A Simple, Old Fashion Birthday

Our son's birthday party was today! We chose to have a simple, old fashion party right in the local park with baseball, Capture the Flag and a piñata. I have always been one who enjoys the ease and certainty of an "outsourced" party, but this late summer weather is too spectacular to be indoors in a hot gym. This may not have been my most original party, but it certainly was one of the most successful. It is a reminder that children don't often need a whole lot or the absolute "finest" to be happy. The boys could have stayed all afternoon playing Capture the Flag and other games. I only wish that we had let them.

For baseball, we held various contests and gave awards to the best batter, best catcher as well as others. Winners received custom shirts. Here is our son in his shirt that he has worn for 2 consecutive days.

We all know that boys look up to the older guys. We asked several older friends to assist dad with the party, which proved to be a great call.

As favors, guests received baseballs with my son’s "autograph" and the number 6 (his age).

Simple games like Capture the Flag and Red Rover are pure joy for boys of all ages. We used washable color markers as “paint” to distinguish the players. The winners received gift certificates at a favorite local ice cream parlor… second place did too!

Actions, not words, showed that our son was grateful. He stayed right next to his dad (the leader of the party) the rest of the afternoon.