Secret Slime Lab - 5th Birthday

For the last year it has become obvious that James loves to experiment. When the topic of this year's birthday came up the idea was penguins.. the lastest interest in his stuffed animal collection. I agreed but can't say I was inspired. At some point he changes his mind to cats, which was even harder to be inspired. I came up with an idea.. a Mad Scientist Party and he thought it was great. After a little Googling the birthday site, other science websites, looking through a preschooler science book and Oriental Tradings site... I came up with a Slime Lab and several experiments. We made these Glob Blaster (looks like a Lava lamp) in a test-tube, slime and colored goo. The party was topped off with a pinata and the mentos -diet coke geyser. John and I were so excited we had a hard time narrowing it down. With the help of a font site and the birthdaypartyideas website I came up with great wording to invite kids to ooze on over to the secret slime lab. I found a slime cake recipe but couldn't do (sounded way too gross) the pudding as frosting so I opted for a simple Bundt with a drippy icing to "slime the cake" plus a little dry ice for fun. The weather did not cooperate this year, however it turned out to be a good thing. The basement became the slime lab. Parents and kids all had a blast... the best party yet. I may not be able to plan these kinds of parties forever but as long as James lets me I will. Regardless birthdays will continue to be an annual rite of passage with a ton of fun and a time to celebrate each year we have lived to the fullest and look forward to the next for more adventure and exploration of life.

Passion for Fishing -- 4th Birthday

James first picked up a pole and went fishing after he turned two. After he turned three it became an obsession.. we were hoping it was just a phase.. but two years later it's still going in full-force. Papa's love of fishing lives on in James. Unfortunately, Papa missed our fishing party -- although I know he was there in our hearts. There was no other choice for James 4th Birthday but fishing, but it was really too early to really fish and the idea of a dozen or so 4 year olds fishing with hooks, well that wasn't going to happen either. James and I designed his invitations with a fishing scene with stamps and embossing powder. For the party we created James fishing pond in our backyard. We set up the kiddie pool and bought several sets (enough for each child to take one home) of magnetic fishing poles and fish and lets the kids fish away. We also had a jumper up for the kids to play in as well. For the first time we created an activity for the kids with prizes.. hook the fish on the pole. We made tackle boxes for the goody bags. It was a beautiful day.. almost perfect. If only Papa was still with us.

Airplanes - James turns 3

The beginning of the parties with lots of guests -- especially when you add siblings. This year the theme was airplanes. I created invitations that looked like airline tickets. I've always found inspiration for party planning from http://www.birthdaypartyideas.com/. I got airplane wings (Oriental Trading Company) for the kids to decorate and "fly" around. If you know Colorado weather at all you know that the weather in April is unpredictable. For the first two years we had amazing weather. This year it was chilly -- well until the party was over -- so 17 kids and their parents were stuck inside playing airplanes. Overall it was a ton of fun with fun airplane kids music to boot. We had pizza and cake and as always we had a terrific party.

2nd Birthday - Bugs!

As we neared James second birthday I figured he was older and there was opportunity to have a little fun. The theme for the second birthday was bugs. It seemed that having a little boy opened doors for so many fun ideas. For the next several years my plan for parties was to have a variety of activities but no formal activities beyond cake and presents. We had a bug hunt and a cool catepillar cake. I used cookie cutters to make fruit cut-outs and tortilla pizza cut-outs. It was bugs galore.

1st Birthday - Importance of Birthdays

In my family we love birthdays. My step-dad, who passed away just over a year ago, taught us the importance of our birthdays and celebrating our lives. He even instituted the birthday month. Rick was the only person I know who could make his birthday last forever and enjoyed every moment of it. If we learn only one thing from Rick (and there is a lot to learn) it is to enjoy life but for sure celebrate and enjoy your birthday. It is your time to celebrate your life and let everyone know about it.

James first birthday was the simplest of birthdays.. it was all about the cake, balloons, bubbles a couple friends, two sets of grand parents and us -- mommy and daddy. What more do you need at one!

Introduction and Why?

For several years I've been wondering about blogs and why I should care? If it's like a journal why would I write for everyone to see. Plus what possibly would I want to write . Recently, a mom from our birthing class, as all our little ones were about to turn five, something about celebrating 5 years of parenthood and she is right. Our children's birthdays are not just a celebration of their age on this earth but also a celebration of becoming a parent the first time, the second time and beyond for those of you who have more than one, each birthday is a celebration of you as a parent as well as the birth of the child. Anyhow, over the last several months I've been planning my son's 5th birthday. Somewhat in awe and wondering how in the world it has been five years. He has been such a complete joy, even though when I found we were having a boy I wondered.. "what in the world do you do with a boy?" I've learned a lot about having a boy and what fun it can be and couldn't be happier. Parenthood is a roller-coaster with extreme highs and lows and adrenalin rushes, frustration beyond your wildest dreams but in the end it is amazing. I can't imagine life with out our son. I've also learned that every parent makes different choices and has different beliefs and that everything a good parent does does because they believe it is what is best for their family and their child.

I've also learned a lot about myself. While I've always enjoyed going to parties and having fun with friends once I had a child the birthday party took a new meaning. It was a space for me to have fun and be creative all while creating an amazing party for my son. In future posts I will share some of our parties. While there are so many options for parties I am all about the party at home but with a theme. As long as my son will let me I will continue to plan fun at home. I like the control that while other places you can rent make it easy, they take too much of my creativity out of the picture.

I am doing this blog for fun, to record the first 5 years through James birthday celebrations and whatever else inspires me to record here.