EVENT: Liam’s 5th Birthday Party at Pump-It-Up in Schaumburg, IL
DATE: Sunday, April 1, 2012
TOUR OF DUTY:
Neil Auer (3446)- Stormtrooper
Cheryl Whitaker (3127) – Biker Scout
Steve Mammen (7345) – X-Wing Pilot
Gehrig Auer – Jawa
Liam’s mom, Jeni, was so excited for us to come out for the party (especially since the birthday boy had no idea we were coming). Neil, Gehrig and I showed up early and went over the plan with Jeni and the Pump-It-Up staff. Steve made the trip from Montgomery and met us soon after. The staff was great and they had a nice, big office for us to change and store our tubs in.
The kids (at least 25 of them) were having a ton of fun jumping on all the inflatables in the 1st jump room, while we suited up in the office. After they were in the 2nd jump room for a little while, we made our entrance with the Imperial March playing through the overhead speakers. Some of the kids were a little stunned and even a bit frightened, while others seemed to be in awe, and the parents were all smiles. It took the birthday boy a little while to warm up to us, but he did eventually come around. We took lots of pictures with the kids and then wandered around the jump room to “spy” on the kids on the inflatables. Everyone was having fun with it.
After about 15 minutes, it was time for the party to move into the actual “Party Room”, where pizza, candy, and beverages were served to all the kids. Oh, and don’t forget the really cool Star Wars Cupcakes! They looked really good! We walked around and visited with the kids a little more while they were eating; even pausing to sit next to them for a few minutes.
Once their meal was almost over, we made our exit and headed back to our tubs to suit down; but not before we were able to scare the heck out of a woman who was innocently walking down the hallway when we turned the corner to the office. Poor thing. She turned white as a ghost, but then let out a good laugh.
Before suiting down, we took a few more pictures with the Pump-It-Up staff and then headed out.
We received a very generous donation of $200.00 to Autism Speaks (Jeni’s other son, Zach, has Asperger's). She had this to say about Zach “You guys were the best. Even my Zach loved it and he keeps reminding me that he way shy. That was big for him... “ I’m so glad we were able to do this for such wonderful family.
Thanks so much to Neil, Steve and Gehrig for coming out to this with me! You guys rock!
Other Pictures:
http://s1099.photobucket.com/albums/g39 ... ?start=all
