Yesterday was THE BIG COMBO BIRTHDAY PARTY. I wrote that in ALL CAPS to convey that this was a much anticipated and much prepared for event. Every time I throw a party, I'm really happy with how it all turns out. However. The days before said party are always....well.....overwhelming.....because I'm controlling and bossy.....and maybe a little bit of a perfectionist where parties are concerned. Poor Big Al. He had last week off and he spent the whole entire week "working for the man" well....in this case...."the woman." Me. Having a party is always the best way to get household loose ends - tightened. 
You'll notice my sign on the lawn....I felt bad about threatening little children, but we just re-seeded the lawn! It's a mess thanks to a rough winter and pesky squirrels. I didn't want all of our lawn-nursing to be for nothing because of 14 kids and a two hour party! It worked. No one walked on the lawn. And hey - at least I stayed with the theme of the party!
All the kids got a chance to have a bird on their arm, but the birthday kids got special treatment - kisses from the birds and other neat tricks! Another thing I really appreciated, is that Julie made sure to give me very specific photo opps in addition to some great candid ones that I got on my own. She must be a scrapbooker, because she really seemed to understand the importance of "the shot!"
All in all it was a great party. The kids all had such a nice time and I think the parents did too. The entertainment was great and as always...I had lots of fun decorating! Of course in all the commotion, I forgot to take a picture of the table which was decked out in a treasure map table cloth, pirate head decoration and a big parrot dressed up as a pirate surrounded by treasure!
You'll notice my sign on the lawn....I felt bad about threatening little children, but we just re-seeded the lawn! It's a mess thanks to a rough winter and pesky squirrels. I didn't want all of our lawn-nursing to be for nothing because of 14 kids and a two hour party! It worked. No one walked on the lawn. And hey - at least I stayed with the theme of the party!
For the entertainment, we had the Happy Birds (http://www.happybirds.com/) come with their menagerie of wonderfully beautiful and talented birds. This went well with our pirate themed party! 
The kids absolutely loved the show - and so did the parents! R. invited six friends, and N. invited six friends - so it was a nice sized group. Not too big, not too small. The show started inside with one baby bird (a darling little bird named Sunshine) and her handler - Julie. 
While this was going on, her husband Ed set up outside on the deck where the bulk of the show would take place.
The kids absolutely loved the show - and so did the parents! R. invited six friends, and N. invited six friends - so it was a nice sized group. Not too big, not too small. The show started inside with one baby bird (a darling little bird named Sunshine) and her handler - Julie. 
While this was going on, her husband Ed set up outside on the deck where the bulk of the show would take place. The show was so cool! These birds were amazing. They spoke, did neat tricks, played games. Really entertaining. The birds really were...."happy" birds! Julie and Ed were very professional, yet very sweet and funny with the kids. However, it was very clear that these birds were their babies and they were very careful with them - giving the kids clear instructions on what was and wasn't okay for them to do. The kids were all really respectful and just totally taken with the show which was great. I don't know if I've ever seen so many little kids (some 3/4...some 5/6) captivated by anything for such a long time!
All the kids got a chance to have a bird on their arm, but the birthday kids got special treatment - kisses from the birds and other neat tricks! Another thing I really appreciated, is that Julie made sure to give me very specific photo opps in addition to some great candid ones that I got on my own. She must be a scrapbooker, because she really seemed to understand the importance of "the shot!"
The show lasted about an hour, and then it was time for lunch and cake. 
What might Petsmart, Costco, and me all have in common? Well....this cake. 
I ordered a chocolate cake with white frosting and ZERO decoration from Costco. We got the pirate ship and treasure chest from the aquarium department at Petsmart, and then to Safeway for a frozen Sara Lee pound cake which I carved into an island. All I had to do was ice the pound cake and top it with brown sugar to look like sand, mix up some blue frosting and make waves with it on top of the cake and then use my scrapping stickers to make a cute black flag with the boys names on it. Totally easy and very cute! If anyone would like to see a much better picture of the cake, just let me know. I didn't post it because I forgot to take a "blog" picture of it - (one without the kids' names on it)
What might Petsmart, Costco, and me all have in common? Well....this cake. 
I ordered a chocolate cake with white frosting and ZERO decoration from Costco. We got the pirate ship and treasure chest from the aquarium department at Petsmart, and then to Safeway for a frozen Sara Lee pound cake which I carved into an island. All I had to do was ice the pound cake and top it with brown sugar to look like sand, mix up some blue frosting and make waves with it on top of the cake and then use my scrapping stickers to make a cute black flag with the boys names on it. Totally easy and very cute! If anyone would like to see a much better picture of the cake, just let me know. I didn't post it because I forgot to take a "blog" picture of it - (one without the kids' names on it) 
All in all it was a great party. The kids all had such a nice time and I think the parents did too. The entertainment was great and as always...I had lots of fun decorating! Of course in all the commotion, I forgot to take a picture of the table which was decked out in a treasure map table cloth, pirate head decoration and a big parrot dressed up as a pirate surrounded by treasure! I can't even tell you how surreal it was to have such magnificent birds right there on my deck!
One thing is for sure - this party was scrapbooking GOLD!
N.'s actual birthday is next week and we promised to take him bowling that evening. I'll be making special cupcakes for him to bring to school and then a bowling cake (by request) for that night. Besides the Pac Man cake, the Pirate Cake, the Surfboard cupcakes for next week and the upcoming bowling cake....I made these (with a little help from Oriental Trading Company) for R.'s birthday celebration at his school just before Spring break. 
I am SO.DONE.WITH CAKE!!!
2 comments:
Done with cake? Oh, I *so* hear you! And, of course I want a better photo of the cake. I wanna see it! Nice job with the birds. It sounds like it was a great party!
S.
You are absolutely unbelievable. The ideas, the execution -- holy cow! What GREAT ideas: the bird presenters, the simple pirate cake, the whole theme...that's phenomenal!
When do birthdays, Easter, and the big one -- Halloween -- turn back into *one* day events?
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