Sunday, May 27, 2012

Pirates and Pixies ahoy!

I know that at some point, Molly's birthday parties are no longer going to be big backyard parties. I know one day, she'll want to invite school friends. Friends whose parents we don't know. Probably mostly girl friends. And, one day, she'll insist on a Barbie party. Or, she'll want it at Chuck-E-Cheese.

One day, Molly will have incredibly definitive opinions about everything related to her party. I'm preparing myself for that day, that birthday party.

But, this year, Molly still let Mommy have her fun.

So, for her 5th birthday, we planned a Pirate and Pixie party!

I still like to have big outdoor backyard parties with all our friends and their kids. These kids include a lot of boys, so I knew we needed a more gender-neutral theme than Barbie (Molly's original idea for a party theme). I just didn't want to overload the poor boys with pink frou-frou and hooker heels. I was blocked, trying to come up with something fun for boys and girls (last year's superhero party was a big hit, so I had a lot to live up to). Finally, a friend of mine told me about a theme she saw, and I loved it.

Pirates and Pixies.

It pleases boys and girls, and I could already imagine the cute pictures!

The planning was rather rushed and haphazard, but it still managed to come together pretty well.

Treasure chest full of goodies for the kids to wear during the party. For the girls, I had wings, crowns and pixie wands. The boys had hats, pirate bandanas and eye patches. I ordered the wings, crowns and wands online, found the pirate hats and eye patches at Hobby Lobby, and the pirate bandanas online here.

The deck. I was trying for a pixie forest whimsical feel. We draped pink, green and white tulle across the roof of the deck, then hung lanterns in the middle. 

Cory turned our canoe into a pirate ship, complete with flag and plank for walking.

The cake table. I looked and looked for a good idea for a pirate and pixie cake. Couldn't find one. So, we had to do two separate cakes. And, when I say "we," I actually mean "my mom."

First up: the Tinkerbell Pixie cake. Molly thought it was beautiful.

And, the pirate treasure cake. It was awesome looking and delicious!

Molly's Aunt Sarah came in town and provided beautiful face painting for the party.

Even I got in on the act.

Pixies Wands or Harry Potter Wands? You decide.

The food spread.

The trick: finding a creative pirate or pixie name for all the food.

More food.

And more.

We held a treasure hunt. All the kids had to complete an activity, then they got another piece of the map. The first game was to rescue the pixies from the pond by throwing them rings.

Next up: Shoot the pirates with straw wrappers.

And, of course, walking the plank.

Catching the pixies from the tree.

And finally: the buried treasure!

Happy Birthday, Molly!
I got one last big, fun, outdoor hurrah! I will prepare myself for the future parties in which I get no creative control, but at least for this one, Molly let my imagination (and Pinterest) go crazy. Thanks, Molls. And, happy birthday to my first baby girl.

2 comments:

  1. That is awesome! How fun! And, you have given me hope that I can have more years of "control" of Faith's birthday themes. :) I thought after this year (second birthday), that it would be my last. So, I have at least 3 more years, right?! ;)

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  2. Great party! You have a beautiful backyard!

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