Unfortunately we waited until the very last minute to buy gifts, foods, decorations, and goody bag loot. And boy oh boy did we pay! A lot!
I couldn't afford to order a cake, nor the Batman decorations Thomas wanted, but I went with a blue, yellow, and black theme instead. I added blue coloring to the Funfetti cake mix, and "lemon yellow" to the frosting. I used candy pieces to spell out, "Happy Birthday Thomas, 5, Edward, 8." Lastly, used blue raspberry flavored spinkles to top them off.
Oh my what a complete pain in the ass those cupcakes were.
We had a birthday party Saturday for my nephew Michael and had to wait until the kids went to bed to make them. I was up until 1 AM doing those bad boys. Originally I was going to pipe the words. I was missing a pieces so that didn't work and had to buy the candy letters last minute.
My nephew Eddie was so happy to have a cake especially for him. Unfortunately my sister in law and mother in law do nothing to celebrate this kids birthday and the last time he had a cake was the year before I had Thomas, which Tom and I made for him. Thomas also loved having cupcakes instead of cake.
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| It was very warm, with little shade, so some kids played inside as well. |
It is a good thing, half of the people with kids couldn't come, as the 12 goody bags I made cost a small fortune. Oops. They were filled with noise makers, small toys, tons of candy, crayons, crazy straws, batman stickers, necklaces with small gold coins, compasses, sheriff badges, magnifying glasses, and a few other bits. I went a bit over board at the dollar store. And with most items coming with 4-6 in a pack...yeah, it got pricey.
I was unsure if 42 cupcakes was enough so I made a cookie platter as well. Since I had the platter at home all I needed was the cookies. Three packages of cookies cost me just $3! It was the least expensive part of the party!
The cupcakes were a huge hit and the children, especially my boys and nephew, loved them.
Unfortunately, the party did not begin so happily. Collin refused to go outside for the 1st 45 minutes. And Bailey just screamed anytime Tom or I put her down or someone tried to help calm her down. Poor girl was so, so hot and sweaty from all her crying. And with 90 degree temps anyway.. We ended up having to take off her shirt to cool her down.
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| Can't tell how upset she was because Daddy was playing with her, but by looking at her hair you can see how sweaty she was. |
We had burgers, dogs, BBQ ribs, coleslaw, potato salad, macaroni salad, and pasta salad. Very simple.
Because of the heat, the kids weren't really into eating. I don't really blame them. I couldn't eat at all.
Bailey finally calmed down once we sat her down with a chopped up hot dog and pasta salad.
Thomas was one of the ones not wanting to eat.
And he sure did tell me!
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| "I only want my hot dog," he claimed. Which was followed by him leaving the plate completely untouched. |
When Collin finally came out, he pretty much kept with my mother.
As always with family parties and get togethers, Tom grilled while my father was his assistant.
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| I do gotta admit, my man looks good grilling. |
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| We are very grateful for the gift and Thomas will wear this when his Grandma comes over. |
My parents, my brother, and Tom and I all got him different items. He got some "Model Magic" kit from his preschool friend, who we were very, very glad could come. He and Tom fought over the Zelda game he got for the DS. He also got a Batman came technically for the Game Cube, but he will play on the Wii. He was also given a really cool box of Spider-man games, which include checkers, two puzzles, and two card games: "Go Spidey" and "Old Vulture". Thomas received a few reading and preschool work books which he enjoys doing with me. He was also given two gift cards, Toys 'R' Us and Wal*Mart, which are already spent on stuff he picked out. He also got a bunch of "just clothes" which of course didn't excite him nearly as much as it did me. Especially since up until this party he had absolutely nothing that would fit him for the coming cooler months. My Aunt followed her birthday tradition of giving him two pairs of sneakers, one pair were light up Buzz Light-year, which Collin is very jealous of. We are very lucky to have such a giving circle of people in our lives when it comes to birthdays, and we are very thankful.
Right after presents, most people left. My parents, siblings, and in-laws remained, including my niece and nephews. Finally Bailey and my nephew Michael got to enjoying the "after" party.
Tom did what he always does when the kids are all around.
They wrestled.
I got to enjoy a drink, which is a rare occasion. Then my father saw I left it on the window sill and decided to mess with my siblings and I. (He is a recovering alcohol and addict)
Bailey showed off her standing abilities. And her dirty face.
At the end of the day, my brother and I had some fun playing with the camera's and searching for bugs.
And after being bugged for months, we got a "new" pic of the three Lalla siblings together.
Though I was super stressed for the 1st part of the party, and was especially sweaty, the day was everything I could have asked for. My son was happy. He loved his party. He loved having friends over.
Thank you again to all those who came. We enjoyed having you all there and hope to see you again on October 10th for Bailey's big 1st birthday party!!
To see the rest of the photo's, as if this wasn't enough, the rest are located here.
