The Pirate Party

It is done... normal life can now resume!

The cake.  I could do an entire post just about the cake.  My Mom's friend Maurie messaged me a month ago asking when the girls birthdays were so she could make cakes for them.  She sent pictures of ideas for a pirate cake.  Kate picked the pink pirate ship.  We picked up the cake last night at my Mom's.  It looked amazing.  Absolutely amazing.  I think we were all in awe of the cake.  At its tallest point it was four layers of cake.  It was wrapped in pink fondant.  She bought Play Mobile pirate people to go on top.  Happy Birthday was written on top of the ship, 5 on the front and Kate on the back.  Eating the cake was just as awesome as looking at it.  It tasted so good.  SO GOOD! (Thank you to Maurie for the awesome cake and to Grandma/Mom for paying for it!)

The party was to be from 11 - 1pm.  This was the first year that Kate invited her own friends, eleven kids were invited, eight kids were able to come.  Four school friends - Abby, Gwyneth, Natalie, Madison, and four "Mommy" friends, Darby, Ava, Cooper, Ciaran.  Originally the plan was for Ken to dress up like Red Beard the pirate.  We would have pirate competitions to win clues to solve a riddle, and then Red Beard would give up his treasure map.  The treasure being the candy filled pinata.  This first hitch, Ken wouldn't/didn't dress up.  He wanted to sit and chat.  We had both been going all morning (not to mention the night before) getting things ready and well, there is this thing called fatigue.

The kids began arriving right at 11.  They started playing in the basement.  They were up and down and up and down and they were all happy and I almost didn't want to bother them.  We then did a modified version of things.  We did the party poppers (aka Christmas crackers) and then I gave Kate the clues to read.  She guessed that the treasure was in the crawl space, which earned her the map.  Then the kids worked on smashing the pinata.  The smashed away for quite a while.  It is always so amusing to watch the smashing.  Some kids lightly tap the pinata while other kids hit it for all they're worth.  The fun is, you never know which kids are the biggest smashers! The biggest smashers were Ciaran, Darby, Gwyn and Cooper.

After the pinata was smashed the kids ate pizza, and then THE CAKE!  

Then the school friends left. And darn it, I forgot to take a couch picture of everyone.  I made these silly pirate hats and I bought moustaches.  The moustaches and hats got forgotten about.  I did remember them eventually - the hats that is, and after the school friends left, and during the chaotic present opening, we took a group shot on the couch.  (Well several group shots! I took these pics, but my sweet friend Ruth took most of the pics during the party - THANK YOU RUTH!)

Then one by one the "Mommy" friends left. 

Parties are crazy.  I have been stressing and planning this thing all week.  I'm feeling like maybe I over plan.  Maybe.  I'm not sure what I'm thinking totally because I'm tired. 

I think I'm feeling a little bit of post-party-let-down. I'm trying to put my finger on what that is exactly.  Is it because we were all cranky tonight?  Is it because Kate seemed greedy and ungrateful, even though she wasn't earlier?  Is it because there is so much stuff in our house it feels kind of gross to add more?  I feel like I want parties to be something different as my children get older.  Service and gratitude... how can you have a fun party and incorporate service and gratitude?  Oh and being nice to your sister.  Kate was not very nice to poor little Alice today.  Alice had a little bit of a hard time with it being Kate's party and Kate was not very forgiving.  Always things to learn I suppose, that is what we are here to do, learn! 

(Okay, I hit post thinking that I remembered all the things I wanted to, but I didn't!  I wanted to remember that Fiona slept through almost the entire party.  That Kate was supposed to be dressed up like Izzy from Jake and the Neverland Pirates.  I made her a kerchief and a little pouch which she was wearing at the beginning of the party, but took off and somehow I never did get a picture of her.  AND most important of all, even though we were stressed and at times crazy, we really did have a great time with all our friends!  I do love birthdays and parties!)