No stinky bowling shoes required for Graham's big, fun birthday party! Emily sets the scene: Graham wanted his fourth birthday to be about his favorite game: bowling. We didn't want to deal with the expense and logistics of renting several lanes at a bowling alley for all his friends, their parents, and our families, so we came up with a "Backyard Bowl-o-rama."

We bought a giant inflatable bowling set online and let the kids go nuts. The reviews of this bowling set warned that the kids would inevitably start whacking each other with the pins, and they did, but it was all in good fun. We also set up my Dad's ancient big screen TV under our deck for some Wii bowling.

I made the retro-inspired invitations and decorations, and the dorktastically-themed food,. My mom made the super-cute cake. We collaborated on the pinata. For favors, I made bowling pin-shaped lollipops (from a mold I found online) and packaged them with bowling-themed recycled crayons from Etsy seller Red Elm Designs. Everyone had a great time, especially Graham!

Thanks Emily! Readers, see more of this fun party on Spaghtetti Arms and check out Graham's terrific third birthday party from last year.

(Images: Spaghetti Arms)