F(r)amily Party

We wanted Evan to celebrate with his family on his 5th birthday. Crossfire is so fast paced, I didn't feel like Evan would get to spend quality time with his family. So we packed one more thing into last weekend and had a f(r)amily cookout birthday party.

To quote my good friend, Cheryl, framily is the friends you call family; ie. family you get to choose. We had both family and framily present to celebrate my big boy. All these people were present at his birth as well. It's only fitting. :)

 

There was lots of gift opening! Those dimples didn't leave his face!

And cookie cake eating...

notice the birthday banner - recycling at its finest

and playing...

Evan and Gemma. There are no words for the sweet love my 5 year old has for this girl.

Ninja Birthday Party

My first born, my little baby, my child who I never want to grow up, is doing just that. He is in love with all things ninja. So without hesitation, when presented with picking a birthday party theme, he immediately said, "NINJA!" So a ninja party he had.

I want to stop and say I don't have an original thought in my head. I immediately went to Pinterest and found all my (cough cough) inspiration. For full credit of all these ideas, please go to my Pinterest party boards!

Party Details
Birthday Banner:
I made a birthday banner using the Last Ninja font that I downloaded from here. Each letter took up a whole page and then I backed it on black construction paper. I backed the entire sign on red butcher paper with a black crepe paper streamer down the center of each word. It was huge! I lined the top with red and black balloons that my amazing devoted husband blew up for me while I went a pick up the birthday cake!

Ninja belts/headbands:
I originally had the idea these snazzy bands could be their ninja belts. The boys had a different idea and wanted them around their head. Hey - whatever makes them happy. Plus, they are probably more versed in ninja protocol than me.
I bought white and red fabric and iron on printer paper at Hobby Lobby. If you plan to do this, don't forget your coupon! You could probably use a white sheet as well!  Once everyone RSVPed, I used the same font as the sign and printed their name on the iron on paper. I fit 4 names to a page. The fabric was cut into 5inch (width) strips and each strip was about 40 inches long. I had a good friend help me on Friday night and it took about an hour to iron on 20 belts! Follow the directions on the iron on paper for best results.
How cute are these ninjas?!?

 

Ninja Cake:

I found this cake on a blog. I am not talented enough, nor have the time to create this beautiful masterpiece no matter how easy it looks. I took the picture to Kroger on a Sunday and they said they could have it for me by Friday. I think it turned out super cute.
Mommy confession - Every picture I took was of the cake upside down. I have no clue what I was thinking...wait...I wasn't thinking. It went something like this in my head, "Oh crap, the cake! Take a picture of the cake!!" I even put the candle in upside down. Evan didn't seem to care.

  

Drinks:
How cute are these water bottle wraps?? Every ninja needs to be well hydrated! I found this free download here.

Goodie Boxes:
Oriental Trading provided me with everything I needed for the goodie boxes. Little chinese to-go boxes filled with 3 mini ninja figurines, a fortune cookies, a red sports bracelet, and candy. We topped the boxes with chopsticks, which immediately became nun-chucks. The mandarin writing in the middle says 'thank you' according to the internet. I mean, if it's on the internet, it's true, right??

Ninja Entrance:
Balloons+streamers= a fun way to get the party started!

Crossfire FUN!
We had the birthday party at Crossfire Commando. The boys had a blast running through the obstacle course, jumping in the foam pit (aka - the flu pit), having a foam pit fight, soaring on the zipline and jumping on the trampolines. I can't say enough about the workers at Crossfire. The guys were enthusiastic, patient and fun!!

 

Luke was too small to do most of the activities. So he and daddy stayed by the foam pit. He had a blast jumping in and out of it! Again, I just can't even stop to think about the germs....

In the ninja headquarters, the kids refueled and hydrated for their next mission. 

To be the mother of boys

I know every kid is unique, has their own quirks, their own personalities, but as I grow deeper in this role of a mother of boys, I have found some things out that I didn't know. I came from a family of girls. My poor dad was out numbered, and I think he secretly loved it.

Boys need nature. I would argue all children need nature, but I am talking about my boys today. I dread rainy cold days. My boys' moods are a direct reflection of if they have been able to get outside. But the nature does something else for them. It is their form of creativity. I hear stories of how little girls will sit a color forever. My boys will color...for a short minute, but drawing with a stick?? They could do that for hours. I know there are studies and books that talk about the positive effects of children in nature. I don't need to read them. I live it.

You don't buy pants over $8 because if they are playing right, they will be destroyed in minutes.

They will always try to lift something 3x their size. I think this continues into adulthood.

 

They can become gentlemen. I just can't possibly believe the old adage "all guys are jerks". I have known too many good guys in my life. I truly believe, when given a good role model, when taught that a girls are special, and when taught God's love, a gentleman can be made.

There is a little super hero and rock star in each boy. All boys want to save the world and protect people from the bad guys or rock out. Possibly both at the same time.

Anything is a gun. Before kids (or when I lived in a dreamland) I said, "We will NOT have toy guns in our house!" Well, what no one said to me is anything can become a gun. Legos, crackers, a stick. We had guns in our house before I even thought Evan knew what a gun was. So I had to change my strategy, as I do most times when I learn how wrong I was about parenting. Now our guns can never point at people or animals. 

Jumping is a sport. They jump off things, on things, on two feet, on one foot. They jump when they eat. They jump when they have to pee. Boys love to jump. My two will jump and not even realize it. 

Last and definitely not least, there is something special about boys and their mommas. Everyone did tell me this, but I had no idea what they meant until I had my boys. A boy and their momma....there isn't anything like it.