An Autumn Backyard Birthday Party in 2011

We threw a birthday party in the backyard in mid-October of 2011. The setup was simple and festive, with handmade banners and paper pom-poms strung along the cinder block wall, plus some balloons. Adults milled around a table under an umbrella, but the afternoon was really for the kids.

The main event was a treasure hunt centered around an old wooden chest. All the kids immediately gathered around it, trying to figure out how to get it open. One girl had on fairy wings, and another wore a tiara. There was a lot of focused energy as they crowded around the chest, first closed, and then peering inside once they got the latch undone.

After they'd inspected the contents, everyone was on the grass in a circle, looking at whatever treasures they'd found. The excitement eventually splintered, as it always does. Soon they were looking up at a green balloon and playing around a small plastic playhouse in the corner of the yard. It was a perfectly chaotic kid's party.