I was only halfway through the door when the smell hit me. I'd mentally prepared myself for the screaming, the chaos, the pounding music. But nobody told me about the smell. It was the overpowering smell of sweaty, screeching, shoeless kids. Dozens and dozens of them! Add their weary parents and younger siblings, a couple of pimply teenaged staff members, and two rooms full of gigantic inflatable bouncy houses and slides and you've got the horror that is known as Pump It Up.
It was too much for me, but I lucked out: there was no way Audrey could fall asleep in the carrier as planned, not with all the screaming and jostling and frolicking. So I got to go outside and walk up and down the sidewalk for much of the 2-hour "Pop-In Playtime." Anthony wasn't so lucky. Not only did he have to stay in that madhouse, Katie also wanted him to accompany her through much of the bouncy-ness. The giant slides did look like fun, though. Katie had a blast. Unfortunately I'm already seeing the telltale signs of the virus she picked up. I knew it was inevitable but I prayed we'd get lucky. Of course, Katie pretty much sealed the deal by picking her nose the entire time we were there. Way to give those germs a head start, sweetie!
Pump It Up capped off a four-day whirlwind birthday extravaganza. Anthony took Friday and Monday off, and I'm sorry to report that he now needs a vacation from his vacation. Friday we all went to Katie's school together, Saturday we threw a birthday party for her, Sunday we had friends over, and Monday was Pump It Up. We're exhausted. Katie got everything she asked for: Balloons in every color of the rainbow, strawberry cupcakes, a box (What kind of box? A brown one! She never did tell us what she wanted there to be inside). She also wanted a lion. When we asked her where we could get a lion, she promptly said, "Costco!" We laughed, and spent quite a bit of energy finding some really cute lion figurines. Then, when Anthony was at Costco picking up food for the party, he spotted a giant stuffed lion! Of course we bought it - a lion from Costco! Just what she wanted! She also wanted a crocodile, so we got a figurine and an anthology of Lyle books. Anthony's mom outdid us all by buying Katie her very own play kitchen. (Don't worry, this time we picked it out. Also from Costco.) A pretty good haul for a three year old!
Happy Birthday, dear Katie! (pics to follow, I've got to go pick her up from preschool!)
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| Strawberry cupcakes, nom nom nom |
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| A crocodile! |
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| Katie's Precious Kitchen. Some assembly (and swearing) required. |
