Skipper’s Birthday

I wanted Skipper’s birthday to be extra special this year – it’s her last one in the U.S. so I want it to be one to put down in the memory books. Luckily, she hasn’t had many actual birthday parties, so there’s not really a high bar lol

We normally don’t do sleepovers – I don’t like them. I know Skipper always wanted one, but I really don’t want to be responsible for other people’s kiddos for that long. But I decided that this year, I’ll just have to grin and bear it – anything for my girl.

This is her 12th birthday – and for those of you who aren’t as nerdy as I am… 12 happens to be the very age when a person is officially eligible to be REAPED INTO THE HUNGER GAMES!!!! And we have recently been watching all the Hunger Games movies – Skipper is very into them. It felt like fate.

I spent about two months planning every single detail – from the invitations that were printed on old-fashioned parchment and rolled into scrolls secured with twine, to the Cornucopia Dash, to the Celebratory Feast and Champagne Toast. Don’t worry, we did zero fighting to the death and the “champagne” was just sparkling cider in fancy glasses. But we had an archery range, a shelter building activity, face painting disguised as a camouflage station, sponsor gifts complete with parachutes, and because we held the party at a friend’s horse ranch, we camped out in the barn. I even borrowed Harry’s projector so the girls could watch the Hunger Games movies.

We did have a minor mishap – I had originally planned a relay race with the girls transporting plastic eggs on spoons clenched in their teeth (each one had a slip of paper inside: either “district rations: safe” or “caution: nightlock detected”). But the eggs were delayed. And delayed again. And didn’t arrive until the party was in full swing. So I improvised and pivoted in the moment – loading the slips of paper into tiny ziplock bags my dad had for organizing parts for his model cars and having the girls suction them with straws. It worked, and I’m honestly kind of proud of that one!

I slept a total of about 2 hours, sprinkled throughout the night. Got up, made them breakfast ramen, and sent all of our “tributes” home with a full belly.

We also specifically requested that nobody provide any gifts, due to our upcoming “district transfer” – and amazingly, they actually listened! The most anyone brought was a card and a candy bar – perfectly consumable and no space needed in a suitcase.

Now that a few days have passed, I’m finally starting to catch up on my sleep and feeling human again.

I’d say this birthday was a massive success.