Monday, January 18, 2010

"Wherein This Becomes the Easiest Place for Me To Show Pictures To Family and Friends; For All Other Readers:  I Appreciate Your Forebearance"

What with turning seven and all, Paco had a party the other day.


Paco and Groom made the invitation. The rock monster on the highest ledge represents Paco.  He yells, "It me birthday!"


The festivities began with some pinata whacking, which resulted in a tumble of fruit snacks, candy, and Scavenger Hunt clues.


When I saw this photo taken by my husband, I had to holler, "Did you climb up the side of the swingset to snap this? What a vertiginous view!"

Then he informed me that he'd simply stood next to the circle of scrambling kids and shot the photo, and I had to yell some more: "You are a freakish giant, Mr. Lincoln, even without your stovepipe hat. No wonder children fall into a protective heap when they see you coming!"

Once they recovered from the presence of a gargantuan in their midst, and with their first clues in hand, Team Neighborhood Rockstars and Team Birthday Boy set off to peer in the compost heap, the tailpipe of the mini-van, the costume bin, and the washing machine. Ultimately, they discovered stashes of Lego sets.

You see, when considering his party options some weeks before, Paco had quickly realized, "I just want to have friends come over and build with Legos."

Important historical footnote: the last time we hel Paco's party at our house was when he turned three, and we had an open house with about 40 people, mostly stunned mid-winter parents staring blankly at their off-the-walls jumping, cabin-fevered children. For two weeks after the party, we despaired of ever righting the house. Thus, from then on, we've taken the lad's party off-site.

Four years is apparently requisite healing time, though, as Paco's desire to sit and build struck us as tolerable. We estimated what a "venue" party would have cost and decided to put an equal amount towards getting each party attendee this year a Lego set.

As we planned the party further, brainstorms of all sorts of add-on Lego-themed activities swirled, such as playing Drop the Lego in the Jar or Pin the Mini-Figure on the Castle, but Paco was having none of it. He just wanted friends and Legos and building.

We did manage to sneak this cake in on him, though.


Incidentally, although Groom is prodigiously gifted in the kitchen, and he does most things well, he is the first to admit he can't frost a cake. This fact, along with his complete inability to move to music, keep him tolerable.

Oh, and there was one more thing, in addition to building with friends, that the Birthday Bubs wanted.  Paco also wanted a tunnel through which food could be served, so that each kid could stand in front of it, watch a bit of abra-cadabra-ing, and then...with a lift of the curtain...


Voila!  Mac 'n cheese!


And in one memorably traumatic course, Severed Head!


They built.  They ate.  They got serious giggles.


Once the all the submarines and wreck raiders had been snapped together, the big Lego brick of a cake came out...


the seven-year-old filled his lungs, fluffed his hair...


...put his lips together and blew.

And then--oddly--an Abe Lincolnish giant came out and did some magic as he cut the cake, serving each blue piece through a tunnel.



One of the kids wasn't aware he was supposed to eat the cake; by mistake, he ate Mr. Lincoln's hand instead.


Considering the assembled crew, however, we felt lucky to have gotten by with only one severed head and one cannibalized hand.

Last time we had Paco's party at the house, an entire grandma went missing.

At the end of Paco's Lego Birthday, therefore, we were able to whistle the best possible wrap-up to any kids' party:

Whew.

25 comments:

secret agent woman said...

Looks like a pretty successful birthday party!

I have to say, that's a very blond area you live in.

Shania said...

That looks like a fabulous party! Silas's invite must have gotten lost in the mail ;)

My only suggestion is to wear slippers for the foreseeable future. I predict lots of late night steppin on little lego pieces that break the skin.

furiousBall said...

that Lego cake rules everything ever

Jazz said...

For some reason that cake makes me think of cow udders.

Yeah, I dunno where my brain is this morning.

But yeah, udders.

diane said...

I think it's cool that the Lego person on the invitation talks like a pirate. The Lego cake, which is brilliant, reminds me of an upside down frosted cow. The party looks totally awesome from my perspective, and I can only say that I wish I had been there too. I always used to think Mrs. Abe Lincoln was a little dowdy, but from here on in I think she's the best party thrower ever.

Crap, just realized Jazz said the same thing about the cake.

chelle said...

aww Many birthday wishes for the birthday boy!

shrink on the couch said...

Leggo my piece of cake!

Happy birthday to your birthday boy!

Anonymous said...

Love the Lego cake! When #2 son was about 9 he had a similar Lego-themed party, except that I confined my Lego-creating talents to the invitations and the cake. You guys did a great job!

Jenn @ Juggling Life said...

That looks and sounds like an awesome birthday party. I love theme parties for kids--and parties at home as well.

Anonymous said...

Many happy returns to Paco! Looks like you hosted a great bash--that cake is cool. I could never have done that.

Becky C. said...

Having just HALF a grandma go missing would have been oh so much worse (or more interesting, perhaps?). Looks like a fun party. Happy birthday, Paco!

heartinsanfrancisco said...

Hate to spoil the fun but that cake looks like a bunch of breasts at least as much as legos. Perhaps those of a prodigiously-endowed mammal like a dog or cat.

Happy birthday to Paco!

Vic said...

There are a lot of sickos here disparaging your cake! I, for one, saw a Lego piece, and that is all.
(heh.)

My favorite thing is the serving tunnel. Sheer genius.

jess said...

Legos are da bomb

ds said...

Awesome Lego cake--awesome party!

Jeni said...

Way back when -almost in the dark ages my kids insist I sprang to life from -but not quite that far back in time, for my older daughter's 8th birthday, we had a party, with about 10 other kids of her age range and the big excitement of that party was the cake. It was in the shape of a two-wheel bicycle that she received that year. Since then, no big birthday parties have taken place as I think I can still hear the ruckus those kids stirred up within our house that day!

Now, as to that cake, I'm glad you clarified early on what it represented because by the lower picture of it, at a quick glance, it kind of looks like it is boobies -yes, you read that right -but in two sets that are in triplicate.

I swear I've only been drinking black coffee here tonight! Just had bunches and bunches of blog posts to get my reader all cleared out and perhaps I am now truly cross-eyed but not from the embroidery.

If Mandy ever decides she wants to have a themed birthday party though for either of the grandkids here, I'm gonna refer her to you for suggestions.

Anonymous said...

How good are you getting Lego for everyone! My last experiece was fulfilling the parents request to get this as a birthday gift for their boy. The birthday boy threw it at us and yelled "I've got this!!"Judging by the speed of the missile I think friend's son will grow up to be a great baseball pitcher.We should have bought him a mitt! You being the beautiful considerate people you are, I hope the benevolant Lego fairy,(who must be speechless with the beauty and ingenuity of your cake) blesses you and your boy for years to come.Groomeo is one of those kind dads I used to marvel at as a child. They still stand out in my mind.Bet Paco had the best time ever!

monica said...

happy birthday Paco!! I'm sure he knows where Lego actually comes from! All Danish ya know :o)

Pearl said...

I laughed out loud at the "severed head" remark.

:-)

You're a funny woman.

Pearl

Patois42 said...

I'm glad Jazz owned up to the udder image. I had the same thought.

However, that won't stop me from making one when mine turns 8 in April. Brilliant ideas, all around.

choochoo said...

You sure do know how to party. Maybe I'll have a lego-cake the next time I get it into my head that I'm going to entertain.

Michelle Wells Grant said...

Now THAT'S what I call a kid's birthday party! Happy Birthday, Paco! How does one get on your guest list?

Karen MEG said...

I'm mightily impressed with that Lego cake!

Happy belated BD to your 7 year old - 7 is a very fun age...especially for a boy!

Midlife Roadtripper said...

Happy Birthday, Paco!

You have no idea how impressed I am with a winter pinata.

And the Lego cake? Well, I had to look. At first I thought it was a cake with a lot of boobs. Sorry husband of the O Mighty Crisis. Ga lant effort.

lime said...

that paco knows how to pick a totally rocking b-day party theme. do you have any lego stores near you. i visited my first one this weekend and it was most awesome.

if you ever make it to this corner of the world we will have to visit there and the crayola factory.