The Big 13 Party

Even though James' actual birthday is in early January, we are all rarely ready to celebrate it with a party until a month (cough *or more*) later. This year we had some smaller family celebrations on and near his actual birthday. The big party with friends was today.

As James is now officially a teen, I thought he might want a different kind of party. We talked it over and narrowed down to Scandia or bowling. James finally picked bowling. This is not surprising - we have fond bowling memories.

The best way to plan a party for James is to find out who he really wants to come, then see if we can find one date for the party. We were pretty successful this time, thank goodness!

People trickled in. It did not matter because we had lanes reserved. We set up one lane with bumpers and one without. We had a ramp, just in case. We had cheese pizza, Coke, and Sprite. Guests included a friend from a socialization program, a friend from school and his brother, James' sister, and cousin. There were cheers, socialization, and Minecraft discussions. The oohs and ahhhs of opening presents mingled with devouring cupcakes from Oliver's.

No one lasted the full two hours, but that was okay, because everyone had a good time. Happy birthday, James!

Bowling Party for the Win

I finally did something I'd wanted to for years: throw a real birthday party for James. OK, I am almost 5 months late, but this year I did it and I am so glad I did.

Chronic issues: A birthday that lands 10 days into the new year, after everyone is wiped out (on so many levels) from the holidays; autism; winter bugs making the rounds; financially drained after holidays and big sister's birthday; weather that confounds outdoor (and less expensive) parties.

This year, however, James has had an awesome group of classmates and really expanded socially. Even with finances and other things stressed to the max in our lives, now was the year to do it. During end-of-year inventory sales, I purchased party items (plates, napkins, cups, and a fabulous collection of party bag toys) for an 8-kid party with a theme James would love: Angry Birds. I figured I'd wait for some nice Spring weather or find an reasonably-priced indoor solution.

Then life happened.

Then it was April and the end of the school year approached. Then I got sick. Somewhere in that mix, I realized our local Bowling Alley was my answer.

I seized Back-to-School Night as an opportunity to grill some parents of James' classmates about best weekend potential for a party. Surprisingly, Memorial Weekend was the response. I took a my lunch break from work and made out the invites, with the help of a freshly purchased yearbook (which is James' new treasured item) and popped them into the student folders that go home each week. On my way back to work, I stopped off at the alley and reserved the earliest block of time on Saturday for the party and find out the particulars.

I'll post later more detail about James' party. The most important thing to share is: it was a success. About half the kids invited were able to come. The fact that people trickled in was not a big deal because ... the kids already there were bowling, which James enjoyed a lot.

Because the lanes were booked for a party over a period of time, shoe rentals were included and the kids could just keep on playing as many games as they wanted. The noise level was down because it was so early in the day and we had pizza ready and drinks available from the cafe by the time the kids were ready for their first break.

Setup-clean-up were super easy. The staff at the bowling alley were very helpful. And it was so much less than booking a party elsewhere. So my stress levels were very low on many counts.

The kids loved it. All of them. Including the birthday boy. Especially the birthday boy. Which is how it should be.

What A Party!

James' teacher invited all her kids, and any willing parents, over to her house for her end-of-school year party. Wow! That was incredibly generous and such a nice way to bring the second part of James' school year to a close on a happy note.

The party took place in the garden, an idea which caught my fancy. Once there, I was entranced -- bcause her yard is gorgeous (18 years in the making), with multi-level decks, lawns, many container plants, and blooming nooks/rooms for the kids to explore. The kids were enchanted by the kitchen parakeet before they even got outside. Many kids loved to throw the chew toys for her miniature schnauzers. We were entertained by a bold male jay and two dueling hummingbirds. The entire class helped her locate her 60 year-old tortoise, whose been with her for over 50 years, and helped pick dandelions from the lawn for a tortoise snack.

A steady core group of kids mobbed the outdoor ping pong table and the bean bag toss. Once the tortoise wandered away, the lawn was set up for sprinklers, making soap bubbles, and running around in general.

At first, James hung back, overwhelmed by all the noise and motion. His schedule had been chucked clear out of the neighbourhood. I could tell he was interested, though, and after an hour he began to venture out on his own, and offer food to his aide.

I took off for my yard duty shift, and when I returned, I heard all about the exciting rocket launches the kids did. James' aide said James was really hesitant at first, but after his first try he wanted to keep doing them. I am going to have to pin down all the ingredients and try this at home with him some time. He ate all his lunch and seemed to enjoy watching everything.

The last part of the party was devoted to dessert and a bubble gum blowing contest. It was fun to realize that the entire class had the time of their lives with potluck, a garden, and simple games for everyone. I feel so lucky James was able to be a part of this. Part of me worries that this is gone too soon. Part of me relaxed in the sun, and soaked it all in while it lasted.

I love this cute summer cupcake idea!

Snoopy Time

James' big sister was invited to a birthday party that involved ice skating at our local arena, Snoopy's Home Ice. It's a gorgeous facility, and quite a gift from Charles M. Schultz and family.

I blew out my knee this week, so James and I remained on the sidelines. We didn't mind too much, as this is a great place to even visit:

"Look, Mommy! Snoopy's nose!"

Yup, that beagle's nose is neigh irresistible!

Oh man, the music took me back to the late 70s-80s, and ice/roller skating parties of my youth ...

It was really nice for us all to be out past our usual time. The kids couldn't get over how light it still was after 8pm and were thrilled to be treated to sharing an order of hot fries on the way home. Everyone slept well that night!

Magic Marker Monday: Edible Art

James was invited to a former classmate's superhero birthday party. It turned out great! The party was at their house, with superhero games made and hosted by his family.

One of the activities was to frost and decorate cookies. This is a great party activity that I will need to remember. James held back at first, but then decided to try it.

It was nice for me to see him around the table with the others, joining in and having fun. And when it was over, he had a nice souvenier.

I asked how they handled the preparation and they said they helped make and roll out the cookie dough. They left in the fridge overnight and the next morning rolled it out and cut simple circles. They baked them before the party and had them ready to go with the toppings. One thing I saw that was new to me: squeezable frosting pouches with a spout -- awesome for kids to use!

Here's what they looked like -- James' is the smeary one in back, without Skittles:

For more scrumptious masterpieces or to share some of your own,
visit 5 Minutes for Special Needs for more Magic Marker Monday.

                             
  

Special Exposure / Wordless Weds: Special Afternoon

A local organization, Becoming Independent, sponsored a children's party at Traintown last weekend. They gave away tickets to special needs children and their siblings. James and his sister were two of the lucky winners. Although we were late (huge behavioural meltdown by James just before we were set to walk out the door), we were able to join in and enjoy a very special afternoon.

Here are some highlights:

 

What did he talk about that night at bedtime?

 

Balloons!

Thank you, Becoming Independent, for some wonderful memories of a very special afternoon!


Come see what others have shared for their Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs. Add your special photos and add some pizazz to the middle of your week.

And while there are a couple of paragraphs on this page, the photos say more. Join the fun and see more stories at Wordless Wednesday            

SOOC Saturday: Fire House

Last weekend, James attended a special birthday party at a firehouse. James and all the kids just loved it. They got to explore the fire trucks, hear about all the buttons and gadgets on the engines, and talk with the firefighters! I was a little worried that all the noise might be too much for James, but he has come a long way with being sensitive to noises and being overwhelmed by new places.

The picture below pretty much sums up what he thought about the party:



James also got a turn at using the firehose to knock over a traffic cone. At first I thought he'd say "No!" -- but James did not hesitate and was one of the quickest to knock over a cone. I wish I had a picture of that to share, but hey, it's in my head. I think it helped that he got to watch everyone else having so much fun first:



After all that excitement, it was time for birthday cake, or cupcakes. Then the kids ran around in the big meeting room and played Pin the Dalmation on the Firetruck, which I thought rather clever. The firefighters joined us. Free cupcakes and fun games? What's not to love?

James mingled and took it all in:



James did not participate in the party game, but he did do his share of spinning:


It looked like so much fun that several kids took a turn after he was done. I was proud of both kids, because last year they would not have joined in the fun as much as they did here. The fire house would have made them shy and the party goers were an easy 18 months older than James' older sister.

The Slurping Life leaps to new heights! Visit Melody and check out SOOC Saturday/Sunday entries past & present!



  

CATS: The EoS Party

Yesterday we attended the End of Semester party for Sonoma State University's CATS program. The students who had been working with us and other families pulled together wonderful food and personalized gift baskets and put on a fabulous shindig that left me rather misty-eyed and truly thankful for all efforts of these dedicated folk.

The room was decorated within an inch of its life with holiday ornamentation and poster presentations from the class. The students filled two long tables to the breaking point with savory potluck dinners and sugary treats. Many of the dishes were wheat and gluten-free. Everything I tried was marvelous.

We got a chance to talk with James' student and the kids got over being shy and played some of the games and activities around the room. The parents got to socialize. It made me think of something I read somewhere "being friends means not having to explain why we smell & taste the Play-Doh." I was crazy, fun, relaxing, and heart warming.

Even my daughter came away happy. She won a raffle prize: