The One with the Roller Skating Birthday Party

Ah!!!!

We had one of those fun memories recently. Bri had her birthday party at the nearby Roller Palace. The local hotspot for birthday parties for decades in these parts, we had been told by many a parent that we would be spending some time here from Kindergarten on.

And sure enough, those parents were correct.

And, it was a ton of fun. it was the second time Kiff had been there...and he definitely wanted to be on his own as much as he could. As for Bri, she was spending an amazing amount of time on the floor, getting her patented move down. She has grown better over the year.

The party itself was a blast. The place helped to time it well: 50 minutes of skating 15 minutes of pizza, 15 minutes of cake, another half hour of skating and arcade games (they were a hit) - and even one person actually successfully pulled a toy out of one of those games that no one ever wins.

The party flew by - Bri had a good time - and before we knew it, it was time to go. Kiff wanted to play one more video game, so he and I went to the car racing game. As we left, it was clear - we were the last people to leave the place...besides the workers. 

I told Kiff, "Let's remember this moment."

So we looked around took in the fact that, for the first time, Kidd was "closing down a place."

The One With the Parade

Yesterday was quite a day, filled with many things.

 But one that sticks out was the event that started out the day...the SoftBall Parade.

This is the first year Bri has decided to play softball and we started the day by heading to the center of town at 9:30 for the softball parade. There, the teams gathered to march with the Little League through the center of town to their prospective home fields.

Bri was nervous at first that we might be late - after all, this was a new event to her. But, was excited when we got there. She found a friend and together - with her team - held the banner and shouted "Let's Go Dukes" through town.

It was fun to watch the procession...which was long indeed....go through town, by Tapley Hall, cutting down Essex street before Gios, and heading to Pickering Street, past the YMCA, and to the school. But, they hung in there well.

There were many people we knew as well, which made it fun. But, what stood out was the past that it was like the passing of a tradition...I remember walking in the parade in Natick back in the 1980s...just like her.

Now, on with the season.