Sims' 6th Birthday

This year, Sims had a low-key birthday party.  Nothing like last year.  This was kind of our reset button, I guess.  The party was at our house, and we invited only family and close friends.  It was low stress and easy going.  I thought it was great, and Sims loved it as much as any other birthday party he's had.  Win - win!

Sims' only request was for there to be Oreos, and he wanted them where he could reach them.  In other words, he wanted to be able to eat them without getting permission.  We were fine with that.  We even made Oreo butter cream frosting for the chocolate cupcakes.  Sims loves the Cars movie, so we used Cars themed plates and napkins.  He was thrilled.

The bubble machine was a hit, as usual. 

The weather was nice, so we enjoyed watching the kids play outside.  It was a wonderful day!  I can't believe Sims is 6 years old now.  Wow!

Merritt's 1st Birthday Party

Can you believe that Merritt is already one year old?!

 

We had a small, family birthday party at home for her, and it was really nice and relaxing.  We had some photos of her around the house, and I made a photo garland for the mantel with her monthly photos.

We had barbecue and the fixings, and Merritt seemed to enjoy most of the food.  We are so happy to have a kid who likes to eat!  Jason and I bought her a tea set with a picnic basket, so we used that as the centerpiece for the table. 

We made cupcakes and little gingham bow toppers.  It's the little things that make me happy.

Merritt didn't really know what to do with the cupcake.  It was her first taste of cake, and I'm not sure she loved it.  She'll come around though.

She was so excited about the presents, even though I really think that she was just excited about the ribbons.  You've got to love this age!

It was a wonderful way to celebrate the first year of our sweet, little girl!  It was a great day.

Sims' 5th Birthday

When it came time to think about what kind of party Sims wanted for this 5th birthday, we explored so many options like bounce houses and museums.  But for some reason, I was ready for us to do a more homemade, creative party this year.  On our third or fourth time reading Neil Gaiman's Fortunately the Milk to Sims, it hit me.  We should do a party based on this book!  Sims and Jason loved the idea, so we started to plan.

Since none of Sims' friends had read the book, we decided to give them the book with the invitation.  So we designed the invitations to be bookmarks as well.  Jason drew all the art for the invitation, and I love all the details that he added.

Front and Back

We decided to have a morning party where we could serve breakfast cereal, which was inspired by the book.  Having a morning party is definitely the way to go.  We were cleaning up around noon and had the rest of the day to relax.

The centerpiece for the food table was Professor Steg in a Floaty Ball Person Carrier, of course!  (If you don't know what I am talking about, then you need to read the book!  It's brilliant!)

This was the first party where we had to plan activities for the kids.  I wasn't sure what to expect.  For our first activity, the kids decorated spaceships.

I made spaceships out of paper plates and bowls, and we had markers and stickers for the decorations.  After they were finished decorating them, they threw them frisbee-style through hanging hula hoops that we referred to as the space-time continuum.

This was a much bigger hit than I would have imagined.  The kids really liked throwing them back and forth.  This could have entertained them for a long while.

Our next activity was Pin the Eye on Splod.  (Once again, you really should read the book!)  It was like Pin the Tail on the Donkey, but better.  Actually, when I say better, I mean an awesome focal point to our party that Jason spent many hours on.

Each child had a "stone" or "eye" to place in the right spot on Splod.  I don't think many, if any, of the kids had ever played Pin the Tail on the Donkey before, so it seemed new to all of them.

Then it was time for cereal and fruit!  We got a bunch of cereals that we wouldn't typically have at home, so it was super special for Sims.

After eating, the kids did their final activity.  They had to walk the plank over shark infested waters to pull a string on the pinata.

The sharks were inflatable, and the kids liked jumping in the "water" and playing with the sharks as much as walking the plank.

We got one of the pinatas that opens by pulling strings, and only one of the strings will actually make it open.  Well, it sounds better than it was, since none of the strings actually opened it enough for the loot to fall out.  But the kids enjoyed it anyway.

Before the party dispersed, we had cake.  Sims had 2 identical cakes - one was labeled Birthday Cake and the other was Birthday Cake from 15 minutes ago.  Both were delicious.

I think Sims and his friends really enjoyed the party.  I was so happy that the activities all worked out well enough, since we were rookies at that.  I know that we all enjoyed being creative and planning all the details for the party.  And we love that so many of Sims' friends love Fortunately the Milk.  It's always nice to share good books with friends!

And now we have a 5 year old!  Here he is the day after his birthday at my niece's wedding.

We are so proud of our big guy!

Sims' 4th Birthday

I know that I'm 2 months past due with these pictures, but better late than never.  Sims' actual birthday was pretty low-key, since it was in the middle of the week.  He got to choose what we had for dinner (pizza), then we took his new bike out for a ride. 

He was so excited to get his first bike.  He had been talking about wanting one for quite a while, so we figured his birthday was the perfect time to finally get it!  He loves his pirate bike that he picked out.

A few days later, we had a space themed science party for him at the neatest place, Science Fun For Everyone.  All the kids and adults seemed to like it.  I think Jason even wants to have his birthday party there.

The kids played with hydrophobic sand, made "alien sneeze" (slime), and launched rockets into the air.  All of the kids wore lab coats, which made it even better!

Sims helping with the Mentos in Coke experiment

His wonderful reaction to the result

Sims came home with a goody bag full of great stuff, including a lab coat, goggles and a tornado tube.  He plays with the tornado tube a lot!  He loves that he can make a tornado.  I think his party was a success!

Sims' 3rd Birthday Party

We had Sims' big birthday bash this Sunday at Pullen Park.  When given a choice, he chose to have a party where he could ride the train and the carousel, and he was so excited about it.  He asked me a few times over the past month if I wanted to come to his birthday party.  Of course, I said, "Yes!"  This was the first party where we invited some of his friends from school, which made this even more special for him.

Since he loves, loves, loves trains, we went with that theme.  We had a picnic shelter, so we didn't go all out with decorations, but we did do a few things to jazz it up a bit.

Jason heard one of the kids exclaim, "I'm drinking train water!"  That definitely made those labels worth it.

Between the bubble machine and the train riding by, the kids had a blast.  They ran and chased the bubbles like crazy.  Then whenever the train came by, they ran to the fence to wave.

As soon as the train was gone, they were back in the bubbles. 

Photo of Isla by Papa Smith

Of course, no train party would be complete without a train ride.  After the ride, we ate pizza and brownies.

Then it poured down rain, but that didn't stop the party!  The kids loved it.  They were all soaking wet when they left.  I couldn't have planned a better activity for them.  I think all the children had a wonderful time at the party, and that makes me so happy!

I know this little birthday boy had a blast!

I love the seriousness on both of their faces as the train passed and the fact that sidewalk chalk is literally all over Isla.

Sims' Birthday Weekend

This past weekend was not only Memorial Day Weekend.  It was also Sims' Birthday Weekend!  He officially turned 2 years old on Memorial Day, but we celebrated all weekend.  I can't possibly cover all the fun we had in one post, so expect a few posts on this.

We started our celebration on Saturday at the NC Zoo, where we had his party.  Most of the family was able to join us for Sims' first zoo experience.  Be prepared for picture overload!

The party started with lots of game stations, where the kids could have some free play time.  Sims had both of his cousins and one friend at the party.  They had plenty to keep them busy.

There was an educational part of the party, where everyone learned a little about the African animals.  It was interesting even for the adults.

Tickling Grand with an ostrich feather

Then they brought in an oppossum for everyone to oooh and aaaah over.

After that, it was time to eat!

The birthday boy definitely liked the cake and ice cream!  Once we were done, Sims opened gifts, then it was time to go back to the zoo.

I will share more pictures of the zoo and the rest of the weekend later this week.