Happy Birthday Michael!

A couple of weeks ago we celebrated Michael's 12th birthday.  I still can't believe he's 12!  How can this moody, slightly gross but still lovable kid be the same kid who just yesterday (it seems) was building a maze of Thomas tracks all through the house?  Everyone warned me it would all go by so fast, but I guess I didn't believe them. 

Naturally we started off the birthday in our family's traditional way...come on...say it with me.....singing and muffins.  I don't know why, but this time it was extra hard to get up in the pre-dawn hours for the morning serenade.  I almost cursed the day I started this stupid special tradition.  The rest of the day went on as usual....kids to school, and I made the birthday cake (or big birthday cookie in this case.)  Michael decided that he wanted to eat his birthday dinner at Burger King of all places. Afterward, we had to get him to the pool so he could take his swim test for an upcoming Boy Scout Spring Camp.  I know...it was the end of March and surely this outdoor pool would be heated.  Unfortunately for Michael, it wasn't.  A common misconception is that it's always hot on Okinawa, but I can assure you that it's not.  Definitely NOT.  So poor Michael spent the evening of his birthday swimming his little tail off--partly to make sure he passed the swim test, and partly to get out of the freezing pool quicker!  We finally got home for birthday cake cookie and presents, and the kids went off to bed....and Michael anxiously awaited part B of the birthday events....his slumber party sleepover! 

  

Friday night four of his closest friends came over to celebrate his big day.   Within 20 minutes of the boys' arriving, Nerf guns and bullets were strewn around the house and Michael's bedroom stunk like....stinky boys.  I don't know what those boys did to stink it up so quickly--but you can imagine.  Lucky for me, Bill volunteered for party duty so I  called up a girlfriend and begged asked if Mary, Andrew, and I could hang out at her house for a few hours.  (Emma had an event at the youth center, so she had a good escape excuse.)  When I returned home the windows were wide open to get some fresh air circulating, the house was relatively calm and the boys were watching a movie.  Bill stayed up for a while reading, and as much as I tried to stay awake, I was snoring by 11pm.  I think the boys were up until 1am, but that didn't stop them from waking up before seven! 

The next morning we served them a pancake breakfast and we took the kids to a local amusement center called Round One.  I'm not sure how else to describe it, but here is an incomplete list of all the fun things to do at Round One:

• Skating:  In line and Old School
• basketball courts
• Duck pin bowling
• arcade
• indoor tennis courts
• batting cages
• mini-golf
• driving range (or whatever it's called when someone tries to hit a golf ball really far)
• soccer field
• paddleball
• kids maze/ball pit/slide play area
• mechanical bull riding
• And, for the parents....relaxation massaging chairs

I know all this probably doesn't seem like anything out of the ordinary, but the unique thing about this place is that everything was inside a six-story building. So we pretty much set the kids loose with directions to meet back at the mechanical bull in three hours.  

Michael and his friends went straight to the shoot-your-friends-with-foam-balls area....

while Emma tried out the mechanical bull......

Andrew tried his hand at darts.....

  

and my first stop was the massage chair  (big surprise!)   

A few notes about the massage chair (other than that my thighs look freakishly large.)  This chair gives you a full body massage.  See my hands?  Once you stick them in there, you're sort of trapped because my hands and forearms are being squished and kneaded into perfect relaxation.  The chair really did everything--hands, arms, neck, back, legs, feet and, um....posterior.  It was a half hour of bliss.  Well worth the price of admission!   

In another example of superior Japanese interior design, this set of massage chairs is set up in front of the kids' play area. So, instead of playing with their children, parents have the option of taking a well-deserved break (although if the kids need any help they're out of luck because Mom's hands are most likely trapped in the hand massagers.) 

 

Eventually the massage ended and once my muscle function returned, I decided to join  Emma and Mary at skating. 

I just noticed that "Danger" sign behind us...we didn't plan it, but it's quite appropriate! 

All we needed was for the DJ to play "Thriller" on the sound system and it would have been 1984 all over again. Too bad I'd left my leg warmers at home.  For any fellow children of the 80s, all I can say is....it all comes back to you--just like riding a bike.   Emma kept asking, "Mom, how do you know how to do that?"  I guess if you celebrate enough birthdays at The Skating Place, it leaves a mark. 

Even Bill tried roller skating.  Doesn't he look happy?  I think he was hoping the DJ would announce a couples skate....

I guess the skating was too much for him because shortly after we headed over to the relaxation chair room.  (a whole different set of chairs where you can't even hear the kids!) 

All too soon, our three hour play time came to an end. Michael seemed to really enjoy himself with his friends and we vowed to soon return to Round One.   I see a season pass in our future. 

 

This past week as been spring break for the kids.  Michael has been off at scout camp since Monday, and the house has been strangely quiet without him.  I guess my little boy is growing up!  (He'd be so embarrassed if he knew I just wrote that!) 

Happy Birthday Michael!