Alex turns 9!

I know this day is supposed to be all about Alex, but I can't help but think --- I must be getting OLD! That's all I'll say about that (for now anyway.)

Alex chose to have this year's big celebration at Funtasia in Edmonds. It's a self-described 7-acre indoor/outdoor Family Fun Park. (Whatever that means.) What it means to me is it's an overpriced arcade with a few extras like mini-golf and bumper boats and cars. It's kind of like Chuck E Cheese for the school age crowd.

It's always hard to choose the right place and activity for a birthday party -- Alex has a diverse set of friends including neighborhood kids, some of whom are as young as 3 years old. There aren't a whole lot of activities that work for 3 year olds as well as 10 year olds. Weather in early June in the greater Seattle area can prove a little tricky as well -- so it's a risk to go with anything outdoors. In any case, this place seemed to fit the bill. There was a "Fun Fortress Playland" which consisted of a few bouncy houses for the younger kids. The older ones enjoyed a few rounds of laser tag, bumper boats and mini golf.

Overall, a success! The best part? Leaving the mess for someone else to clean up!