Friday was T’s 6th birthday and it also was the day of his birthday party!
Happy “Star Wars” 6th birthday, T!
This was the first year we invited his entire class, and I am so glad we did. What a fun time at the park with a LOT of new friends, some of their siblings (older and younger), and their parents, too.
Mrs. K makes birthdays special by making the kids their own party hat. Thanks, Mrs. K!
T’s special day started out with a donut, continued through the school day (as indicated by the party hat), and carried over into pick-up with a balloon bouquet delivered by Grandma Beep!
Our party area. C did a great job snagging a slice of shade on a gorgeous but breezy day.
We tattooed T up just before party time!
T and his friends playing “Jedi, Jedi, Sith.” This is just like “Duck, Duck, Goose” except T changed the words to match his Star Wars party theme.
More “Jedi, Jedi, Sith” fun!
We then took the party right on over to the park! As I mentioned above, T wanted to invite his whole class this year, so we did that and also invited family and a few other of T’s oldest and closest friends. He decided on the guest list this year, which was pretty great as it took a lot of the pressure off of me for that part of the planning. In fact, this year’s party was pretty pressure-free thanks to the more casual setting and some wonderful help from family and friends with setting up, picking up, and other assorted details (thanks again!).
If you have “corn hole” or bean bag toss boards, simply cover them with gift wrap that coordinates with your party’s theme. T even created a new game called “Death Star Corn Hole” to match his Star Wars party! I thought about actually making Death Stars and putting those on a space-themed background, but this worked just fine and was much less time involved. It took maybe 5-to-10 minutes to wrap each board face (the legs are detachable, which made it easier also).
Boards ready for players!
T explaining the rules for “Death Star Corn Hole.”
The kids had a great time trying to “destroy the Death Star” by getting their bean bags through the holes on the boards! T had a great time distributing prizes, which were simple Dollar Tree token toys that the kids LOVED.
I tried various, inexpensive bakeries around Long Beach (CA) to see who would do a “Star Wars” cake. Nothing. So instead, we “cake-tested” at Ralph’s to be sure that T would like the cake (white with white whipped topping, not a chocolate kid). Once we all approved, I ordered and had them do a simple birthday design and I just added my own Star Wars flair to the top (some small Playskool Star Wars figures). I chose a sturdier set of toys over cake toppers so T would have them afterward to play with. That and Star Wars cake toppers cost about the same as the toys (!).
Thanks to my friend Andrea for taking this family shot!
Because of the larger list of friends, T and I decided that this was the perfect year to go with the easier and more casual park party. Maybe you remember those? If not, well, they go a little something like this: Pick your favorite park and playground; invite a lot of kids (these are great for inviting the entire class by the way); let them run around and play freely for a couple of hours; maybe gather everyone up for a party game or two; and serve snacks, drinks, and cake. I highly recommend a Friday sometime after school lets out yet before the dinner hour for less chance of interference into homework or other school night or weekend routines and activities.
That big box is the box of party favors, which were Geospace-brand manual pump rockets. I found them at a few different Ralph’s grocery stores all over Long Beach (CA) on summer clearance for as little as $1.50 each (retail on amazon right now for $12+)! Some stores still have them, and it is cheaper to go get a whole new launcher and rocket than order replacement rockets online. In fact, buying five rocket launchers at Ralph’s would be cheaper than set of just replacement rockets!
C going to retrieve one of the party favor rockets from a nearby tree.
He got it!
And down C jumps! He landed on his feet. It was all quite impressive!
Post-party T.
Remember my saying for 2013, “Less is more”? Well, I think that T’s party embodied that message perfectly. I know T had fun, and I think most of his friends did, too. I know even some of the older siblings had fun… well, fun with the party favor air rockets anyway. By the way, I found those at Ralph’s if they still have any left from summer clearance. Just remember to launch them far and away from trees and rooftops, or have a willing person on stand-by to climb and retrieve your rockets (thanks again, C!).
T’s birthday fun didn’t stop with his party either. On Saturday, T went to his first ever sleepover! While I wasn’t there, I did get frequent updates, including a few photos. We finally decided that T was old enough at six-years-old for a one-on-one sleepover with one of his oldest and dearest friends. In fact, we’ve been friends with this entire family for about five years now; the mom (now one of my closest friends also) also used to babysit T when I had my paycheck job around the time he was one-year-old. Knowing T would be at a safe place with great people and a home he’s comfortable at and has been for most of his life made the decision that much easier for us, too. The boys all had a great time and they actually slept a solid 8-to-9 hours (not bad for a first time situation!). When I asked T what his favorite part of the outing was, he said, “Not having to have you come and pick me up in the middle of the night!” That was our favorite part also, T.
T poses for a photo in front of the clock at the time he was born six years before.
Happy birthday weekend, T! The party might be over, but the fun of being six is just beginning.
RMT’ers, have your kids slept over at a friend’s house yet? What criteria did you or will you use when deciding it’s the right time for this milestone event?
Real Mom Time (RMT) 