Tuesday, February 19, 2013

ye be warned...

jack chose pirates as his birthday party theme around august.  i should've taken advantage of halloween, but i was too busy with that party to think about another moooonths away!  we ended up finding some great things around our house, in gran's stash, at uncle david's house, and on amazon to pull together a fun pirate-themed party in february!

the weather was perfect for our outside party - thank goodness - so we all enjoyed the sunshine and my house enjoyed the germs staying out this round.  we are still recovering from illnesses picked up at maddy's party (which was on the 26th - it's been three weeks!)....

we sent out this invitation on parchment paper in bottles with sand, jewels, and twine to all the kiddos (a special shout-out to the talented leslie k for her advice):
we set this guy up to greet the guests:
he was accompanied by the pirates of the caribbean ride's entry with the haunting 'dead men tell no tales' part.  some of the kids were a little afraid, but most of them thought it was so cool.  i hung out on the front porch and greeted people, sending them through the house to the backyard for some fun.  we asked the kids to sign a treasure map, grab a pirate hat and an eye patch, before heading back.  they were all great sports and looked so darn cute!  i should've encouraged costumes, but i didn't want to stress any parents out - if we have another costume-friendly theme next year though, i'm definitely doing just that!

once outside, pirates discovered pirate games!
we were thinking pirate-y carnival meets jake and the neverland pirate's collection of gold doubloons.
the characters collect the gold doubloons, then save them in their treasure box.  our plan was to collect the coins, then turn them in for a 'prize'.  it worked out well and kept the attention of the kids for quite some time!  gran, unc david, and unc jd dressed as pirates to man the games!

 jack helped a ton with the game ideas - he wanted to play a game where you throw a ping pong ball into a cup (i swear we do not allow beer pong watching or participating!).  walking the plank was obvious.  the tin can toss was one of pete's ideas and jack thought of bowling with a coconut!  he is too cute.  i insisted upon names for the games so we could decorate the backyard a tad more.  pete lashed together these pieces of wood we stained with rope from home depot.  we used paper wrapping - like postal paper - to make the sign, and i cut out letters.  these could've used more work, color, or something, but we really ran out of time!
 we got balloons blown up to serve as canon balls -- we learned our lesson that balloons at 5yo height was longevity do not mix.  i think they popped by kid #3's arrival!
after an hour or so collecting coins, we decided to sing happy birthday and eat cake.  




 we got all the kids going with the cake and then had them turn in their gold coins for the prize - an inflatable sword!  the kids were SO happy:


after sword fighting for a while, it was time to start wrapping up the pirate party!  one last good time - a pinata - before hustling everyone out the door:






maddy enjoying watching the chaos!

and because i like decorations, here are jack's inside details:
 canon balls with pirate sayings and birthday greetings
 coconut heads and weapons
 a pirate banner
 water, sand, and canons

 argh cupcakes


 i really couldn't get enough of these guys...
it was an exhausting couple weeks, but our kids truly had a blast at their parties!  

Monday, February 18, 2013

jack is 5!

unbelievable!  little jack is a big ol' five year old!  we had a nice day with celebrations at preschool, chuck-e-cheese for lunch, and a hot dog and mac and cheese dinner with gran, grandpa, unc jd, and unc david.  
 they were trick candles.  he's at the age where that's actually funny for him too!

 some q.t. uncle time
 maddy's first ice cream.  didn't catch her face, but it was priceless
 just chatting about birthdays and cars 2.  sister+brother LOVE

Sunday, February 17, 2013

sugar and spice: maddy turned one!

maddy's first birthday was so fun to plan!  i dreamed about a 'sugar and spice' 1st party while pregnant, and woke up a little sad because i was 100% sure i was carrying a little man....so you bet your bottom dollar i was planning this party since the day maddy was born ;)!

her invitation:

i ordered these cute invites from this lovely shop and got going on the decor.  i wanted a ribbon bunting, glitter, and girlishness.  the inspiration for colors came from this adorable outfit:


we celebrated with many!  friends and family filled our home with love for our precious little girl.  it was the best afternoon, and we were overjoyed to spend the day with so many that care for baby maddy.  she was the princess of the ball, in the most entertaining and joyous mood all day, and she enjoyed every minute of attention.
 we had sugary treats as desserts/snacks and a host of spicy/hearty dishes in the kitchen.
eg: salsa, meatballs (they were sweetish), and frank's hot sauce chicken dip (aka: legal crack)
 baby carnations, spice cupcakes, and flowers adorned the table.
i made a little bunting topper with a glitter 1 for the smash cake.
the spice cupcake had gold glitter on top!
 you know there was garland!
 i ordered cream and vanilla balloons with gold ribbon from amazon, then dropped them off at party city to be filled.  they were impressed annoyed by my attention to detail and that i didn't like 'their' versions of the colors.  {whatev, party city!}
 proud big brother, confused baby sis.  daddy helped her out!
 helpful big-kid friends ;)
{that's not an annoyed face, i didn't even notice big-kid hands on the cake!}
 loving daddy pat.
see my glitter bunting?  the center was a gold glitter 1.  i loved it!
 snippet of the gathering, the only one we have!
 cake outtakes are the best!







 joy.  pure butter and sugar filled joy.

 princess opening a present from uncle andy.  she was so proper!

 look at her little hairline :), poor thing!  she has another year before that fills in - if she's anything like jack!
showing off some skills!

and because you haven't had enough, more decorations:
 i used some vintage shutters to hold pictures of maddy during her first year using clothespins i decorated with gold glitter and some i found in the dollar bin at michaels.  it was hard to narrow down pictures!
 the 'maddy is 1!' banner was so fun to make using gold glitter polka dots and pretty paper.
 the shutters sat on a large mini-wall we have near the entrance and i encouraged presents be dropped off in front:
 we mixed silver and gold candies with red vines, valentine's day candy, pink rice krispies treats, and circus animal cookies!
 my glass containers got some use, adorned with ribbon and fabric scraps.

we even added paper to my dining room pictures to keep everything matchy-matchy.
 we served pink lemonade in mason jars with lids and paper straws. 
we had peach roses and garland on hand in the kitchen as well.

we had the very best time celebrating our little lady...
then kicked it into high-gear for jack's celebration in two weeks!