Addie Blaire had complete (well almost complete) control over her birthday party and theme this year! I'm pretty sure it will be evident what each of us got our say in when it comes to decorations and cake! She had decided on a princess party for the longest but then decided she wanted to swim, so I stepped in at that point and suggested that we could do an Ariel party and that would combine both ideas. I had that thought thinking we could go with a generic mermaid party but fortunately for AB she held mommy to her word and Ariel it was! We had the party a couple of days after her birthday and so on her birthday we were able to celebrate with a few of her friends that went to Kid's College with her this summer at Amigo
Juan's. She loved being the center of attention and it was fun to hang out with the girls for a while. The day of the party she was so excited for everyone to get there I thought the day would never pass by. She invited a few of her friends from school and other buddies. We had a great time and I think all the kids had fun too! I know they never stopped moving so I guess that is a good sign! I have attached a million pictures pretty much because I have yet to print any pictures off in ages so this blog is becoming my new photo album. So this maybe all my child ever sees of her party so I didn't want to miss a thing. Plus for those that have a blog I just recently starting showing AB the books I have printed off from the blog and she loves them which has inspired me that much more to keep this thing going and not let her down!! So just feel free to scroll through because after a few you will probably get bored of all the details!!
The big invite!!
AB, Darby Kate, Livi, and Peyton out to lunch on her big day!
No birthday is complete with out the sombrero!
Miss Mackenzie is the sweetest she just dropped by before the party started to deliver AB a present!! She loved the shades and the towel, great for our beach trip. Thanks so much for being such a sweetheart to my baby girl, she adores you!
I actually did all my decorating that day and I forgot considering if was during the week that Mitch would be working so I must say blowing up and hanging those balloons was a lot harder by myself!!
AB had the idea for a treasure hunt but since the kids were a little young to be running all over we decided to use some of daddy's sand at his shop and we buried our own little treasures! It was full of jewelry and rings and balls and other goodies for boys and girls. They were let to dig on their own. We did bury one Ariel and the finder won a "special" surprise.
The food table, always a favorite of mine!
The 'Salt-Free" water for the party.
The party favors. I figured after using their fins all night they would need a comfy pair of shoes once they got their sea legs back! They read (since my photography is not so good) Thanks for Splashing by! love, Addie Blaire.
Okay so I know this is a random picture but I had to post proof that I do actually believe me I am shocked to have a green thumb. I decided this year that I was going to save money by planting my own flowers so I took a bunch of pots and planted them all by myself and they have bloomed and are ALIVE!! This is major for me because normally they would have already been thrown out and the fact that I combined it all and it looks pretty good (much better than the photo if i do say so) is pretty awesome in my mind at least!!
My centerpiece was a frozen blue jello and then before it molded I was supposed to put some Swedish fish in it to take the look of a fish bowl because I was not getting the real deal. Well I waited a little late that morning and my jello didn't well jell so the fish sunk to the bottom. Oh well the real one under my care probably would have done the same thing anyways!
AB had a huge part in all these decorations she went with me to Texarkana and picked out most of the flowers and other decorations along with the fact that she and Peyton made the banner. We spent some time at the co op and it is pretty cool what you can come up with there. The banner turned out pretty good and she was so proud of herself which makes it that much more special.
Since the party took place at night we decide don some sandwiches and such for everyone. These were "chicken of the sea" but since I am no fan of the "real" chicken of the sea this actually was chicken!
Peanut butter and Jellyfish sandwiches
We had a little kabobs and some "octodogs" as well.
Sushi!! I am a big fan of sushi so when I saw this idea I had to give it a try. Picture rice crispie treats with swedish fish and silly straws. I thought they turned out pretty cute!
The octodogs are not ready yet by press time but I did split some hot dogs to look like an octopus and they turned out pretty cute! Just for ideas if anyone is interested! The polish sausage has my husband literally written all over it. AB also helped me spray paint a bunch of shells we found at the Dollar Tree in her favorites silver, pink and blue.
The "cake" the biggest mistake in letting AB take control was the idea to bring her along to pick out the cake. Well I first made the mistake of letting her look through the book of cakes at the bakery and she picked out just the one the only problem it had Ariel and all nine hundred of her sisters and basically every character in the movie on it. So that was going to make mommy have to sell her car to buy so we had to have a little chat. We decided to ask what we could get for "no extra" cost and thus we agreed with these few characters. But as I mentioned earlier this was all AB's doing mom tried to talk her into more of a sea cake but oh no Ariel and Sebastian and Flounder were going to be on that cake! I decided that fight was not worth fighting and I must say they did a fabulous job those characters were great and all the details they put into this cake were amazing. I am always in awe of how talented some people are!
I had seen the brown sugar for sand and loved that they incorporated that along with the bubbles and sea shells like I had asked for.
The precious cupcakes they came up with including their very own pearl.
The birthday girl herself!! She had jumped in the pool as soon as the first child arrived and gave me no opportunities for photos beforehand. Oh well, what could I say when I saw her so excited to see everyone.
I made my very own "last minute" photo prop. It definitely needed a little TLC but it made for some funny pictures if nothing else. Thanks to the Dollar Tree for having some much ocean decor this summer because I couldn't have done any of this without them! Hey, you gotta appreciate the dollar these days!
Lila giving it a try.
Little Brit was about the only one that had a head small enough for the hole I made. Oops!
Mason doesn't he look just lovely!
I made my very own fishing game once again thanks to the dollar tree I found a magnetic fishing pole and attached some paper clips to some fun items I had and the kids had a great time fishing for treasure.
Livi with her very own mermaid bracelets.
Ellie with her catch.
Abigail didn't come up empty handed either.
Chandler got something I think he will have a little fun with this summer too.
Brit and Lila digging for treasure. Not sure if they found anything but I am pretty sure the sand found the grass after they were done with it.
Amazingly AB found the buried Ariel doll and got her special candy surprise. I still think a mom had something to do with this considering she wasn't even near the sand at the time but oh well the birthday girl deserves all the treasure at her own party and that she did!
Mitch said it makes him so nervous with all the kiddos in the water but they all did a great job of staying safe and out of the deep in for the most part.
It is hard to tell but I had several octopus gummies and sharks on this tray but most of them were eaten by the time I got a chance for photo.
All the treasures!
Bobo got AB and well Brit for that matter a trampoline for her birthday. It is very low to the ground and small so that made for a great fit for our backyard and for the kids that will be on it. Brit is really learning to jump thanks to this thing!
All the kids had beads and pearls waiting on them at the table but Brit made sure to get her hands on as many as possible before any of the others had a chance. That girl loves some jewelry!
Just a picture of the other sign AB made on the front door.
Good ole Warren it was his birthday on the day of the party and it seems to fall that way quite often so I had promised Becky I would get him back for a mean joke he had played on me a few weeks earlier, but unfortunately the bakery forgot and the cupcake he got was way to "plain " for my taste. He was even supposed to have a crown but I couldn't locate it at party time. Thanks for spending your day with us!
This is a picture of Mitch's worst nightmare. He was so good to go get the sand and have it delivered for the party and if you know him you know he doesn't get anal about much well hardly anything for that matter but there is one thing that bothers him more than anything else and that is the pool!! He was almost physically ill watching the girls roll around in the sand and then go directly to the pool and jump in.. Poor thing was up til 1 am that night vacuuming the pool and trying to rid it of the sand.
Darby Kate, Katie, Emma and AB
"G" and AB
I was fortunate that the party store accidentally mailed me an extra crab pinata because the kids got to divide and conquer. I thought having the cute little strings would be great to avoid the big mess of the whole hitting it thing but boy was I wrong they all ripped those things down and open so fast I didn't have a chance to stop them. Candy went everywhere!
Brit and Lila were so cute together in the trampoline they just giggled and giggled.
The birthday girl with her cake. I found this precious little towel wrap that was made with a mermaid tail at the end on etsy and it was perfect for her party attire (even though she barely wore it!)
AB picked out all her candles and she had to have the #5 candle as well as 5 individual ones. See I told you the kid has a mind of her own and it maybe a little type A like her mom which frightens me.
Brit Brit was so excited for her that she clapped through the whole song.
This is the crown (that she also never wore) that she just had to have at the party store that had a blinking #5 on it. I guess from now on I will learn a lesson about taking her with me when I shop!
Sweet mamaw (Mitch's grandmother ) stopped by the party. I was so afraid with the slick concrete she would fall but she seemed to enjoy herself. I didn't think she would even stop by because she is soooo afraid of the water and the kids swimming like they were makes her a nervous wreck but she seemed to actually enjoy the chaos this time!
This is the only shot I got of cute little preggo Bran, she would have killed me is she knew I was taking any of her I'm sure but just had to have proof for her niece that she endured the heat to be there for her big day!
AB attempting the slide without the use of a floating device!! This is a big deal because she had just started swimming lessons on that Monday and this party was on Thursday and she wouldn't go near the deep end as of Tuesday. Her teacher even said "don't you want to swim in the deep end like all your friends at the party" and my child's response was " no I'll be fine just hanging out here they will come back to play with me" but she had a change of heart and now she is unstoppable. That kid is all over the pool. It may not be "pretty" swimming but she ain't scared no more!
Rodney, Sharon and her son Brett who was in town on leave from the military for the week. Poor guy ended up at a 5 year old birthday party!
This is either Grayson or Graham (apologizes I can't tell which one) but here is proof that the 3 legged dog found a way to party with the rest of us!! And isn't she happy about it!
Some of the kids asked if AB would open their presents before they left, which I was just going to do after the party was over but she enjoyed getting to have some help and alot of advice about everything so I'm glad some of them stuck around.
Abigail, AB and Emma
Her big "La la loopsy" from Joe Branch. She loves her some la la loopsey these days!
Mason and his very own hand made card!! How sweet is that!
Thanks to the always fashionable Lynlee for the glamorous purse and wallet.
Pey Pey and AB
Katie Ella gave her a book that was all about she , Katie Ella and Mason. It was such a cute idea to have them as the characters in the story! She loved reading it!
Ellie was more than glad to stick around and help AB break in her new coloring book and puzzle.
Miss Livi hooked her up with a precious necklace and other goodies.
Mason, Aunt Bran and AB (notice Bran hiding behind the kids!)
Aunt T and AB so glad that she and Aunt Bran and all the grandparents were able to come down and celebrate with us. I know it is a lot of effort but it sure is nice to have them all here!
Finally, proof mom and dad were at the party (at about 11pm) We love this little girl so much and I appreciate Mitch for helping grill and putting up with me most of all that day. Seeing my big 5 year old so excited and already discussing plans for next year's party means the world to both of us!
AB and Nana, who God bless her never stopped cleaning up that night after the party. We all stayed up a little late that night but thanks to the left over cake we all had plenty of sugar to keep us going!
Brit apparently otherwise known as the "bead bandit"!
The girls enjoying their day after breakfast! A little flounder or Ariel anyone?
AB had her final swim lesson that next morning and wouldn't ya know it that girl got herself a certificate! She is officially licensed to swim now.
Happy Birthday to the sweetest, most kind hearted, giving, loving, loyal child that a mom could ask for. She never leaves her smile at home and she always has a kind word to say to everyone. I can't imagine my world without her and know without a doubt how much my world has been changed because of her. I look at the world with a new appreciation for the good and innocent because of her. I find the beauty in things others don't see because of her and mostly because I find more love when I think I can love no deeper because of her!
