Still being 'new' to Canton, Ohio, we didn't realize that there are LOTS and LOTS of activities the first week of August for the NFL Hall of Fame. As much as we enjoyed the hot air balloons flying directly over our house, this didn't affect us too much until Ben's party on Saturday morning which coincided with the massive parade that is held each year. Oops! However, a few sweet friends left the parade early to still make the party. We started the morning with having the kids get into character. (A friend *with a tiny bit of help from me* made pirate pants for all the kids.) Then we went from most basic pirate jobs to the really good ones throughout the morning. First, we played Sharks and Minnows, just in case they get thrown overboard. Next was Swabbing the Deck as pictured below.
Then they had to avoid having Cannonballs explode on them. This was a very hesitant game at the beginning. (Notice the hot Pirate Captain, complete with machetes strapped to his side. When I needed the kids' attention, he would hit his 2 swords together.)
The girls were a bit more hesitant to play. Annie with her little friend Mia. Then we played again with boys and girls together. They next had target practice. Andy pushed them on the swing in the front and they aimed bean bags at a bucket to knock it over.
Tragedy stuck, so they all had to work together to Bail Out the Boat! I imagined this as the kids running across the yard carrying cups of water, but Andy imagined an assembly line. It worked out better this way and the kids had fun cheering each other on.
Here's the cute pirate cake that was Ben's vision. He gave me all the people he wanted on the cake. I thought it turned out really cute since Andy and I started decorating at midnight. The water is coconut and the sand is crushed graham crackers. My favorite part is the monkey in the tree that stole the gold!
My cute and happy pirate. Seriously, the smiles on this boy's face made all the work completely worth it!
Our family with a stowaway!
Opening presents...
Ohhh, one more challenge for this pirate-wanna-be. A CLUE! We did a 10-clue treasure hunt, with each clue having a child's name on it so they all had a turn to read. Emily started. (And look at cute Benny's face!) I was completely enthralled watching the kids read, solve, and run and got ZERO pictures of this part. However, they did find the treasure.
We ended (late) with a mock cannonball fight that didn't turn out how I anticipated because time just ran out! We quickly crumbled up newspapers and threw them at each other. Alas, party over, happy child, tired mommy, and dinner in the crock pot. It was a good day!
Then they had to avoid having Cannonballs explode on them. This was a very hesitant game at the beginning. (Notice the hot Pirate Captain, complete with machetes strapped to his side. When I needed the kids' attention, he would hit his 2 swords together.)
The girls were a bit more hesitant to play. Annie with her little friend Mia. Then we played again with boys and girls together. They next had target practice. Andy pushed them on the swing in the front and they aimed bean bags at a bucket to knock it over.
Tragedy stuck, so they all had to work together to Bail Out the Boat! I imagined this as the kids running across the yard carrying cups of water, but Andy imagined an assembly line. It worked out better this way and the kids had fun cheering each other on.
Here's the cute pirate cake that was Ben's vision. He gave me all the people he wanted on the cake. I thought it turned out really cute since Andy and I started decorating at midnight. The water is coconut and the sand is crushed graham crackers. My favorite part is the monkey in the tree that stole the gold!
My cute and happy pirate. Seriously, the smiles on this boy's face made all the work completely worth it!
Our family with a stowaway!
Opening presents...
Ohhh, one more challenge for this pirate-wanna-be. A CLUE! We did a 10-clue treasure hunt, with each clue having a child's name on it so they all had a turn to read. Emily started. (And look at cute Benny's face!) I was completely enthralled watching the kids read, solve, and run and got ZERO pictures of this part. However, they did find the treasure.
We ended (late) with a mock cannonball fight that didn't turn out how I anticipated because time just ran out! We quickly crumbled up newspapers and threw them at each other. Alas, party over, happy child, tired mommy, and dinner in the crock pot. It was a good day!
3 comments:
The party sounds like so much fun. I'm sure Ben was excited the whole time! What a cutie he is. You have planned amazing birthday parties for him.
oh my word, how have your kids gotten so big?! and that cake...i will never be that good of a mother.
Love the cake!
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