Kelly Chandler

My son has waited for 3 years to be able to have a paint ball birthday party…you have to be 10 to play.  He didn’t even want a kid-birthday party for the past 3 years just so he could have a blow out party when he turned 10.   We decided to have the party this past Sunday (which was also Father’s Day).  He invited a bunch of his 10 year old friends and their fathers to play paint ball.   You have never heard as much smack talking as the week leading up to the event.  “Your goin’ DOWN”,  “Better watch your back side”,  and “I’m going to light you up” were some of the choice smacks going back and forth between fathers and sons.  When the day arrived all of a sudden the Dad’s got all worried about hitting the kids with the paint balls….that lasted about 10 seconds before their own inner child took over and the guns started blazing.  The boys had bigger targets to hit and clearly this Dad got nailed. 

 

The constant rain that has been flooding Washington since March played nicely into the whole Rambo theme.  My son didn’t care how dirty he got laying in the mud while sniping the dads.  It was hilarious to hear them yelling “cover me” as one kid shot wildly and another ran to advance on the dads.  

 

Notice the photo below in which this unsuspecting dad is about to be nailed in the leg by the paint ball.

 

I told the parents to dress the boys in something they didn’t care about getting dirty and full of paint…and to stop at Value Village if need be.  This kid picked up a pair of overalls and looked like a hill-billy.  I cracked up each time I looked at him.  You know he’d never be caught dead in those near home….but at KC Crusaders Paintball Field, he fit right in.

 

My son taking aim at a dad.

 

Happy Birthday Buddy!  And Happy Father’s Day to some awesome fathers.  Hopefully the bruises from the paint-balls heal quickly.

Oh, and in case you are wondering….despite me wearing a bright yellow helmet and a vest to alert the teams that I was the photographer and not a target…..I got NAILED 5 times.  And I can honestly say, it brought tears to my eyes.  But I’d do it again just to see the joy in my son’s eyes and the big bright smile on his face as he had “The BEST birthday ever, Mom.”