Hannah's 9th Birthday

The month of September is one long party in this house.  We closed out the month with a celebration for Hannah. 

All three of my kids have had many, many, many themed birthday parties.  I love getting friends together and putting a cute spin on it.  We have done everything from Elmo to Dinosaurs to Dora to Snakes.  I love putting them together and having fun with them.  Now that the kids are older, they have their own ideas of what they want.  Earlier this month when Rachel had friends sleepover, she was horrified (Or was it mortified?) when I asked her if she wanted me to plan a craft for her friends to do.  I told her last year they painted shirts to which she replied, "Mom, that was twwwooo years ago."  In my defense I was thinking something slightly more sophisticated than popsicle stick picture frames.  Wouldn't teen girls love to make earrings?  Apparently, not. 

When Hannah and I were planning her party, she wanted her friends to sleepover.  Her circle of friends tend to be a bit high maintenance at sleepovers.  There is a lot of drama that the four of them have shared since kindergarten.  I had suggested that she could invite one friend and we would go out to eat at a restaurant of her choice and that friend could sleepover.  As the time approached, she let me know she wanted a party where her friends would DO. A. CRAFT.  How could I say, "No" when I just learned from recent experience that my years of entertaining her and her friends with glue and sequence are numbered.  We decided she could invite her crew plus one new friend from church for a party.  It would last from 4-7 and one girl was invited to sleepover.  Due to busy schedules, two of the other girls needed to sleepover.  All but one girl was spending the night.  I called the last girl's mother and explained what had happened and asked if her daughter could stay over for the festivities.

Hannah wanted Nacho Bar for dinner.

 

There was cake.  I waited until the last minute to pick up her requested cookie cake and the ones the store had ready weren't the best, so I opted for this flowerpot made out of cupcakes.  It was cute, but messy and not very good.  The next time I will stick with our traditional cookie cake.

 



 

We moved on to opening gifts.  One of her gifts was a movie she had asked for which may have strategically been planned as a party activity for later in the night.  Then the girls asked if we could go to the playground. 

 

 

They all climbed a tree.  I sat quietly letting them have fun and praying this would not result in any broken bones. 

 

Then we went back home to do the craft!!  Sadly, there are no pictures of that.

 

The girls didn't stay up too late.

 

Breakfast the next morning was Omelet Bar.  I really like the "bar" meals.  It allows the kids to make their own food which doubles as a party activity and everyone can choose what they like.

 

I put everything needed in bowls on the island and wrote each girl's name on a Ziploc with a Sharpie.  They cracked their eggs and had more fun than expected just whisking the eggs.  Then they added what they wanted in their omelets.  Everything was poured in their bag.  I labeled paper plates with their names and cooked the omelets.  This was easy and fun.

 

 

Now we get a party break until June.