! I still haven’t decided on a color yet!