August's Birthday Party

Finding a good venue for a birthday party is tricky. It can also be very expensive with a big family like ours. We have done it all in the past; hosted at our house, Safari Sam's (jungle gym/arcade/mini golf), Pump it up, bowling, skating, ice skating, swimming pools, and camping weekends.
For the first little bit your kids are young and it customary to just have immediate family gather and not make a totally big fuss, but we never really adhere to those rules. I feel like the kids second birthday parties have been big blowouts, and they ping pong back and forth to big and small events...
Anyways, for August this year we had a hard time.
First of all he turned 4, so he has a definite concrete opinion about everything.
We really wanted him to give his input on where we hosted the party.
Secondly, he is an October birthday, so that tends to shorten the list of venues to only include indoor things.
Third, Brent's hunting trip consumed the weekends around his actual birthday and then
my sisters both had plans and could not make his party for the weekend we picked, but we booked it anyways.
After pricing and calling a bunch of places we found the Kroc Center in Salem. The Kroc Center is a recreational building through the Salvation Army. It has swimming playgrounds, water slides, lazy river, lap pools, basketball courts, reading room (mini library), rock wall, game room, and a bunch more stuff.
We were slightly late getting there, because Brent had to drop off his deer pelt in Albany first.
But, it turns out everyone else was running slightly behind, so we actually got there just in time :)
It was hard to take pictures and be in the water, so Brent had the camera. When all was said and done he had only taken around 16 pictures of the whole water experience. He was so proud of himself, I feel bad that I sounded disappointed when I saw the pictures...
Here are some photos of the party

You choose the color and they decorate the party room accordingly. You are able to order balloons, goody bags, snow cone or cotton candy machines, etc...

There is no outside food, except for cake stuff, so we ordered their hot dog and pizza bar

August is so genuinely happy about his gifts and had a comment for everything

This is his dinosaur egg, we have to grow as soon as we get home

Thanks uncle Greg and aunt Judy! Love for the skylanders

the race track from uncle Max and auntie Becca that when he opened he said he saw it at the store and "mom wouldn't let him buy it"

we were pressed for time since we were all slightly late, so the gifts and cupcakes were a whirlwind

Again, he tried to blow the candles out as soon as they were in front of his face...

one of his presents got stuck on the ceiling, and we did some family team work to get it down! This method that you see here did not work. Justin had to actually lift August up to grab it off the ceiling.

August and I by the small water slide for younger kids

Auntie Judy and shadow

Uncle Max, Charles, and Auntie Becca

Bray and Justin slithering along

I was asking Brent if he got many pictures of the kids...little did I know

This was Brent's photo of the place

 I was very happy with the water area, the kids loved it. Best of all was the family change/shower rooms. They were large enough for all of us, and there was no girl locker room or boy locker room. We were all together! After changing we decided to explore the rest of the place...including the rock wall.

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Charlie watching the kids on the rock wall

August gave it a try, but it was hard for him. Bray was afraid he wouldn't be able to do it due to his flip flops, but they have shoes for you to wear.

Max took this very seriously and tried to work his way up from one difficulty level to the next

once they got to the top they kind of kicked off from the wall and just repelled down. It looked super fun, unlike the water slide. (I was scared of the water slide)

Mitch making his way up the wall

all my guys strategizing...

Max at the top again!

Mitch and Max going on up

Charles tried to do his own climbing on the ropes!

Mitch and Bray were cute, talking each other through the course.

Now it's Dad's turn

go Dad go

Charles was tuckered out, like the rest of us

winner winner chicken dinner, he made it

feeling the love from my little one

Charles looking at Mitch...

touching Mitchel's spider stamp on his hand

Max at the top....again!

Bray taking a picture of us making faces

Bray a little tired

Brent excited to be done with the rock wall

In the game room there were video games and board games...

August and Dad chose this!

 To recap: these are the photos I put on the invitation. It really didn't disappoint. And the daily rates are cheap enough I will definitely take the boys back.