Party Like You're Nine

So, two weeks have passed since Calen's birthday, but we haven't had enough celebrating to seal his 9th birthday into the vault just yet. 

We waited until we were done with family visiting before throwing Calen's friend party. Of course, it's the heart of baseball season, and the rainy season came very late this year, so trying to find a tiny window in our busy, soggy lives to throw a party was difficult. Today we had hockey practice at 7am (which means waking up at 5:15am), baseball practice for Calen at 11am, and I had to work at 5pm. But by God, the sun was shining, and there's a 6 hour window of free time in there to wedge a birthday party in, so let's do it! Today's the day! 

I'll sleep when I'm dead. 

Ready to PARTY

Calen wanted a Nerf Gun party, and how easy is that? Actually, this was probably the best party we've ever done. Over the past week or so, I collected large cardboard boxes from shipping deliveries at my work. This morning (in between hockey and baseball) we stapled them to stakes in our backyard to create some barricades and trenches and whatever kind of hideouts they need. Then we placed a few buckets in the yard full of a stupid amount of Nerf darts (Amazon has FIVE HUNDRED of offbrand ones for $20) and then we placed all 475 Nerf weapons that we own in a box for everyone to use. 

AND THAT'S IT. 

We opened the back door and let them go. No need for instructions (except some ground rules: only shoot butts and legs, no point blank shooting, you know regular playdate rules), party games, or organization of any kind. Just run, and hide, and shoot. 

The paved patio was the "base", where no shooting was allowed and the parents could sit around and hang out. 

As for the food, I got a box of 72 pizza Bagel Bites on sale at Costco for $6 each, so I bought two and cooked them all and tossed them on a plate. Because when you're 9, you don't have time to sit down and eat slices of pizza, you just run to "base", snatch a pizza bagel and shove it in your mouth while reloading your magazine. Of course there were chips and soda, because it's not a party without chips and soda, and a bowl of fruit to try and balance the universe and ward off any judgy Mcjudgertons saying I don't feed my kids anything healthy. 

Who has time to sit and eat actual pizza slices? This is war!

The cake was a really, really simple one layer cake that I frosted green on one side (for a grassy hill) and brown with crushed oreos (for a muddy rock wall) on the other. Then I wrapped rice krispie treats with some camo paper and put a slice of cake on top to make a "base". I made a second, very small round cake and covered it in chocolate frosting and crushed oreo, then wrapped more camo paper around the tub of said frosting to make a tower and helopad. Because the cake wasn't enough, I added some slices of Oreo Brownies on the plate (cutting board) and put in these paper anti tank X's), and then some paper sandbags on the hill. Add in a bunch of Awesome Green Army Guys, and suddenly the cake is not a cake but an edible BATTLEFIELD. 

And that was it, on my part. The entire length of the party I just sat on the patio (base), eating junk food and chatting with my neighbors while our kids annihilated each other on the battlefield for THREE HOURS. They had an absolute blast, and never slowed down or claimed they were bored or over it. Easiest party ever!

Blooper shot, after someone friendly fired me while I was taking a picture! Their laughter kills me

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