Argh....The Boy Turned 3!

It was a party weekend around here at Raising Z. Starting on Friday morning, Z woke up to his house transformed into a Pirate's Paradise (my friend C lent me some really cool things, Z and I made some signs and fish and I found a bunch on sale). He was in awe as he took it all in...his reaction was so worth the back breaking work of getting it all ready :)

His kid party began at 4pm on Friday. We ended up with 10 of the 12 kids who RSVP'd yes (two were sick) and they all had a blast! Z's Kindermusik teacher came to run the party and she decked out my playroom in ocean and pirate things. The kids started off with a craft (making treasure bags) and then went on a musical treasure hunt with her. They sang, danced, played with scarves, popped bubbles, drove hula hoop boats, played instruments and so much more. The big hit was digging for treasure! They each had their own lasagna pan of sand and got to dig for shiny stones, shells, gold and more. These treasures went into their bags and were cherished by the toddler pirates. The musical adventure ended with the search for the big treasure.....it was filled with candy, necklaces and toys. What a treat!

Once the musical part was over, we had pizza and cake. It was so much fun and Z had a blast. I was so excited to see he (and his friend A) comfortable at a big, crazy birthday party. I do believe it had everything to do with their Kindermusik teacher leading the events....it was just like another class for them and I think they found comfort in that (my little sensitive ones :)). It was such a nice memory for S and I and I do believe that Z will remember it too.

Saturday started with Mickey Mouse pancakes at the local diner and a trip to the driving range for Z. Then it was back to get the house ready for party number 2!!! The family (and a few close friends, S and R) were to invade at 4pm. S and I scrambled to ice more cupcakes, get the food ready and make sure the house was clean from the day before. S's parents arrived at 3 and much to our suprise, we were ready :) Z really enjoyed Pirate Party number 2 and this one included a crazy outdoor treasure hunt for the 4 kids (and their adult partners). It was nice to have all of our family (S and R and their kids are our family too) here to celebrate.

By the end of the night, I was exhausted! My feet were swollen, my back ached and all of the work that I had put in over the last week....had finally caught up with me. I could barely walk but it was so worth it. Z had so much fun and it was the perfect way to celebrate his 3rd birthday!

Z making his Message in a Bottle invites


Z made the fish for the fishnet.....He loved the Cannon Crawl


Pirate cupcakes and the big "happy pirate" (that is what Z called him)


The Table and Playing with Scarves