birthday season

I had set the bar too high.

I know that is the case, and yet, I don't know how to stop.

It's birthday season here, and ever since Punk's first real party, I have been cursing myself.  That was the year of hand-drawn invitations; tea-stained, hand-burned, sent in real glass bottles, filled with real sugar-white sand.

Then there was the seven dwarfs party, where we actually mined for gems,  had a planned food fight, made individual character t-shirts for each guest . . . you get the picture . . . cowboy sleepover; real tea-party - with gram's 60-year old wedding china; spa-retreat . . .and on and on and on.  These aren't expensive or extravagant parties - just exhausting. Not to mention the fact, that with two birthdays a week apart, each having a friend party and a small, family dinner celebration - it's like Mardi-Gras around here for the whole first half of June.

This year Kooka wanted a Survivor theme.  Easy enough right?  Throw in a few challenges, some teamwork, a couple of blindfolds, some diving, hand-sculpted fondant shaped to look like tiki-gods, four dozen water balloons, six bicycle locks, two yards of hemp, individually burned name tags on each straw, hand-made immunity idols . . . it's a memory she'll treasure forever, right?

RIGHT???!!!!

Actually, we all had a great time putting it together, but since Punk's birthday is only a week afterward, I was almost relieved when he asked to have his party at the local Brunswick Zone. Two rounds of lazer tag, a few pizzas, a fistful of arcade tokens, peanut butter brownies, and somebody else to pick up the mess. Of course we did stop home for a quick swim first - so there are is at least one swimsuit, three socks and a questionable pair of undies that still need to be picked up.

Only 5 more weeks until the little Hirschling turns one - and a week after that Gram will be 95.  One week later it is Rico's turn.  Hopefully, his friends will keep their underwear to themselves.

Part of Punk's posse.

Getting ready for laser tag.

The Survivor Tribe working on their shelter.