Christina Beana turns 3 tomorrow. What happened to my baby girl?With all the busyness lately, I wondered how we'd fit in a birthday party, but we kept things simple, including a party in an hour time-frame, and I enlisted my #1 party assistant - Katie Girl. Thankfully, I have my Walmart/Dollar Tree stash in the master closet with all kinds of party supplies. (The amount of stuff I store in my closet is ridiculous, but I love it). I had a Princess-Fairy party box tucked away for this party, along with all kinds of favors, a tablecloth, craft, and other supplies. We were ready to roll with a smidge of planning.
We invited just a few kids this year and asked them to wear their favorite Princess/Fairy/Prince costume. Christina was adamant about being Tinkerbell and not Sleeping Beauty. I washed and ironed them both this week, wondering if she'd like to dress like KT did when she had her Princess party as a little girl. My kids know what they like.
I knew this cake idea was destiny since the party supplies had fairies, princesses, and a rainbow as their decor. AND, we had a ton of leftover Skittles- perfect for a rainbow - from Halloween. AND, it was the easiest cake on the planet. I got distracted mid-cake and wished I had not added the clouds under the rainbow, but oh well. That's why I'm not a true artist. A good artist knows when to stop and I didn't. The border turned out cute though.
Christina is pretty easygoing about all the party planning, although she did request having balloons "up high" too. Most were on the ground for the kids to kick around, juggle, and play with while I was gearing up for the partay. As the noise levels grew, I remembered my Mom saying she could tell by kids' sounds in their playing when someone was going to get hurt. It started sounding that way before long.
I knew this cake idea was destiny since the party supplies had fairies, princesses, and a rainbow as their decor. AND, we had a ton of leftover Skittles- perfect for a rainbow - from Halloween. AND, it was the easiest cake on the planet. I got distracted mid-cake and wished I had not added the clouds under the rainbow, but oh well. That's why I'm not a true artist. A good artist knows when to stop and I didn't. The border turned out cute though.
Christina is pretty easygoing about all the party planning, although she did request having balloons "up high" too. Most were on the ground for the kids to kick around, juggle, and play with while I was gearing up for the partay. As the noise levels grew, I remembered my Mom saying she could tell by kids' sounds in their playing when someone was going to get hurt. It started sounding that way before long. Adding crepe paper streamers is one of KT's 'party essentials' and I was so thankful to skip those this time. They're one of the most time consuming party elements. It still looked cute without them and decorated-enough.
Here's how everyone worked together. This morning Daniel and I sorted the Skittles and made the lemonade. Katie got the supplies out and worked on the game accessories. Christina and I put together goodie bags. She was so happy to make and hand them out to her "friends." I have to admit - they were cute bags with lollipops, barrettes, a pencil, sparkly tiara, notepad and markers, and diva feather pen.
I actually had a few minutes to spare before the start time and decided to make some quick "mini princess wands" with some pretzels, melted chocolate chips, and sprinkles. I remembered making these for KT's princess party and wanted something similar for Christina's. They worked out perfectly, since I passed these out while I cut the cake, scooped ice cream, and poured pink lemonade. They bought me just a few extra and essential minutes.
Here are the friends from left going around the table to the right: Kayla (Snow White), Kelsie (Cinderella), Daniel (The Chief from Pocahontas - yes, a stretch!), Little Daniel (Everyone's Prince), Christina (Tinkerbell), Katie (A Slightly Dressed Up Princess), and Jayden (A Hard-to-be-Seen Fairy).
Could this cake be any sweeter? Between the dark chocolate fudge inside, the cream cheese frosting, and then all those Skittles, it was pretty sugary. Let's just say the adults enjoyed the non-candy laden pieces.
Before cake and ice cream, we decorated foam mirrors, played "Pass the Princess", "Pin the Tiara", and did our traditional "Fishing Pond." With our packing and purging, I couldn't find our play fishing rod, so I improvised with a yard stick, masking tape, and yarn. It worked fine until KT and Daniel were reeling in an obviously HUGE fish and broke the rod in half. The younger kids' eyes got so big. With all the game prizes, Little Daniel was one of the only ones who wanted to wear his cute hair clips. It made us all laugh. I'm sure he'll hate knowing that some day.
Sweet Kayla loved participating in all the games. All these kids were so good and well-behaved and I was thankful to have several parents there, since we had so much work going on in the yard and house. Ben was working on a master bath project during some of the party too. That's multi-tasking for you. Long day.
Here's how everyone worked together. This morning Daniel and I sorted the Skittles and made the lemonade. Katie got the supplies out and worked on the game accessories. Christina and I put together goodie bags. She was so happy to make and hand them out to her "friends." I have to admit - they were cute bags with lollipops, barrettes, a pencil, sparkly tiara, notepad and markers, and diva feather pen.
I actually had a few minutes to spare before the start time and decided to make some quick "mini princess wands" with some pretzels, melted chocolate chips, and sprinkles. I remembered making these for KT's princess party and wanted something similar for Christina's. They worked out perfectly, since I passed these out while I cut the cake, scooped ice cream, and poured pink lemonade. They bought me just a few extra and essential minutes.
Here are the friends from left going around the table to the right: Kayla (Snow White), Kelsie (Cinderella), Daniel (The Chief from Pocahontas - yes, a stretch!), Little Daniel (Everyone's Prince), Christina (Tinkerbell), Katie (A Slightly Dressed Up Princess), and Jayden (A Hard-to-be-Seen Fairy).
Could this cake be any sweeter? Between the dark chocolate fudge inside, the cream cheese frosting, and then all those Skittles, it was pretty sugary. Let's just say the adults enjoyed the non-candy laden pieces.
Before cake and ice cream, we decorated foam mirrors, played "Pass the Princess", "Pin the Tiara", and did our traditional "Fishing Pond." With our packing and purging, I couldn't find our play fishing rod, so I improvised with a yard stick, masking tape, and yarn. It worked fine until KT and Daniel were reeling in an obviously HUGE fish and broke the rod in half. The younger kids' eyes got so big. With all the game prizes, Little Daniel was one of the only ones who wanted to wear his cute hair clips. It made us all laugh. I'm sure he'll hate knowing that some day.
Sweet Kayla loved participating in all the games. All these kids were so good and well-behaved and I was thankful to have several parents there, since we had so much work going on in the yard and house. Ben was working on a master bath project during some of the party too. That's multi-tasking for you. Long day.I wondered how the party time from 4-5 pm would work out, but it ended up being wonderful. Most of them had just woken from naps and were so mellow. Loved it! Maybe having a small group helped with that too.
After cake and ice cream, we played a few rounds of Ring around the Rosie, Motor Boat, and London Bridges. Then parents started arriving and we opened a few presents. When I put Christina to bed tonight, she gave me tons of hugs and kisses, thanking me for her party. I even got a bunch of honks on the nose too. When I asked her what game she liked, She said, "Lock a up. Lock a up", which meant London Bridges won out. She was so cute, talking up a storm, after quite an over-tired melt-down/tantrum. Birthday party nights showcase the word - OVERSTIMULATION. I had to dim the lights, tidy up quickly, and have some separating of the children to get everyone to settle down.
After cake and ice cream, we played a few rounds of Ring around the Rosie, Motor Boat, and London Bridges. Then parents started arriving and we opened a few presents. When I put Christina to bed tonight, she gave me tons of hugs and kisses, thanking me for her party. I even got a bunch of honks on the nose too. When I asked her what game she liked, She said, "Lock a up. Lock a up", which meant London Bridges won out. She was so cute, talking up a storm, after quite an over-tired melt-down/tantrum. Birthday party nights showcase the word - OVERSTIMULATION. I had to dim the lights, tidy up quickly, and have some separating of the children to get everyone to settle down.Christina had ideas for more birthday cakes - a Nemo one, a Yellow one, a Go (Go Diego G0), and an Elmo one again. She had an Elmo cake last year and remembered it. I could tell she felt loved and knew I had worked hard on her party. It was sweet to feel a childlike thankfulness.
A few of the children, including Christina, didn't want to participate in this game with a blindfold. Here's Kelsie giving it one more try before she left.
Parents started picking up their children just as we opened up gifts. Opening gifts without the givers around isn't such a bad thing with 3-year olds. They usually want to keep what they're giving. That is often the most stressful part of their party. Christina was sweet to give thank-you hugs. Here she is with Kelsie's Mom - Patricia - who is our neighbor friend.
After opening gifts, we enjoyed a new easy meal idea - the premade Big Sandwiches from Walmart. For $4, you get a french bread loaf with all the fixin's. We chose a roast beef, cheddar, one with lettuce and tomato too. They leave the mayo and mustard off and just send separate packets of them, so it doesn't get soggy. We'll have to remember this meal for future roadtrips and busy days. Yummy, healthy, and easy. All the kids - minus Katie - thought it was fun. Then Christina was free to play with her new toys. She was so happy and especially loved her new FurReal Pet - a parrot that gently coos with a bottle.
Big kids like to change things up and make things creative. Christina received this darling Princess Snow Hat and after everyone left, Katie thought it would be a good replacement for the lost blindfold. Christina finally gave the game a try and really had fun. Doesn't this seem much scarier than a pink blindfold?
A few of the children, including Christina, didn't want to participate in this game with a blindfold. Here's Kelsie giving it one more try before she left.
Parents started picking up their children just as we opened up gifts. Opening gifts without the givers around isn't such a bad thing with 3-year olds. They usually want to keep what they're giving. That is often the most stressful part of their party. Christina was sweet to give thank-you hugs. Here she is with Kelsie's Mom - Patricia - who is our neighbor friend.
After opening gifts, we enjoyed a new easy meal idea - the premade Big Sandwiches from Walmart. For $4, you get a french bread loaf with all the fixin's. We chose a roast beef, cheddar, one with lettuce and tomato too. They leave the mayo and mustard off and just send separate packets of them, so it doesn't get soggy. We'll have to remember this meal for future roadtrips and busy days. Yummy, healthy, and easy. All the kids - minus Katie - thought it was fun. Then Christina was free to play with her new toys. She was so happy and especially loved her new FurReal Pet - a parrot that gently coos with a bottle.
Big kids like to change things up and make things creative. Christina received this darling Princess Snow Hat and after everyone left, Katie thought it would be a good replacement for the lost blindfold. Christina finally gave the game a try and really had fun. Doesn't this seem much scarier than a pink blindfold?Don't judge me for not jumping in on this 'not wise' idea. I thought it was funny. The other thing the kids couldn't wait to do was to jump on the balloons and pop them all. I made them promise to wait until the little kids left. They're so loud and scary sounding. After all is said and done, I love a good party, but then I also love a good party clean up.
Knowing tomorrow will be a bit quieter is something wonderful to ponder on tonight.
