Beware Of The Balloon Monster!!!

Last weekend Griffin hosted his birthday party sleepover...finally!  His birthday was actually in July, but when we tried to plan his party then, none of his friends could make it because of camping and baseball and stuff.  So yeah, he invited 4 of his best buds over for hours of Wii and Nerf fun.  Our house is quite lively on a regular day with 7 people hanging around, add four more 10 year old boys hopped up on sugar to the mix, and, well, things got just a little bit crazy!  But we all survived, got SOME sleep, and the boys had a blast.

On the day of the party in the afternoon, I went to buy some helium balloons from the dollar store.  I brought them home, and set them down on the kitchen table, when suddenly I heard nervous growling.  Our dog Charlie's kennel is near the kitchen table, and when those green and blue floating thing-a-ma-bobs with crazy curly strings came into her view, she did not like it one little bit.

I opened up her kennel, saying in a soft voice that it was okay, it was just balloons for Griffin's party, they weren't going to hurt me...or her.  But she wasn't buying it.  Nu-uh.  As I picked the balloons up off the table, Charlie started to skid on the laminate flooring, trying so desperately to run, but clumsily tap dancing on the spot instead.  Finally her attempt to propel herself forward succeeded, and I watched her curly white body fly across the room at the speed of light.  She sailed over the suitcase that blocks our basement stairs with ease, then became a doggy-ninja and rolled down the stairs with such stealth that Jackie Chan himself would have beamed with pride.

Chuckling to myself, I slowly made my way down the stairs.  After surveying the room, I found what I was looking for.  One terrified Charlie Bucket, crouched beneath the coffee table, shaking in her curly little boots.  I picked her up, and brought her back upstairs to face her fears.  She kept glancing sideways toward the balloons, then went bumbling off sheepishly in the opposite direction with her tail between her legs.  I finally managed to coax her to join me in the kitchen where I was working on Griffin's Lego birthday cake.  I had to smile when she rested her soft little chin on my foot for comfort.

Charlie did eventually get used to the balloons, and as long as they were up on the table, she was okay.  Griffin had a great time with his friends at the birthday party.... 

....and a few days later, he and Elliot entertained me by inhaling the helium from the balloons and singing like Alvin & the Chipmunks.  It.  Was.  Awesome.