Birthday Party Extravaganza!

Most people think I am crazy, but personally, I think I am a genius.  Allow me to explain.  My kids birthdays are one week apart in the month of May.  Sam was born on the 23rd and Ian was born on the 31st.  My idea has been to take the weekend in between their birthdays (usually this occurs on the holiday weekend - Memorial day) and knock out each of their parties.  Now hear comes the icing on the cake making this idea go from smart to brilliant - let's do them both on the SAME day, back to back.  I did this last year and decided to go for it again yesterday.

It works great for the grandparents and relatives who come from longer distances, and it is perfect for my mom who will fly in for the kids' parties.  Plus, you are already in party mode, so just keep the momentum going a few hours longer.  It's a 2 for 1 deal.  Now, I know the logical thing would be to combine the parties and make it one big birthday combo celebration, but with Ian being a boy who is 3 years older, he will want a different party than Sam, who is a girl.


PARTY #1:

Z Pizza for Ian's 6th birthday (Boys only!).  We had to limit this party to 15 kids, so we made the decision to go with a boys-only guest list.  This is the coolest party idea (thanks to Jen. W for letting me know about it).  They give the kids a tour of the kitchen, show them how they make pizza dough and pizza.  Then the kids get to each make their own pizza complete with whatever toppings they'd like.  At the end of the party they get a certificate naming them a junior pizza maker and it includes a coupon for 2 free slices and a drink to come back.  What a great idea!  The only thing I would've done differently is make the party 30 minutes less.  2 hours was a tad too long; 1.5 hours would have been perfect.  Although there was this kid that took forever to eat his pizza and needed the allotted time.  This was our first official "you can drop off your kid and come back later if you want" kind of party.  Pretty cool!




Ian designed this cake.  Darth Vadar fighting Luke.
Luke loses his hand.  The hand is sitting on top of the cake.
Gruesome, isn't it?  Kelly did a fantastic job
bringing Ian's vision to life.



Ian and his friends making their pizzas

PARTY #2:

Hidden Pond Nature Center for Sam's 3rd birthday.  This party is designed for everyone to attend (parents, siblings, etc).  We had Ian's 3rd birthday party here and I really like this place.  It's a good-size room and can accommodate everyone, with a little room to run around.  Plus, on a nice day, the kids can go outside and walk around the pond.  The staff gathers the reptiles (snakes, turtles, etc) and does a little presentation to the kids, giving them a chance to pet them. 

One big problem with this party yesterday -- there was no power to the building.  Which also meant no AC.  Oh my!  But did this stop the party from happening?  Nooooooooooooo!  We partied on!

Sam is all about princesses, wands and castles.
Could this be any more girly or perfect for our
little princess?  Again, Kelly came up with
the most awesome cake. 



Sam sporting the decorate-your-own-tiara
on her head.  How cute is she?!?!

 So there you have it.  Yesterday was pretty crazy, but mission accomplished and we are done for another year.  Woo-hoo!!  Many hugs and kisses to the families who had overlap and attended both parties with one kid at Ian's and then came with the whole family to Sam's.    And much thanks to Kelly for creating the kids' birthday cakes that suited them to a "T".