Recipe for a Happy Birthday │Jack's 6th Birthday Party

Over the course of the last six years, my idea for what is a good kid's party has evolved. And by evolved, I mean relaxed.

We have done a Trucks Go! Party; a Frogs, Snails and Puppy Dog Tails Party; a Curious George Jack Party; a S'mores Party; and an Explorer Party; and Jack has had a wonderful time at each gathering.

This year, Jack told me he wanted a Halloween Party. Eleven days after Halloween, I did not want to throw a Halloween Party. His back up idea was Ninjas. I could work with that.

Since I have two boys, and Jack currently loves Ninjas, and Nerf Guns, I decided to combine the two. So we did. Here is my recipe for a fun kid party.

1) Let you kid help you make the cake. It doesn't have to be pretty.

2) Have a simple craft to keep the kids focused on the party (we could have skipped this, but the kids had fun painting Ninjas).

3) Send the kids on a scavenger hunt. Jack specifically requested a scavenger hunt again this year because he had so much fun last year.

4) Include fun props on the scavenger hunt (but NOT WHISTLES – we did that last year and I learned that whistles are a bad idea). This year's props included colorful glasses and mustaches. I wasn't sure if a bunch of little boys would like the glasses, but they did and they looked AWESOME with their nerdy glasses, mustaches and nerf guns.

5) Have a nerf war at the park. WIN. WIN. WIN. Especially for boys.

6) Have a pinata to hit. I don't think Jack believes it's really a party unless there is a pinata.

 

7) Sing Happy Birthday and eat cake. And cheetos. Cheetos are always a good idea for kids. And Capri Suns. That's it. No major planning or prepping of the food.

Done. Balloons and streamers are fun, but not necessary (we minimally hung them his year and they were all black to go with the Ninja theme).

It also doesn't hurt if you have a Flag Football game the morning of your birthday and your coach has the team sing Happy Birthday to you after the game!

After the crazy gaggle of friends left, some of our extended family came bearing gifts. When Jack was two he requested an electric toothbrush for his birthday. When he was four he requested his own kayak (we waited until he was five).

This year he requested a harness so that he can get on the roof with Daniel. I'm having a hard time picturing what he will want in future years!

Thank you to all of our friends and family who were able to come celebrate Jack turning SIX with us this year!

Come Explore With Us │Jack's 5th Birthday Party

After celebrating Jack's birthday at both preschool and his favorite Mexican restaurant, we also had a friend birthday party on Saturday followed by a family gathering on Sunday.

 

It was a busy, but wonderful weekend celebrating our first born.

For Jack's 5th Birthday I decided we should just go with an outdoorsy theme. The weather has been really warm for this time of year and we have been in a drought, so I was fairly confidant it wouldn't rain.

I brain-stormed some basic ideas from Pinterest, but nothing over the top. I had a ton of paper bags in my pantry, so I decided that the kids could make Safari Vests and then go on a Treasure Hunt. 

I also decided to make a campfire cake, using this tutorial. I kind of winged the cake (from this recipe), nothing fancy (or pretty for the actual cake part) but it was delicious. 

I did feel a bit guilty that our mountain had been on fire for two weeks, but I didn't want to change plans last minute, so wildfire or not, we had a campfire cake! At least it was memorable.

I grew up helping to make (and decorate) my birthday cake every year, so we are keeping that tradition alive with Jack helping with the cake.

The Safari Vests and Treasure Hunt were a hit, but I made the mistake of giving the kids whistles during the treasure hunt. DO NOT GIVE KIDS WHISTLES. Sorry to the parents who got to take whistles home with them!

The end of the Treasure Hunt was a pinata – Jack's favorite.

We had a great time hanging out with our friends on Saturday, and then visiting with some of our family on Sunday for one more mini party. This year was low-key and a lot of fun. I didn't stress about the party and we all had a great time.

Thank you to everyone who was able to come and be a part of making Jack's 5th birthday memorable. Thank you all for the gifts as well (rookie mistake, I didn't manage to write down who gave Jack what), but know that we are incredibly grateful for you, your friendship with us and our son, and Jack is loving all of his gifts. Thank you!

 

Birthday videos can be seen in this post.