Partying, Alex's Way

As soon as Alex learned his birth month and date sometime last summer, he became obsessed with planning the ultimate party. And for several months, we thought long and hard about what to do; the theme was obvious: Star Wars, but how to implement a Star Wars party beyond a mere theme stamped on paper plates and napkins was the tricky part.

Originally I was considering having the party at our house: bounce house in the backyard and a couple of actors dressed up as Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi (yup, it's available) but December weather can be tricky, and I was worried about Plan B in case of rain... 19 kids running around my house was a stressful proposition. New plan.

Fast forward to October and a mom-friend who I see every T/Th during karate mentioned that she had her son's birthday party at the Dojo and it was fabulous.

Cue music and moment of brilliance.

Alex was going to have his Star Wars birthday party : Jedi Training Academy at the Dojo, emulating what Disneyland offers: it was perfect.

I ran to talk to the owner of the Dojo, and a quick deposit later, the ball was rolling. 2 hours of black belt supervised activities to include lightsaber training, running around, a bounce house, lunch and cake.











As we got closer to the party, I started to get excited, and Party City became a regular stop on my errand runs. I managed to find 22 inflatable light up lightsabers, 22 Darth Vader masks, Star Wars party favors including pencils, sharpeners, lollipops, character plates, cups, napkins, center pieces, balloons, table covers, you name it, it's available, and of course, there was the 6 feet tall Darth Vader cardboard cutout I ordered on Amazon (he now lives in the billiard room.) I ordered the cake, but had to special order the cake toppers with the light up lightsabers because it just wouldn't be right without them. The kids were getting pizza, but I catered antipasti platters, salad, and deli meats and cheeses for the parents, and of course, I baked 6 dozen star wars cookies the night before.

finally the 2nd Saturday of December rolled around, and it was party time. And it was a huge hit. We had 19 kids between the ages of 18 months and 5 join us at the Dojo to celebrate Alex's 4th birthday, and I have to say, as a mom, nothing can warm a heart faster than seeing a little boy's birthday party come together, the gargantuan, constant, smile on his face, and on his friends' faces as they go totally crazy, laughing and running, full of happy shrieks, and their parents, many of whom I'm meeting for the first time, are taking time out of their day to celebrate my kid. Warm and fuzzy all over.







The kids had a blast. Half the group went into the bounce house with a member of the black belt club supervising, the other half suited up with masks and lightsabers, and Sensei Marco, Alex's awesome karate instructor, put the soundtrack on and began instructing the kids in swordplay. It was the most fabulous, hilariously awesome thing I've ever seen. If you ever wondered whether four year olds with masks and swords could behave themselves, follow directions, and not clobber the crap out of each other, the answer is a miraculous yes. 25 minutes later, the groups switched, before I knew it the pizza arrived, we were eating, singing happy birthday, cutting cake, and then the kids, with full bellies, returned back to the bounce house (nobody puked!) and back to the Jedi Academy.

Alex got his Star Wars party, and after 2 hours, I got to go home happy. And the biggest bonus was the kid actually slept through the whole night without awaking once. That never happens... worth every penny.