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I blame this last aspect entirely on my stepmom.
She’s the one who thought it would be cool, not to mention educational, to take her grandkids from the oldest to the littlest one to a fair so they could be exposed to someold-fashioned fun. They've all been crazy about air-popped popcorn, cotton candy machines, and toss-the-ring type of games ever since.
A small-scale amusement park was the only thing that both Dora and Leany could agree upon when we asked them what kind of party they wanted to have.
That’s where they parted ways, though.
I call all my little girls princesses, but, to be fair, Dora is the one that truly embodies the title.
She's a princess down to her teeny, painted asparkly-pink-no-matter-how-much-I-pout-about-it-and-try-to-forbid-ittiny toes. She loves Disney princesses and fairies, and when she went through all the American-produced ones, she started on those from other countries. For the better part of two years now, Winx Club have been her go-to winged, glittery obsession.
I can’t put a number –nor do I wish to– on how many tea parties with little invisible guests I have been invited to, gossamer multicolored wings on my back, sparkly jeweled crown on my head, and rainbow polish on my nails.
Leany, on the other hand, is more interested in technology and building stuff, she’s my little tomboy, and she’s a gaming buff through and through with a particular love for 80s 2D retro video games, a passion she inherited from yours truly.
She loves playing old games like Super Mario, Crash Bandicoot, and Donkey Kong with me and her Auntie Tasha, with Sonic the Hedgehog being, of course, her absolute favorite.
So, naturally, the amusement park’s old country fair theme wouldn’t do on its own. Ithadto have gaming stuff in it, especially Sonic stuff. But also Crash Bandicoot stuff. And, you know, if it was possible to throw some Mario stuff in, too, that would have been the grandest thing.
And the Winx, all seven of them, since my other kid couldn’t be outdone by her sister and therefore couldn’t just pick one, had to be at the party. There was nothing for it.
And could they have real rides for their little friends and for their cousins and siblings to enjoy?
The wordyeswas not even completely out of my mouth when those twolawyers-in-waitingasked with those huge green eyes of theirs, so much like their mommy’s, getting bigger and shinier by the second if those rides and those stands couldn’talsoall be Winx Club and Sonic and Crash themed, too since we were doing them anyway.
I tried to be strong and draw the line. We don't normally spoil any of our kids so much.
But it was their birthday, and my wife’s eyes were getting as big as those of our little girls as she pleaded alongside them.
So I was overruled.
Ididput my foot down, though.
Yes, they could have the rides, and yes, they could have the bouncing castle too.
And yes, they could have a single cake with all those themes mixed up in a crazy ensemble of video game characters and fairies. My little girls might want different things, but they balked at the idea of not sharing a birthday cake, and that’s how we ended up with a giant cake shaped like a Crash Bandicoot obstacle course with all the little fairies and Sonic running up and down it, complete withAku AkuShamanic Masks, all the various trademark crates, especially her favorites TNT, Nitro and Question Mark ones, artfully placed over it, and little floating green and orangeWumpafruits scattered around.
Andyes, they could have real acrobats wearing costumes enacting a Boss level of Sonic the Hedgehog mashed with a magic battle with the seven Winx fairies.
But I did saynoto having an actual Ferris wheel set up on the lawn.
A man gotta stop the madness at some point.
I swear, not even the big society wedding Carina’s mother forced on us after we got our small, secret one done was a breeze to plan if compared to the mess that organizing this party for kindergarteners has been.
Still, all the kids loved watching the actors in full costume and having their picture taken with them, and the garishly colored cake was a smashing success with the four-feet-tall and shorter crowd.
In the end, everybody had a blast, and my little girls didn’t stop smiling, screaming happily, and running around for a minute until the party ended just before sunset.
All the guests that aren’t family left, and now we’re onto the second portion of the party, the sleepover.
My daughters didn’t want presents from us other than the party itself, but they did want to end the evening having a slumber party with their siblings and their cousin Roan, Raul, and River -Tasha’s and Di’s kids.
I’m almostto the living room when one of my bare feet sinks into something mushy and cold, and I narrowly avoid ending up sprawled on the floor and wearing the scalding cup of tea down the front of the utterly foolish PJs my daughters had me wear tonight.
A muted “Fuck…” leaves my lips as I reach with my free hand to steady the cup, thankfully only sloshing a few hot drops on my wrist in the process.
The most popular stands at the party were theMake-Your-Own-Ice-Creamand the Slushy machine ones, and the cleaning crew that’s still working outside must have missed a spot –or twenty– around the house. There are puddles of melted ice cream and slushy cups lying everywhere.
