MEGO: My Eyes Glaze Over

Race Day

May 24, 2009 New

My baby just turned four. My first baby that is.

Somehow he went from this:

To this car obsessed, scooter-driving, ABC reciting, candle blowing kid:

In September he starts school. And, it seems like I will close my eyes and he will be going off to college. He will move away from home, and if he is anything like my husband he will never call his parents. I digress…

Yesterday, we held his fourth birthday celebration. Every year we host a party for him at our house. It is becoming more difficult to do at home as the kids need more direction, more entertainment, and more friends attending. But, we decided one last time until we are forced to spend a small fortune renting swimming pools, indoor playgrounds or space at a local farm equipped with pony rides. When we asked Bear what he would like to do for his birthday he said he wanted his friends to come over to play, to eat cake and to get presents (of course).  Reasonable requests. Not once did he ask to play video games at Chucky Cheese or go go-carting or ice skating with a birthday hat on.

Still, his list of friends was long (and we couldn’t invite 8 of 10 boys in his class – we had to invite them all, which is why we limited the invites to boys and only invited one girl from next door) and these boys need games and entertainment or they become unruly and chaotic. So, we couldn’t just have a party at the house and throw the kids and some toys into the backyard. Last year the birthday theme was Construction as at the time Bear was into Bob the Builder. We had a few games planned but the kids were more interested in the cardboard boxes we had put out as giant building blocks.  What works at age 3, doesn’t work for age 4.

This year we hosted a Race Day.

Here is what we did:

• Every kid arrived and received a lanyard with their Pit Pass.
• We took their picture as a racecar driver using our Mac and video camera and then e-mailed the photo to their parents. Here is our son in this picture:

• All the kids received a little wooden race car to decorate with stickers, crayons and markers.
• While some kids finished decorating their cars, other kids played with the die-cast cars and ride-ons we had out in the yard.
• Games: Red Light, Green Light and a Parachute with a plastic ball
• When all the kids were finished their race cars we held a race using a ramp (seen above) that my husband built- complete with launcher.
• Food: Typical BBQ – hotdogs, hamburgers, potato salad, fruit salad popcorn and potato chips
• Decorations: Race flags, black and white balloons, red and white checkered table cloths, orange pylons.

We think it was a hit.

Before I know it…it will be time to plan his 13th birthday.

Random posts:

1. Kids Say the Funniest Things #2
2. Camping
3. Sticks, Boxes, and Glubs ( I mean Gloves)
4. A Trip East and Christmas Feast (again)
5. Sleep: A Nightmare or Dream

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