Oh, the places you'll go...just not tomorrow, please!

This past weekend, we celebrated our middle child's 4th birthday. Poor A, he has seen his big brother have a couple of big birthday parties, and now that he is in preschool I couldn't not have a big to-do. Well, big to him. It was a glorified playdate with 7 of his friends from school. There was no pony or rocket rides, but he had a great day, and that is all that matters.

This year was the first year I asked our oldest son what kind of party he wanted. He finally decided on Minecraft, because duh, he is 7, and what else do 7-year-old boys want out of life? Nothing. Just unlimited iPad time with Minecraft PE (Pocket Edition, you fools!)...I don't think I can say anything more about that party. I might write a post on the Minecraft cake that I made, but other than that, I never want to think about that party again. 16 or so 2nd grade boys + silly string + pizza and sugar=the 7th circle of hell.

When it came time to ask A what kind of party he wanted, at first he ruled that it had to be Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Which would have been super easy. Then, on a last-minute trip to Ikea which I brought A along for, we discovered their new paper products! 

There was an adorable woodland-creature-themed party set that A thought was fun, and with a little prodding from me (hey, these products are cheap!), he was all in. 

Since the weather had finally, finally turned cold, I knew we would have to set up inside the house. For K's birthday, I set the tables up in the garage which worked nicely. To start with, I hung a felt Happy Birthday banner we have had for a few years now, which amazingly has matched all of the decorations for each party we have used it with.

The banner of banners.

Our dining room table was just big enough for all the kids, we only had to add one chair from the kitchen table. I hung the cute pennants from the party kit on each chair. The idea was for each child to pick a character, and sit in the seat designated with said character, and put on the little paper crown with the same character. But who am I kidding? They're 4. I was just happy they participated with the crowns at all.

For the frog prince

My attempt at a 'tablescape.' Sandra Lee would not approve.

Sorry, Sandy! 

The party kit came with paper bags and popcorn-style boxes, which I didn't realize until I had already filled the bags. I picked up the favors from Target: silly straw, toy car, scented play dough, and a ring pop. I have found that Target has the best prices for this kind of junk that parents of party-goers just love, although their selection is kind of limited in the store (maybe just my store?). 

The eyes. They suck you in.
And scare you, just a little...

We ordered pizza for lunch, and I also put out a few snacks. Pretzel sticks, juice boxes, and a kid favorite: mini ice cream cones filled with berries and topped with fruit dip and sprinkles. 

Can't believe I didn't get pics of those, I must be new to this blogging thing. 

And finally...the cake!

I'm a rainbow inside! No, really, he is serious. His body was
created by layers of green, orange, blue, and purple cake.

I love, love, love baking and dessert-making of all kinds. I know, you hadn't noticed. I have made the majority of birthday cakes, cupcakes, cake pops, cookies, etc. for my kids and my husband. I put on some good tunes, make the hubs keep the kids out of the kitchen, pour a glass of wine, and kind of get lost in the process. My decorating skills, though, are not so good. I wonder why...

One of these things is not like the other...

I plan on writing a separate post about the cake, mostly for me, so that I remember where I went wrong. 

The party supplies were cheap and the decorations took minimal effort, but all in all, the party was short, fun, and did it's job: to make my little man feel special. He may not act like it, but he loves being the center of attention. It's a middle child thing. 

Happy Birthday to my sweet, sweet A-man!

I forgot the candles :(
Next year, bud, next year!

I'd love to hear some of your best and worst birthday stories, or tips and tricks to make them fun and not so stressful!