Strong Birthday Quartet

Today, we attended a birthday party for Misha, Mesa, Cece, and Ralphie at Strong Fitness. Their parents were tired of attending so many birthday parties this Spring that they decided to combine all four into one. I guess one could say that it was more fiscally responsible as well, at least for them. We still had to buy four gifts all at the same time, instead of spreading them throughout the month.

Just like at Kayvan's birthday at this place last year, it offers a variety of options for the kids. But overall, I'm not very impressed by it. It just seems...ok. I did engage in a game of dodgeball along side another dad against his son and mine, but I'm embarrassed to say that we got slaughtered. I contend that the boys were cheating...there's no way they could throw that far with such pinpoint accuracy. I suspect they were doing a drive-by. Other than that, I just planted myself in an area and monitored all the kids around me, assisting anyone who needed help. It was good that the kids have seen me around the daycare and know me as "Troy's Dad." They trusted me and had no problem talking to me and asking me for help.

Overall, the party experience was a bit sad. The appetizers consisted of one bowl of chopped up celery and bell peppers and one plate of French fries and apples, which were inhaled in five minutes. The main course was pizza and hot dogs, which they ran out of after one pass. I didn't even eat anything until the kids had all eaten, because I was afraid there wouldn't be enough for everyone. The cake was too small, and each kid got one slice about a centimeter thick. No adult got any. And the only drink option was water. I was a bit disappointed by this. It seems like they could have done a better spread, especially considering they were combining the resources of four families. But I guess the kids didn't really care as much as the adults. They wolfed down their food and headed back to the play area.