My Girl Likes to Party All The Time

Since Claire's actual birthday fell on a Tuesday, we ended up having her party the following Saturday at the Kids Fun Factory at our gym. I understand how weird that sounds, having a party at the gym, but trust me, the kids area is totally fun and we only made each party-goer run a mile on the treadmill before they could play or have cake.

When I asked Claire what theme she wanted for her birthday party this year, she replied without hesitation, "Lazytown". If you aren't familiar with this show, consider yourself lucky. I promise if you watch it, you'll want to punch yourself in the face. I tried to sway her into choosing something else, something more girly, something less bizarre, something that has invitations available within the continental U.S., but once Claire makes up her mind, there's no changing it. So Lazytown it was.



The kids had a great time playing in the maze, jumping in the bounce house and running around the kid's gymnasium. Of course, no good party is complete without drama, and ours came in the form of casualties. One guest bit through her tongue in the bounce house (but quickly recovered and went back in for more jumping) and another fell facedown on the floor and appeared at first to have broken her nose (think Marcia Brady saying "Now I'll never be a teen model!"). Luckily everyone was fine but the next time we have a party at the gym, maybe I should require signed waivers from all the parents.



Not surprisingly, Claire's favorite part of her party was opening presents. After she blew out her candles (twice) she called out to all her friends, "OK, kids! Gather around! It's time to watch me open presents."

Claire had so much fun at her birthday this year that she's already planning next year's blow out. Hopefully she'll stick to something more mainstream than a show that originated in Iceland and stares a girl with pink hair.