Buzz Lightyear Birthday Party

   Well, it's no secret I love to celebrate my kids birthdays, and I like to run with the theme they give me. I plan ahead, get lots of the work done ahead of time, and assume it'll all come together in the end. 
   Perhaps I will share some of the behind the scenes of the makings of this and that, but for now, I will just tell you about this day.
   This Buzz Lightyear party for Caleb was different than my usual parties...it was humbling....it was truly a flop. Although, it was also a success. Allow me to explain.

Our Buzz Lightyear

   Months ago we went internet searching for a new Buzz Lightyear toy for Caleb. He has autism and has been obsessed with Buzz for months (and months!), and asked for his party to be a Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story II with a new utility belt party (hilariously specific, I know). So, we were hunting for this Buzz Lightyear with the blue utility belt, and found one at a good price, and bought it off eBay. After we had purchased it the seller e-mailed to say he accidentally underestimated the shipping and we owed him another 20 pounds (it was from England). Um, heck no. We got out of that, and managed to find another Buzz on eBay...who showed up and wasn't working, and the seller was a complete jerk about it! We did end up getting this Buzz working (thank the Lord!), but this Buzz not working, and seller being a jerk thing happened 4 days before the party, so I was getting a little anxious.
   We were also looking for a costume to buy him because he wanted everyone to dress up for his party, and he had been talking endlessly about dressing up like Buzz. So, we found a Buzz Lightyear costume (again, on eBay), it got to us, I opened the package....it was a size 4. Caleb turned 10. Grrrrrr........
   I e-mailed the seller back, who was kind and very apologetic. We sent it back to her, and found another costume on eBay that arrived 5 days before the party. It was the right size (phew).     

Parts of our costumes, and us in them

   We have rented a waterslide bouncy castle for Caleb's parties the last few years because they have always been worth he rental as the day is hot, and the kids stay so busy and happy. This year we were told they couldn't pick it up at the end of the day (unless we wanted to pay another $75!), which meant hubby was driving 2 hours that day, just to pick it up and drop it off. 
    The weather report said a 30% chance of rain, and it was for the evening (after the party). Mmmmm, let's see what really happened...the party started at 2, and it began raining right around then....and kept raining until most of the guests had left. 30% in the evening? More like 100% all day, then a 30% chance in the evening!
   Oh, what else.....oh yes! We had planned on making our own burgers to save some moo-la, but the ground chicken and turkey we had were more like cat food, and refused to be shaped into anything, not even a humble burger paddy! So, an hour before the party the hubster was picking up a bag of pre-made burgers from a local butcher. 
  And the most epic fail of the party was my cakes! Holy jumpin'!!!
  I had made them the day before (as I always have), and stuck them into the freezer to keep them until the party (as I always do). I will generally pull the cakes out a few hours before it needs to be served to make sure it has thawed sufficiently, and I did just that. But, I'm not sure if it was the rain, or just the crap luck we'd been having, but the black buttercream I had used as trim started to melt and run.....and melt and run some more...then the fondant got sweaty and sticky....perfect!!! It was like a horror film version of Buzz Lightyear....it was terrifying.....terrifying!!!!

I'm still having nightmares about those cakes! Yikes! You can see the inside of the chocolate looked yummy, and the Buzz bust was vanilla and tasted good too. Thank goodness!

This is a picture a friend took (well, I photo bombed it!), but I think it accurately portrays how I was feeling!!! :) I had taken off my costume by then because it was sopping wet, and had put on my cozies!

   Now that I'm done whining about all the serious failing that happened for this event, I will tell you why it was also actually a success.
   For starters, Caleb was sooooo crazy thrilled with his costume. So, so, so very excited.
   Secondly, he loved his Buzz and had no clue it was such a stressful ordeal getting it here! 
   Third, the kids that came to the party had fun doing anything and nothing! Some played (and froze) out on the waterside bouncy castle, some just had fun on our front porch blowing bubbles and playing with our outdoor trucks and toys. At one point Caleb and a few other kids were just plunked in the living room watching Toy Story II! 
   Fourth, my sister (and her family) were visiting leading up to the party and helped with the grab bags and decorations for the party. And they looked great! 
   Fifth, the parents (our friends) are the best!!! They were easy going and laid back and were o.k. with all the chaos that ensued when there was 21 kids (aged 1-10) running around he house and front porch like a bunch of wild dogs! They were helpful, encouraging, and turned a blind eye to the terrifying cakes I was about the serve the children! haha.....oh man, the cakes...
   And sixth...the cakes still tasted good. Apparently people will eat cake almost no matter what!  :)  
   Oh, and my chocolate dipped Rice Krispie stars worked out perfectly.     
   ....And Caleb had a great time. This is really (and obviously) the most important thing. If he wasn't having an awesome day I likely would have lock myself in the bathroom for a good cry. A really good cry!

All of the decorations were hand made by my amazing sister and myself (and my brother-in-law helped with the grab bags)

   So, for real, this was a truly humbling experience. 
   I like order, and things being predictable, and planning and working it out, and having it be just so, and just as I imagined it. 
   I got basically none of those things!
   What I did get though was a day to make Caleb's wee heart so happy with his friends around him. A day where Caleb was dressed as his ultimate favourite character, and playing with a toy he has been watching on YouTube for months. A day of chaos and friendship, of rain and mud. I got a good anger management day by having friends who didn't care about all the failures leading up to (and during) the party. 
   And at the end of the day, my wonderful son with autism who's birthday parties have not always been the best because he got too overwhelmed and would fall apart, managed to rolled with the punches, he stayed happy and positive, and shone bright all day! Who needs the sun for a summer birthday party when you've gone a beaming Caleb!!! :)