How to Party, Dino Style

I started planning Ethan's 4th birthday party a few months ahead of time.  In previous years, we kept things simple.  A couple of family members or friends, no other kids, and a minimal amount of sugar.  This year was a bit different.  Ethan is finally at the age where he plays with, and not just next to, his friends.  I allow at least five extra minutes for preschool pickup, knowing that Ethan will run around to each of his classmates and give hugs and/or blow kisses.  He's also old enough to really understand what birthdays are all about.  And when he asked me for a dinosaur birthday party, well, that settled it.  We were going to go big(ish) this year.

Step one:  Design the invitations.

(I gotta give Pinterest credit where credit's due... I totally stole the whole "ROAR means Happy Birthday" thing!)

Step two:  Goody bags.

Those dinosaur eggs are actually jelly beans.  Yum!

Dino egg close-up.

Step three:  Food.

I did a carnivore, herbivore, sweetivore, snackivore theme.  Turned out a little heavy on the sweetivore/snackivore side, but hey... it's a party.

I had Bugles as dinosaur claws, pretzels as dinosaur bones, grapes as (healthy, non-jelly bean) dinosaur eggs, and PB&J cut into Brontosauruses (Brontosauri?).  I also had dinosaur chicken nuggets, fossil cookies, and Jurassic cupcakes.

Made the fossil cookies, but bought the cupcakes.  Best.  Decision.  Ever.

Step four:  Activities.

Knowing that four-year-olds have a very short attention span, I tapped into my teaching roots and set up stations around the backyard.  We had a table to make "D is for Dinosaur" crafts.

Here's an example of how a stuffy adult makes a D dinosaur...

The kids took this very seriously.

Like, need-a-mid-crafting-juice-break seriously.
Must've been tiring adding that fifth leg to his dinosaur.

There was also a dino dig where the kiddos could channel their inner archeologist and unearth dinosaur skeletons.

I underestimated how popular this station would be.
I may have even seen a few adults get in on the dino dig action. 

Hands down, the most stylish archeologist I've ever seen. 

The final station was a dinosaur relay race, using a claw grabber to transport a plastic T-Rex back and forth across the yard.  I don't have a picture of this, so I'll paint one for you.  Close your eyes.  

Go ahead, I'll wait.  

Okay, imagine a gaggle of preschoolers who 1) don't have a lot of experience with relay races, 2) are still developing hand-eye coordination, and 3) are all hopped up on sugar.  Pepper in a few encouraging shouts such as "No, no, run over *that* way!" and "Okay, sweetie, your turn is over now."  

Yeah, it went a little something like that.  Moving on. 

Step five:  Goofiness with good people.

Start with some of these:

Pack of 12 for under ten bucks?  Thanks, Oriental Trading!

Add the world's best godfather and a few new Hot Wheels:

Totally incognito.

And you've got yourself a recipe for awesomeness, my friend.

When the time came for cupcakes, Ethan was stoked.

Woo hoo!

Those "washable" dinosaur stampers?  Yeah.
Took three days and two baths to get rid of.  ;) 

All in all, I'd call it a success.  Ethan keeps asking if it's almost time for his next birthday, and has started putting in requests for themes.  Every so often, he'll bring up his dinosaur party from a "long, long time ago" and thank us for making it so much fun.
Melts my heart every time.

Songs My Kid Probably Shouldn't Know

He met someone new...



... but it didn't work out.


Preschool relationships are so complicated.

Adventures at the California State Fair

Here's what I knew about state fairs before visiting ours in Sacramento:

- Baby cows are born live for all the world to see.
- Funnel cake and other deep fried goodies abound.
- Carnival rides will test the strength of your stomach after indulging in the aforementioned deep fried goodies.
- They will end up costing you an arm and a leg to attend.

Here's what I learned about state fairs after visiting ours in Sacramento:

- I was right about all of the above, EXCEPT for the last one (going on Free Kids Day where rides only cost a dollar saved us upwards of fifty bucks, at least!).
- They are huge.  Like walk-for-a-thousand-miles-from-one-end-to-the-other-causing-your-son-to-whine-about-tired-feet huge.
- If you park at the west gate, the little kids rides will inevitably be on the far east side.
- Being armed with snacks and juice boxes is nothing less than a stroke of brilliance.
- When two moms are wrangling four children under the age of 4, including two babies, $9.00 is a small price to pay for the ability to sit in the shade for ten minutes sipping a nice cold beer.
- Getting to the fair at nap time in 80+ degree heat means that your children will repeatedly bounce back and forth between feeling like this:

Good times.

... and this:

Better times.

... All.  Day.  Long.

- The only thing funnier than eating ice cream next to dairy cows is nursing a baby next to them.  Even I had to chuckle at myself when I realized the comedy of the situation.

Sadly, we were photo bombed.  The cows are behind red shirt guy.

- Carousel operators are always ridiculously cranky, but that doesn't spoil our fun.

He's been on more carousel rides in four years than I have in my entire life.

- For just three tickets, you too can ride in the pouch of a kangaroo...

... that used to be owned by Michael Jackson.

(Is that a selling point?)

- After a long, hot day, $9.00 is not too much to pay for a cold beer (I know, I've already mentioned it, but this point cannot be stressed enough).

- Wearing a fire engine shirt while holding a fire hose makes the picture more authentic.

All he needs now is the helmet.

- Some of the slides are ridiculously knee-shakingly tall.

- You will repeatedly question why in the world you decided to take the kids on such a crazy overstimulating adventure while your husband was stuck at work.  However, having an incredible friend to spend the day with makes it an adventure worth repeating over and over again.  (I heart Candace.)

How to Play ALL DAY LONG

9:00am - Head to Sacramento to visit Candace, Emberly, and Sam

11:00am - Visit the California State Railroad Museum with your best gal and refuse to pose for pictures until your mom bribes you with ice cream look really cute happily posing for pictures.

Fourteen shots and not one of them looking at the camera at the same time...

11:30am -  Try to figure out what the spiral plastic thingy on the end of the weird looking iPhone is.

Why doesn't this thing have a touchscreen?

11:45am -  Check out some super cool model railroad setups.

This one reminds me of the town in the Hidden Valley Ranch commercials.
I want to go to there.

12:30pm - Eat pizza and ice cream, and then go back to Emberly's house to do this:

We owe Candace and Ryan some grass seed.
PS -  Ten points if you realized the song is by Puddle of Mudd.

2:15pm - Change out of muddy clothes, relax on couch and watch WALL•E while baby brother hangs out in a roll-away-proof pod on the floor.

Escape attempts = thwarted!

5:15pm - Go to Fairytale Land for the Chalk it Up event, have a delicious picnic dinner, and watch Emberly cover herself in loads and loads and loads of blue chalk.

If you go home neat and tidy, you didn't have enough fun.

6:30pm - Systematically (and repeatedly!) try out each and every amazing slide that Fairytale Town has to offer.

Sharks and crocodiles... ha!  Where does he come up with this stuff?

10:05pm - Stay up way past your bedtime and fall asleep in the car on the way home, dreaming of next week's fun play date event - going to the Oakland Zoo!

Summer.  Is.  Awesome.

Wait... I have a blog?

You wouldn't know it with the way that I've been spacing out my posts lately.  I have SO MUCH to catch up on.  I'll work on that this week.  Given that I'm on vacation, I have absolutely no excuses for neglecting the blog.

In the meantime, enjoy this behind the scenes video of the semi-annual Notch boys portrait photo shoot.  Super awesome images (as well as a few blog posts making up for all that I've missed over the past two months) to follow soon!

Ethanisms

- Why are there commercials?

- I wanna ride on a train.

- There's dog hair on the couch.

- My baby isn't looking at me.  I want him to look at me and laugh.

- Mama, can I come with you to the potty?  Do you want privacy?  Maybe you don't.  Um, what happens when you lock the door?

- Can I watch Phineas and some Ferb?

- Why do birds lay eggs?

- Hey, Mom, look at me!  I'm a silly turkey!

- What happens if you push this button?

- Do you like my hat?

- Why?  Why??  Why???

- Max, get back inside!  When I was a doggie, I stayed in the house.

- When I get big like you, then I'll take care of Everett.

- That's a pattern!

- Let's make a Daddy sandwich!  I am the bread, and Daddy's the peanut butter, and Mommy's the other bread... and Everett's the pickle!  

- Are you letting me stay up late?

- Is this a one time book, or a two time book?

- No thank you, but thanks for sharing!

- Mmmmm... this cereal is tasty!  Can I have it for dinner?

- Can I play games on your phone?

- If the sun melts the ice cream, what happens when you take the ice cream into the dark sky?  The moon's not hot, right?

- What's a wishing well?  What's a wish?

- I like buildings and cities.

- Why is there traffic?  Let's take a shortcut.

- Can you take me to school today?

- Why do I have to wear socks?  You don't wear socks.

- What makes steam?

- What's an itch?

- I'm not a lot awesome, but I'm a little awesome. And a little shy.

- Is this a freeway?

- If you don't use a crosswalk, the police officers will come get you.

- What happens if a bird bonks into a tree?
- Animals can't talk, but they can laugh.  They laugh in a different language.  And the cows say "I love you" like this:  "Moooooooo!"
- What does danger mean?
- What's a business trip?

- Mom!  I think there's chocolate in these M&Ms!!!

*I have to credit the lovely and talented Emily for this post.  She wrote all about What Lyla Wants to Know over on her blog, and I totally stole her idea.*  

A Bit of Peter Pan Magic

Did you know that Neverland is actually located in Berkeley, California? It's true. With a pinch of my husband's daring spirit, mixed with a dash of internet research, he found the park that the Lost Boys built.


Apparently, a lot of other people have also discovered this park, as it was packed full of kids and parents who refuse to grow up. This incredible place, named one of the Top Ten Playgrounds by National Geographic Magazine, is almost indescribable. But I'm gonna try...


Opened over thirty years ago, Adventure Playground is still a work in progress. How is that possible, you ask?  Well, it's simple.

Normally a list of things to *avoid* on a playground... which is what makes it so brilliant.  There were hardly any construction hazards to be found.  

Kids have access to giant piles of scrap wood, and can check out hammers, nails, saws, and paint to build pretty much whatever they want to.

Reduce, reuse, recycle!

As a result, the play structures all look, well, like the forts I used to build in the woods with my friends growing up.  But much, much cooler.   They're a little bit wonky, a little bit messy, and a whole lotta fun.

Sure, that makes for a few hazards here and there, but parent supervision is required, and there are warnings all over the place.

Understatement.

If you would have asked me yesterday if I'd take my not-quite-four-year-old to a park where they not only provide, but *encourage* the use of potentially dangerous tools, I probably would have said absolutely not.  But once you're there, witnessing the playground's perfect combination of creativity and childlike joy, it seems like the best idea ever.  

For starters, the park is right on the water, with views of San Francisco.  That alone is hard to beat.  But it gets better.  There's giant climbing nets, tons of slides and swings, tunnels for days, and a zipline, for crying out loud. 

Old instruments have been turned into works of art...

I kind of want one of these for our living room.

... and objects of exploration.

Everywhere you turn, there's a new nook or cranny just begging to be explored.

This.  Playground.  Rules.

It's everything a Bay Area mama could ask for.  It's amazingly artsy.  It's granola-crunching hippie.  It's something completely different.  It encourages the kiddos to play outside and use their imagination.  But the best part of all?  It brings families together.  Since you have to keep a really careful eye on your little one, it creates a totally different level of engagement.  Parents are given permission to turn into kids again.

Forget about finding the Lost Boys.  We ARE the Lost Boys. And this is our Neverland.