Zoey's 4th Birthday

Oh my goodness, here we are again. It's been forever since I've written a blog post. Things have been busy and honestly I type reports for work so much that I just can't bring myself to write anything else half the time. I'm not going to back post too much, so there will be a couple of smaller events that I normally would have done a post about that will be missing from our blog timeline. I'm just going to skip to the funnest thing: Zoey's 4th Birthday!!!

The Birthday Girl

This year's party was a big one. It was the first party where we invited other children, who weren't family. It was also the biggest undertaking I have taken so far in terms of party theme and whatnot. Honestly, I don't know that a party will ever top her 4th birthday.

I have to give the credit for this year's theme to Scott. As I was brainstorming ideas months and months ago, he brought up the idea of a baking party since Zoey loves to help bake. I took the idea and ran with it. My Pinterest board was full of ideas and I went back and forth on exactly what activities we would do at the party up until the week before the party. Things followed the schedule for the most part. The cupcake game didn't really go over too well, but the kids were having fun playing with Zoey's toys that I had left out in case a kid didn't want to participate in baking activities. We also didn't open presents because the kids ended up in the playroom and they seemed to be having such a great time.

The treat bags for the party went through some changes as the party got closer. Initially I had some take out boxes that everything was going to go in, but I had bought them on clearance months before the party and by the time I had a final head count there were not enough. So then I bought some cute little cardboard containers at Hobby Lobby, but they wouldn't stand up once I put the whisks and spatulas (which I ended up using for the adult party favor) in them. So I ended up going with plain white bags that I decorated with some cupcake stickers. In them went a whisk, a set of measuring cups and spoons, and a chocolate chip cookie.

The first thing the kids did when they got to the party was pick out an apron. My mom made the aprons the week before Zoey's party. They are made using a bandanna from Hobby Lobby and some ribbon. I then printed out iron on transfers to put on them. The girls' aprons had a cupcake and the boys' had a chef hat. The kids looked so cute in their aprons.

All the aprons hung up for the kids to pick from

Lilly getting her apron on

Abbie picking out her apron

Abbie and Zoey (Abbie is Zoey's best friend from school)

Helping Olivia with her apron

Once the kids had their aprons, they were set up at the hat decorating station. I had markers and stickers for them to decorate with. We needed a bigger table for this activity, but overall it worked out ok.

The hat decorating table

Olivia, Abbie, and Zoey decorating their hats

If I was giving a prize for best hat it would have gone to Annelise. She did an awesome job!

Once all the children had arrived, I gathered them up for a group picture. I figured if I wanted a group shot my best bet was before all the craziness began. It's not easy getting a good picture of 12 kids, but this one isn't too bad. Poor little Brock is hidden behind Asa and Dominic was sitting to the side on his mom's lap.

Look at all those cute faces!!!!

 Now it was time for the real test. How were the kids going to do with the baking activities? The answer? They did awesome. Honestly when everyone started to get there, I started to freak out a little bit that I had bitten off more than I could chew. But the kids were amazing. They all participated, listened, and took turns. We made Milky Way cookies and had two stations, one manned by me and the other by my sister. Each child took a turn pouring the ingredients into the bowl. Then when everything was all mixed up, they got to eat a Milky Way cookie that I had made ahead of time.

I had all the ingredients measured out and waiting

Since my station was at the island, I had stools, which I bought at Hobby Lobby for the kids to stand on

Zoey enjoying her cookie

Yummy cookies!!!!

After the kids finished their cookies, I sent them into the other room to play the cupcake game. Each kid took a turn, but weren't really into it. Instead they played with Zoey's toys. Again, all the kids did a great job playing together and sharing.

Kids are resourceful. Even with limited space, they found a place to play. LOL!

While the kids were playing, I was setting things up for cake decorating. I had made each child their own mini cupcake cake and my sister spent the previous day frosting all of them. They turned out so cute!!! The kids seemed to have a great time decorating, and despite the fact that they used tons of sprinkles, there really wasn't too much of a mess to clean up afterwards. Most of the parents helped their kid decorate and it became a nice parent/child activity.

All the cakes lined up waiting to be decorated

Each cake was in it's own box that I decorated and wrote the child's name on

Once everyone had finished decorating their cakes, we had some snacks and the kids played some more. In terms of food, I kept with the bake shop theme and had a bunch of sweets. I'm sure the parents were thrilled that I jacked their kids up on sugar. LOL! I also had some light appetizer type snacks, but since the party was at 1:00 we didn't have "real food".

Brownie bites, smores truffles, wafer cookies, caramel macadamia nut clusters and cupcake shaped chocolate suckers

Cupcakes and some assorted nuts

Cookies from Cheryl's cookies, Milky Way cookies, and salted caramel

Cupcakes for the kids

We had fruit salad, a veggie tray, a cheese, meat and cracker tray, whiskey dogs, and meatballs

After a little bit of play time and food, it was time to sing happy birthday. Zoey absolutely loved being sung to this year. The kids then got hopped up on more sugar in the form of cupcakes (We skipped the ice cream).

After cupcakes the party was essentially over. Most of the kids went upstairs with Zoey and played in her playroom for a little bit, and then slowly everyone started to leave. The timing was almost perfect as the people started to arrive for the family party, which was at 3:00.

Goodbye hugs

Hugs for her best friend Rohina

 So once all the kids and their parents had left, it was time for the adult/family party. Not too much to report about that party. Sorry family, but the kids were a lot more fun and a heck of a lot cuter. LOL! We replenished the food and people sat around and talked until it was time for Zoey to open her presents.

LeapReader - Best thing we ever bought her

"I got a book. Let me lay down and read it"

One spoiled kiddo

After presents it was of course time for more singing and more cake. I made Zoey's cake using a giant cupcake pan. The bottom is a shell of purple melting chocolate and then cake inside that with the top of the cupcake being another cake that I frosted with homemade butter cream. Only Zoey had a piece of the cake. Everyone else got cupcakes.

 Then it was goodbye to the family and time to relax for Mommy and Daddy!!!!

Of course celebrating wasn't over. Since her party wasn't on her actual birthday, that day was another celebration. Scott and I got her a train table for her birthday and we had that set up for her to see when she woke up the morning of her birthday.

Unfortunately Scott had to go to work, so it was just her and I for the day. I took her to Scrambler Marie's for a birthday breakfast of smiley face pancakes.

Then it was off to Build A Bear, where she got to pick whatever she wanted to make. She picked a brown teddy bear and named it Daddy Bear because it looks like her daddy.

We also did some playtime at the kids area at the mall.

Then it was back home to get ready for school. I made her some cupcakes to take to school, which she was super excited about.

Later that night once Scott got home, we went to a birthday dinner at Max and Erma's with Tiffany and Trey and then back home for ice cream cake and more presents.

 I'd say she had a pretty good birthday!!!!