Monday, January 08, 2007
Its Pretty Cool to be Six
Ali Baba turned six last week, Sunday we had his birthday party. Life is good when you’re a six year old and having a birthday party. It doesn’t need much, just some space and the freedom to lark about. So the with the village hall, and my good mate from the next village with the bouncy castles (we’ve done a lot of bouncy castle parties) who provided a blown up dinosaur, a party is organised.
As a parent, it makes for a pretty easy party. Other than a watchful eye, you just let them run about. We had a few tears and some gentle worded warnings to the rougher kids (one with was Pirate Pete, sigh…), but it was pretty easy going. We did take a break for the party tea and tried a game of Grandmothers footsteps and sleeping lions, but mostly it was just the bouncy castle.
The tea was the standard fare, sausages, ham, cheese and jam sandwiches (not all in one, please..., crusts cut off), pizza (homemade, cut into the shape of dinosaurs, quite cool if I do say so myself, are we detecting a theme here?), fresh veg, and crisps. Then ice cream and jelly for pudding. The piece de resistance being a lemon sponge cake in the shape of a stegosaurus, LL doing her maternal bit, it looked a bit like a tortoise, but the kids loved it), plus gingerbread and fairy cakes (LL really put the boat out, usually she only has patience for baking the cake).
Ali Baba was buzzing with happiness, especially as he and his siblings got the bouncy castle to themselves for an hour afterwards as we tidied. Then he got to go home and start opening his presents. After a bath and a treat of watching a bit of Star Wars on a school night we put three exhausted but happy children to bed. Its pretty cool to be six.
As a parent, it makes for a pretty easy party. Other than a watchful eye, you just let them run about. We had a few tears and some gentle worded warnings to the rougher kids (one with was Pirate Pete, sigh…), but it was pretty easy going. We did take a break for the party tea and tried a game of Grandmothers footsteps and sleeping lions, but mostly it was just the bouncy castle.
The tea was the standard fare, sausages, ham, cheese and jam sandwiches (not all in one, please..., crusts cut off), pizza (homemade, cut into the shape of dinosaurs, quite cool if I do say so myself, are we detecting a theme here?), fresh veg, and crisps. Then ice cream and jelly for pudding. The piece de resistance being a lemon sponge cake in the shape of a stegosaurus, LL doing her maternal bit, it looked a bit like a tortoise, but the kids loved it), plus gingerbread and fairy cakes (LL really put the boat out, usually she only has patience for baking the cake).
Ali Baba was buzzing with happiness, especially as he and his siblings got the bouncy castle to themselves for an hour afterwards as we tidied. Then he got to go home and start opening his presents. After a bath and a treat of watching a bit of Star Wars on a school night we put three exhausted but happy children to bed. Its pretty cool to be six.
