How We Crashed a 4-Year-Old's Birthday Party

First a little background....Johnathan's playgroup has decided that he will one day be a politician. He has that kind of personality. Never meets a stranger. And it's been a long week. A good week filled with playdates, new crafts, park and library trips etc but a long week with daddy gone. And though I was looking forward to a nice long nap today since he woke up early this morning. I got 1 stinking hour. We were facing a very long afternoon.

So today, when a small boy that we've never met more than briefly when we moved in popped his head over the fence and asked if Johnathan and I would like to come over and play in the bounce house in their backyard they had rented, he got very excited (as did I).

I realized quickly, it was a birthday party but there were no other kids (the balloons and cake were a tipoff). Apparently he had just started a new school and had no friends his age and his parents were trying to give him a funfilled birthday. Normally, Johnathan would be too young, but he has no fear of kids of any age.

Johnathan went straight for the bounce house and saw the slide. It was huge and straight down -which only made it more fun. He jumped and slid and jumped and slid. But the birthday boy (who was turning 4) wasn't as excited about his bounce house anymore.

See, the boy was scared of the slide. And Johnathan wasn't. And the 8-year-old brother started teasing the 4 year old that even the baby (Johnathan) would go down the slide.

So when the 4-year old opted to go inside and sit and watch....we made some excuses and left. But not before Johnathan got a goodie bag and I got a huge plate of homemade Afgahan food to take home and we had maybe met a new neighbor.

I'll be taking over a coffee cake tomorrow. Hopefully the kid will like that. But it made me realize how thankful I am for the wonderful friends Johnathan and I have both made out here. 26 of which came over on Friday morning - see the pic for about half of them. (ok, I really never expected the WHOLE playgroup to come - usually it's only 4-5).