Kylen's a Teenager!

We have a teenager in the house!  Yippee!!!!  :-)  For Kylen's 13th birthday, he decided on a video game theme.  We kept things simple this time, with no traditional games or activities, although some of the kids took advantage of the air hockey and foosball tables!  There were four systems which could accommodate 16 total.   Only two guests were unable to make it, so we had almost a full house!  One minor detail we didn't anticipate was the noise level, but the parents were able to take refuge on the top floor.  :-)

I made three easy cakes: a question mark box from a square pan, Yoshi egg (looked for an egg pan but couldn't find one) from a rectangular pan, and a star from a star pan.  All the decorating was done with M&M's.  The coconut ones had exactly the colors we needed: white, green, and black.  We put down three plastic tablecloths to protect the carpet while the kids loaded up on sugar.  Drinks were kept in plastic cups with lids and straws.

Most of the time everyone played on whatever system they wanted, but we did have a Super Smash Bros. competition!  We were surprised Kylen didn't make it past the first round and found out later that a mistake had been made.  Other than that, it was an easy party that went off without a hitch!

Below, you can catch a glimpse of the custom cabinets behind Kylen. Our friend did a wonderful job, and we are very happy with the finished result. The poor guy worked hard that week to get everything ready in time - right up until 5 pm the night before! I wish I had thought to take a picture before we filled the shelves.  In my scramble to clean up and do a little decorating, I forgot!

 

Someone came up with the idea of putting balloons on the air hockey table while playing!

Kylen couldn't think of anything he wanted, so we suggested money or gift cards.  A few brave souls still picked something out, and I'm glad they did, because he got some cool stuff!  Isn't this shirt neat?  He received a Boggle game we've enjoyed,  and one family gave him paracord and videos on how to make things out of it.  I'd never heard of such a thing!  Seems like the perfect crafting material for a boy.

It's hard to believe our son is 13 already.  Soon he'll be heading off to college!  It's been the best part of my life, watching him grow up.  He's a terrific kid, and I look forward to seeing where God leads him over the next 6 years.  I want to savor every minute!