Rachel turned 5 on Friday, and I really don't think it would have been possible to have a much girlier party. We had planned to celebrate Rach's & Kari Bou's birthdays together on Saturday with the extended fam; but since this was kind of a "big" one for Rach, I finally gave in to her begging and agreed she could have a sleepover the night before, with 5 friends of her choice.
We started off the evening by painting terra cotta flower pots. Danny took Kari Bou and Zekers to the fair to finish out our ride tickets, since they didn't seem to understand why they couldn't participate in the painting frenzy. When the girls were finished, everyone wanted their fingernails painted as well, so they all chose a color they wanted, and the manicures began (along with a few pedicures!). I couldn't help laughing - I had about 50 different colors to choose from, and I could have gotten away with just three - bright bright red, purple, and baby blue! I brought out a big pan of "dirt cake" and Rach blew out her candles. Then, while she opened gifts I spooned some dirt into each flower pot (they had dried by this time), along with a flower and some gummy worms. Sheesh, I could have saved myself at least an hour and not even bothered with the cake - they went nuts over the worms!! We went through 2 packages in about 10 minutes.
They played with Rachel's birthday loot for a while, then went downstairs and watched Peter Pan. Afterward everyone got their PJ's on and we made a "fun house" out of sheets and couch cushions. Three of the girls slept there, and 2 went upstairs and slept on the floor in the baby room. I have to confess, this was the part where I had no idea what to expect. 2 of the girls had already asked if they could come and sleep in our bed when - not if - they woke up in the middle of the night. And by 11, no one had shown any signs of winding down. But miraculously, by about 12:30, everyone was out cold, and not one of them woke up before 7:30 the next morning. I couldn't believe it!
After breakfast, we started making "flip-flop shirts" (an idea I found in Family Fun Magazine). It seemed like a really cool idea, but I realized it wasn't an age-appropriate activity for 5-yr-olds, so I finished the shirts while Danny became a human jungle gym and played Tickle Monster with the girls and Zekers, which may well have been the highlight of the party. Speaking of Zekers, he felt pretty left out with everyone getting special Tinkerbell cups and having their nails painted; so we finally told him he could wear a pirate's hat and be Captain Hook, which made him very happy. 
All the girls went home around 10:30, and we started getting ready for Rach & Kari Bou's combined party that evening, with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. I wanted to have the festivities outside, but it poured rain about an hour before everyone was to arrive, so we all crowded into the house. These are the times I'm thankful for the basement - at least the kids had room to run around & play a little. Of course, by the time everyone left, it was beautiful outside.
Since it worked with Zekers' Thomas cake a few months ago, I tried the same idea for Kari Bou's cake. She loves Dora and Care Bears, and I thought Dora looked easier to make, so I downloaded a picture, got it enlarged and used it as a guide. I must have been insane - it took 8 colors of frosting and a total of about 4 hours and made a HUGE mess. Don't ever try to use Wilton food coloring with an almost-2-yr-old around! She went around with a bright pink mouth (and hands, and shirt) for a while, but it eventually came out. What a weekend! When we asked Kari Bou if she had fun, she said "Yep!", accompanied by an emphatic head nod. And I don't think Rachel's feet touched the ground the whole time - she's been looking forward to this for about 7 months. I guess the sleepover must have been somewhat of a success, as one of the girls informed me Friday night that it was a "rockin' party"! I have to say, it was very entertaining for Danny & me as well!
And now Kari Bou gets to say good-bye to her beloved binky . . . so sad . . .
6 comments:
Buying gifts for Kari is one of the hardest things to do. First, the other two have most of the toys that she would like. Second, clothes for a two year old are a big yawn to her (case in point, the pile she got and didn't even notice) Just to add to the pressure this year was the toy recall!!!!! Next year I am going to give her a big empty cardboard box and watch her enjoy it as much as anything else. Thanks for the party. I don't know where you get your energy!!!!!
Zeke and Rach are now claiming some of her gifts are actually theirs (after all, Rachel did open most of Karis' gifts!) If it makes you feel any better, we haven't even decided what to get her yet for her birthday . ..
may i suggest finger paints? ;P
charity!
i must agree, i have NO IDEA where you get the energy. i'm supposed to be in the prime of my life, and i have no children of my own, AND i'm not carrying one around in my abdomen....and i'm EXHAUSTED at the end of the day. you just keep going!
i made dirt pudding (as i call it) here the other night. this family is very health-conscious like you and so i made it with real double stuff oreos and sugar free everything else (cool whip, pudding, cream cheese, etc). it turned out REALLY well, and even i couldn't tell the difference. how do you make it?
Well, the health-conscious thing has gone out the window with this pregnancy! i just found a recipe online that used oreos, cream cheese mixture, chocolate pudding and whipped topping - all of them choc full of fat and sugar. :-) that may be why the girls were bouncing off the walls until 12:30! If the fat-free/sugar free versioin was good, i'll have to try that next time.
BTW, the energy burst lasted until about Sunday afternoon, and i've spent the last several days in a pitiful state (so has the house!)
WOW!the memories you are giving your little ones!
I used to make David b'day cakes using a Wilton's pan of a jeep. Just a hint for all those colors...M&M's, Skittles, licorice (rope or thick), gum drops (which you can slice and dice to size and shape). What you don't use, can be used at the party....makes the process much quicker and less messy...
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