Max’s Friend Party

Over a month after his actual birthday, we finally had Max’s friend party!  He wanted to invite every boy in his co-op preschool class, plus his friends from church and our neighbor boy.  Not everyone could come, but we still ended up with 13 kids (including our 3) for a fun-filled afternoon.  We kept with the Avengers theme from his family party.

(11 kids pictures, 2 little ones are still running around…)

I didn’t get very many pictures, and most aren’t the greatest pics, as it’s a little crazy having 13 kids in the house!  I had an organized plan in my head, but in the chaos, it was easier to just go with the flow!  (We had a toddler who choked & got sick all over the kitchen floor…how’s that for chaotic and scary?!)

Thanks to two wonderful grandmas, my job as ‘party planner’ was much easier.  Grandma P had made a bunch of cupcakes to go along with Max’s birthday cake several weeks ago, so we froze those and saved them for the friend party.  Grandma S heard my plan to make felt capes for the kids, and she kindly made them all for us!

When the kids arrived, we had hotdogs, Avengers go-gurt, veggies & dip, grapes, chips, and juice boxes.  (We also had water bottles and pop for grown-ups.)

After that I set out bowls of glue, foam brushes, and felt shapes (stars, lightning bolts, hearts, flowers, and each child’s first initial).  The kids had a free-for-all with decorating their capes.  All thoughts of this being an organized activity went out the window, but the kids had fun anyway

After that, Max opened the presents from his friends.  He got an Avengers first aid kit (fun idea!), a Spiderman mask, a Captain America costume, a remote control truck, some other fun toy monster trucks, a McDonalds gift card, a Spiderman puzzle, Avengers coloring book, and Avengers tattoos.  What a spoiled boy!

cupcake & ice cream time…

I’d purchased a ‘pin the chest emblem on Iron Man’ game, but it contained 8 stickers…that wouldn’t work with 13 kids.  I thought about doing it in two rounds and just taping on the stickers, but ended up just skipping it.  The kids were having fun just playing together, so I didn’t feel the need to pull them away from their fun.  My kids can play it for fun sometime.

They ended with some outdoor time to play.  I asked them all to stop & post for a few quick pictures (like the one at the top of this post.)  If you’re wondering, Max is on the swings with a Spiderman mask.

my favorite random picture – the kids were still getting organized,
and I accidentally snapped a picture.  Jensyn’s grin cracks me up!

Each child went home with a fun bag of party favors & their superhero cape.  My kids were so excited to put together those favor bags…light-up red & blue bracelets (clearance sale from 4th of July), ten color Avenger pens, Avengers note pads, Avengers crazy straw, Avenger backpack zipper pull-tabs, and Avengers fruit snacks.

So Max, you celebrated your 5th birthday in Virginia, had a family party at home two weeks later, and had a friend party 3 weeks after that.  How’s that for really stretching out your birthday?  Happy FIVE!  We love you, big boy!!

(Now I have 1.5 years to recover before Jensyn gets HER five year old friend party…)