About a month ago I asked David if he wanted to have his birthday party at the gymnastics center where he and Rose take classes.

Yeah! He said.

I double-checked three weeks out. I checked the day I booked. All was good. Why was I so suspicious? Well, he's five, and five year olds have a tendency to change their minds constantly. Look how many Halloween costume ideas we went through. And then there was the fact that when we went to his gymnastics class, he refused to get on the mat, and I had to drag him over to his teacher. Once he was actually engaged, all was ok, but the initial step was miserable for both of us. That happened again three days before his party, and I made the mistake of asking why we were having a gymnastics birthday party if he didn't like gymnastics.

So, he decided we weren't having a gymnastics birthday party. John and I ignored him and kept talking about having the gym all to ourselves, the fun of the foam pit, etc., but secretly we were panicking. What if all his friends were begging to jump on the trampoline and he was crying in the corner?

Luke and Darth Vador to the rescue. John put the light saber light up Luke and Darth Vador cake toppers on the double layer chocolate cake with homemade icing, and David would have followed them anywhere.

And, of course, once we got there, David was absolutely thrilled. The place was extremely well organized. They had two coaches, one of whom was his regular teacher. The coaches had excellent kid skills, some of the best I've seen. We had 12 kids ranging from 4-9.5. They were all wonderful. I love David and Rose's friends. They are kind, respectful, sweet, sweet people. David is probably on the more out of control end of the spectrum, and he was being an excellent listener.

The kids bounced and ran and got extremely hot and sweaty while having a dandy time. Then we had snack, which we had thrown together at the last minute, on cups and plates which we had grabbed at the last minute, and ate the aforementioned fabulous cake.

We've now been to a lot of parties at places--ice skating, bouncy centers, bowling. This may be my favorite because it is controlled and guided while still being a special treat. And, they do all the clean up.