Adventures in Party Planning: Pop Goes the School Year

So I said that I would find a way to build off of bubble-blowing (which, for whatever reason, always factors into our last-day-of-school revelry) in planning a family end-of-school celebration. And I did.

"Pop goes the school year!"  Those are bubble wands in the foreground, plus soda bottle-shaped bubbles and Crayola colored bubbles.  (Note to file:  Avoid Crayola colored bubbles.  The package says that the color is washable.  I'll take their word for it.  The stuff came out of the bottle looking like undiluted food coloring.  I confiscated both bottles, PDQ, after I saw the way-too-intense splatter marks on the sidewalk.)  To the left you see pop caps, and scattered around the write-on plate:  individual packages of Pop Rocks.

More "POP" - POPsicles and soda POP.   Trophy was awarded to The Fifth Grader earlier in the day - it's an "Academic Excellence" award, which he earned by having the highest overall GPA (straight A's from kinder through fifth! - sorry, but I had to brag).

This is The Kindergartener's award-winning flower art, which ended up on display at the main library branch downtown.

T-shirts as chair covers was a last-minute touch of whimsy.  (It was laundry day - options were to fold them or decorate them.  Decorating is more fun.)

I finished decorating the table a few minutes before Dad left to pick them up for the last time, so then it was a matter of waiting for their help.  I had some buddies in this endeavor:

That's Barkley, the Alpha pet (well, we've had him the longest - he doesn't actually rule the roost, but we all humor him, because he has tenure), guarding the tablescape.

Ruby Dog assumed her usual spot on the couch to wait for "her boys."

Ace the Batdog took a position just by the door.

The top of the armoire is Max's preferred vantage point.

That's four beasts present and accounted for.  Sure wish that Gabby would join the party.  Oh, wait, she snuck up on me:

Gabby usually avoids these things, so I should take advantage and snap another picture:

Do you speak Cat?  I do, and this look says, "Crazy.  Lady.  Stop.  Flashing.  The.  Flashy.  Thing.  In.  My.  Eyes."

Oh, yay - the boys are here.  Time to head outside:

The sign says "Beatles," but the glasses are 100% Elton John.  (They were part of our handouts at the last-day kindergarten party - labeled with tags that said, "My future in first grade is so bright that I have to wear sunglasses."  Yes, I realize that the song was "I gotta wear shades," but "I have to wear sunglasses" is grammatically correct, and since we're trying to teach these kids proper English and all . . . .)

POP CAPS!

BUBBLES!

The sign says it all.