Dear Hagen,
We had a really cute idea for your 4th birthday party back in December. You love building, so we turned our new deck into a "build site" for you and your friends. For two months, I collected cardboard boxes that could be used as building blocks for you to turn into a fort or a life-sized playhouse. Your dad wrapped the whole deck in canvas tarps and set up heaters.
I put out a hard hat and a Home Depot apron for each kid who was invited.
You picked the menu, so we had corn dogs and baked beans and cheeseburgers sliders with LOTS of ketchup. It had everything you look for in a meal: brown, beige and tan.
But here's what really happened:
Thirty minutes before the party, I made the mistake of letting you open an awesome build-your-own-car toy that Aunt Nancy had sent for you. It was so cool that you retired to the corner of the living room and the party was primarily a distraction from your project.
All the girls went upstairs to Laney's room to dress up like princesses and watch a movie and steal corn dogs through the stairway railing.
Your dad entertained the little boys by showing them how they could use a PVC pipe as a runway for a Hot Wheels car, and they spent most of the party shooting toy cars across the living room through the pipe. This was such a hit, in fact, that we sent most kids home with a length of pipe so they could recreate the effect in the comfort of their own living rooms. Most moms give out goody bags at parties; Burbachs give out plumbing materials. Thanks for coming - here's your pipe.
Everyone had fun. No one went out on the deck. Ever. I repeat: No one entered the party area at any time. Your dad spent the whole next day breaking down boxes, and I spent several hours wondering why I threw a party for a little dude who (God bless him) doesn't care about parties.
Keep making your own rules, kid. We'll catch on eventually.
Happy birthday!
Love,
Mom
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