Ingo celebrated his fourth birthday on 22nd February 2004 (of course) with more than a dozen friends, and about as many parents, in the hall behind All Saints Church, Emscote - formerly the local Victorian primary school.
Ingo's chosen theme for the day was Spots, and the first attraction was a network of bright coloured blobs on the floor, just right for stepping between and rushing along and around.
On the spots, above: Amber from Pre-school, George (dressed up as Spiderman) from The Ceedlings, and Celestine from Stockton, next to Ingo's grandfather Cyril. Chris (in white t-shirt, with spots hardly visible) looks on from the other end of the hall.
Above: too fast to photograph (or more likely Dad's a bit wobbly)?
Cyril watching Zak, George and Alisha from Nursery running on the spots.
After we'd had some food a surprise guest arrived, all the way from the Midlands Arts Centre:
The people at the party helped her work out her map, and when she had joined all the dots it said Happy Birthday Ingo!
We played traditional games like Pass the Parcel, and new ones like Pin the Spots on the Pig, and shared party food for children and adults, and of course birthday cake! Chris and Simon played their drum and guitar, and there was a special pre-recorded sound track of Ingo's favourite tunes such as 'Bob The Builder' and the unforgettable 'Do your ears hang low?' All the people who were invited got a pair of specially-made multicoloured glow-in-the-dark spotty socks as souvenirs.
Thanks to everyone who came to the party.