Monday, May 4, 2009

Owen and Mason's 2nd Birthday - - A Pirate Party

On Saturday we threw a great 2nd birthday party for our little pirates. Here's what we did...

I made this door hanger to welcome our guests. It let them know to come on inside since we were all out back and couldn't hear the doorbell. Inspired from polkadots & pirates.

I replaced our garden flag with a Jolly Roger, of course!


And the back yard decorations:



A fun pirate pennant banner for the ropes that hold the patio awning in place.
We did sack lunches for everyone. The kids had a choice of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or jelly only and goldfish crackers. The adults had ham and cheese sandwiches, chips, and a pickle spear. The sandwiches were so delicious. We ordered Sheila Partin's Sweet Sourdough bread. Yum! Each bag was sealed with a cute little sticker that we designed and had printed at zazzle.com. My hubby made the signs for the sandwiches so everyone knew what they were getting.


The awesome cake made by HEB Central Market.

I feel it is important that Owen and Mason know that they are their own person. I will always order them their own little cake so they can feel special blowing out their candles. We also sing them each Happy Birthday separately. The look on their face when they hear just their own name is priceless. They share every other day of the year so why not!


Here is the table set up this year. Last year the kids were to come in swimsuits so the majority of the party was outdoors. It was pretty hot for the rest of us so this year we decided to have a bit more indoor activity. We did not have an 'official' time to sit and eat, in fact, there wasn't even enough table space for every single person. It worked out perfectly though, since some chose to eat earlier (or later) than the majority of the crowd. Tableware was ordered from The Celebration Shoppe. The pirate ship centerpiece is made by Step 2 and was a gift for Owen and Mason from Aunt Lindsay.


The kids even had their own special table.
Here is the banner I made for our fun pirate party. I think it turned out great and I'm leaving it right where it is until Owen and Mason's actual birthday on May 10. Also inspired by polkadots & pirates.
For entertainment, we had a table set up immediately outside our back door. Each little guest was to stop here and transform into a pirate.
Red gable boxes with our personalized stickers from Zazzle included a spyglass and a treasure hunt checklist.
Here are the steps to becoming a pirate. My hubby made the sign.
Our little pirates had their choice of sash and eye patch.
Of course, every pirate needs a hook for a hand. I guess we didn't get a close up of the little pirate hats.
What would a pirate party be if there were no plank to walk? My wonderful husband found some large buckets, drilled holes in the bottom, tied the plank on with a very pirate-y rope, and painted the words.

Here is the activity that went with the treasure hunt checklist found in the red boxes. A kiddie pool draped with burlap and filled with sand and treasure! What a hit!
The treasure that needed hunting was everything from pirate coins, loose jewels, giant gem rings, shiny necklaces, a bouncy pirate ball, and even a crocodile...tick tock, tick tock.

We also had this bean bag toss. I have to admit, it sure was hard to get those bean bags into the holes! There were a couple of activities that didn't get their portrait taken. We had a table set up with pirate tattoos, stick-on jewels, mirrors, and black face paint to paint your own pirate mustache or beard. The tattoos and jewels were a hit but the face painting was not. Oh well. We also had a table set up to design your own treasure map. A large piece of paper that looked old and a sticker sheet with everything needed to make it look map-like. These cool little things were ordered from Oriental Trading.
Since our crowd of kids were too young to follow and actual map and find a treasure, we hung our treasure from our patio awning. Inside was filled with lots of kid-friendly goodies...goldfish, smarties, raisins, fruit chews, and of course, ring pops! What's a pirate without a giant ring pop?
Here are a couple of views of our backyard. Nothing too crazy, but it sure worked out great!



Here's a video of Owen and Mason walking the plank:


Happy Birthday to Owen:


Happy Birthday to Mason:


Owen, Mason, Brynn, and Amelia try out the new bouncy house:


And finally, visit this album for pictures of the party in action!
Party Time