Katie's Birthday Party

Yesterday we had Katie's 4th birthday party.  We had it this weekend even though her actual birthday isn't until next Saturday because we are going camping with the Cub Scouts next weekend.

Katie has been anxiously awaiting her birthday party for a few months now.  She was really excited about getting to celebrate with family and a few close friends.  Every week she would give me a verbal list of who she wanted to invite.  After she told me the list, then she would ask who was coming.  It ended up being a low-key event, which I now prefer for the birthday parties.

The theme that Katie wanted was Hello Kitty and she had asked for a pinata too.  I decided to make a 3d Hello Kitty cake on top of a half sheet cake.  This was far more ambitious than anything I had done in the past but I felt like it was time to broader my horizons.  Katie loved the finished product.

We set up the bounce house outside.  The weather was perfect for a party.  It was sunny and warm but not hot.  March's weather has really been unpredictable this year so we were thankful for a beautiful day.  The kids played in the bounce house, sandbox and out in the yard while everyone ate lunch

It was time for the pinata next.  All of the kids lined up to get a chance to hit it.  After several rounds of hitting Hello Kitty, she started to break apart.  Surprisingly the kids did not run to get the candy when it fell to the ground.  I guess that's the difference between mostly girls hitting the pinata and mostly boys hitting it.  When it was done, all of the kids calmly collected candy into bags.

We did the cake after that.  Katie was so ready to eat her cake after she blew out the candles.  She had quite a few different kinds of candles on the cake.  She requested a piece of Hello Kitty's body.  After cake, she opened her presents.  Her excitement at opening her gifts was so cute.  She really enjoyed seeing what she had gotten and couldn't wait to open everything. 

After the party, she wanted to know how long until her next birthday party!  I would say it was a success.

Birthday Party Recap

We had Michael's birthday party at our house on Saturday afternoon. We considered having it someplace else but decided against it. We invited Michael's classmates, as well as family and friends. The theme for the party was Transformers.

The plan was to have the party outside and on the porch. The kids were going to play some games and run around before we did the pinata. Well, it started to rain about 30 minutes before the party. It rained just enough to make the ground too wet to go outside. So we hosted 20-25 kids and their parents, as well as family inside our house. I had several people tell me we were brave to have that many people but it actually turned out really good.

The kids played inside with Michael's trains and other toys in the playroom. After about 45 minutes, we took the kids into the garage to do the pinata. Todd lined everyone up from shortest to tallest and they got several chances to hit the pinata. It took about 3 or 4 times through the line to get the pinata open. This was one stubborn Transformer! Once it was open, the kids went wild for the candy.

Before


During


After


Shortly after we finished the pinata, we did the cake. Michael had requested a Transformers cake with a Transformers candle on top. We all sang Happy Birthday and then everyone ate cake. People stayed for a while longer before starting to go.



Michael opened his presents after the majority of the guests had left. It was better this way as there were so many people in the house. That way, he could concentrate on who gave him what gift and really get to see everything.

We all thought it was a great party and had lots of fun!

Birthday Pics

Michael had his birthday party on Saturday. It was at our house with family and friends. The day was so hot that we mostly stayed inside. The kids played in the playroom and there were only a few altercations over toys.

Todd grilled hot dogs and hamburgers and we had potato salad, fruit salad, deviled eggs, veggies and dip. I made the cake, which was a half sheet cake with a Scooby Doo cake on top. Michael was so happy to have it and thanked me for making it for him.





After we ate the cake, we opened the presents. Michael was so lucky to get many nice presents. He got Cars, Scooby, sand toys, trucks and outdoor sports equipment. All in all, it was a great party!

Here are a few pictures from the party and his birthday:

Party Time

Yesterday we had Katie's first birthday party, even though her actual birthday isn't until Tuesday. After the party prep, everything went pretty well.

The party started at noon and we partied for the rest of the day. Katie was dressed in her birthday outfit, complete with pink tutu. When I showed her the tutu the night before, she got all excited and said "oooohhhh"! It was too cute. We ate lunch and mingled with the guests.



I finished decorating the cake by about 12:30, in my usual fashion. No matter how much prep I do, it seems like I am always doing something to the cake at the last minute. I definitely learned from this cake experience. I made a sheet cake and then baked the #1 cake to put on top. Here is a picture of the cake. Believe it or not, the cake is almost gone only 24 hours later.



Katie got her own little smash cake. I had been eagerly anticipating this moment. I hoped that she would just dig in to her cake since she loves to eat and hasn't turned down anything that we have given her yet. Michael was extremely tentative on his first birthday and I think he may have cried when icing got on his arm. Needless to say, Katie didn't disappoint. She was a bit unsure of what to do at first but as soon as she got the first taste, she dug in!

Before:



After:



After we hung out a bit, then we opened presents. Katie got some very cute outfits, several baby dolls (which she loves!), Elmo block box, a baby ring, and some books. Mainly all Katie was interested in was the tissue paper and how many ways she could eat it!

It was a fun time and I look forward to seeing her dig in to another cake on Tuesday. Here are a few more pics from the party:

Weekend Wrapup

I know that the weekend actually starts on Friday night but I am starting this past one a little early.

Thursday night, Katie, Michael and I traveled to St. Matthews (about 45 minutes away) to visit our good friends Susan, Jason and their son, Nathan. They were visiting from Colorado for her sister's wedding. Jason's mom was nice enough to host a get-together at her house so that their friends could see them while they were here in SC. We have a very nice time visiting, even though it was too short. Michelle, Charles and their girls, as well as Stephanie & Doug were there too and it was good to catch up with all of them. I don't like that we all live far apart and it seems like too much time can go by without seeing each other. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera in the car, as I had my hands full with 2 kids and all of their related items! I know Susan got some good pictures that she will email to me.

Saturday we went to a birthday party for my friend's little girl, Ava. It was an Ariel and Disney princess party. I know that Michael was just thrilled to be there with all the little girls. He had a fun time playing with the toy kitchen and running around outside. He also enjoyed hitting the pinata that they had filled with candy....this boy loves some candy! Katie was entertained by my friend's grandmom for most of the party and completely content. Of course, she was being held and what's not to like about that.





After the party, we headed home for a bit and then went to our friend Mat and Jennie's house. Their daughter, Kaitlyn, who is almost 2, had her little pool set up outside. She and Michael played in the pool and also on the splash pad in the backyard. Michael also had fun going down the slide in his wet bathing suit. Talk about a funny thing to watch. It was pretty warm out and it felt good to have the water running through my toes as well.





Sunday we relaxed in the morning and slept in a little bit. Mid-afternoon, the 4 of us headed to the pool. Even after his swimming lessons last week, Michael still doesn't want to go in the big pool or jump in. He prefers to stay in the baby pool. Katie enjoys the pool more than he does, I think. Of course, at this point, she doesn't know any better. I know that she feels the cool water and will let me put her to float on her back. She even wore a new swim outfit this weekend that was adorable.



The weekend was pretty busy and after some of them, I feel like I need another one. We had a good time though and were sad to see it end!

Michael's 3rd Birthday Party

On Saturday, we had Michael's 3rd birthday party. It was at 3:00 in the afternoon. We invited friends and family to attend and celebrate with us. The theme for the party was Cars. This is one of Michael's favorite movies. He loves Mack and Lightning McQueen.

We borrowed a bounce house from friends and set this up in the backyard. The kids loved it and kept running in and sliding down the front. Todd grilled hot dogs and hamburgers outside. We also had potato salad, deviled eggs, chips & salsa, pulled pork BBQ and cookies. After we ate, the kids came inside and played for a while as it was getting ready to storm outside. The bounce house had to be taken down and we ate cake after that. After cake, we opened presents and then the guests started to leave.

It was a fun party and Michael got lots of neat toys. He got a large Mack, as well as a small Mack (he already had the medium Mack). He got Mickey Mouse Clubhouse sheets/comforter for his beds, some clothes, a zoo membership, swimming lessons, Hot Wheels cars, fishing rod, Cars towel and bucket, a remote control school bus, gift cards, Fisher Price fire engine/firehouse and a Radio Flyer scooter. This child has more toys than he has time to play with them!!

I made a Lightning McQueen cake and Michael loved it. Here is a picture of the cake and a picture of Michael on his big day:





And a family picture of the 4 of us!