We celebrated Lance's Birthday last Saturday, September 17th.
Earlier that morning we had family pictures on campus taken by our friend Emily who drove into town the day before. She is very talented and I'm excited to see the pictures when she's done editing them! Everyone was a trooper, especially with the aid of the M&M's Emily brought. Probably one of the best family photo session experiences I've ever had. :)
The rest of afternoon was spent doing last-minute party prep. Even when most of the stuff is done, it's amazing how much there is left to do. Emily helped a lot, but had to leave early because she and John were getting sick. George's parents came in the late afternoon and were super helpful getting snacky foods and helping set up before the guests arrived.
I finally added the figures to the cake. Here is the finished product:
I think it turned out great! Not as professional as the picture on our computer, but for all the experience I have in making cakes (none), it couldn't have looked better.
Lance was pretty excited about it, too! He thought it was "awesome" which made all the hours and hours totally worth it.
We had to get at least one shot of the completed pinata together before it was destroyed at the party. Lance loved it, as did I. It never would have been finished without the help of George, Melissa and Emily. Thanks, guys! Those bird balloons in the background were made using a free template off the internet--print, cut and tape onto the corresponding colored balloon. Easy decorations!
George, knowing the hard work we both put into this party, took the camera and made sure to get some good, detailed shots of the cake. That rock mat under the cake is homemade by me as well... I took rocks from Michaels and glued them using E6000 to a shelf liner. Melissa helped with that, too.
The pinata. We were both a little sad this cute pig was about to meet his death.
7:00 rolled around and it was party time!
It got dark pretty quick, so we did the pinata first. George was manning the rope and since it was such a sturdy creation, we didn't bother blindfolding the kids--they would have enough trouble breaking it without being visually impaired as well.
Lance was up to bat first and managed to put a good-sized dent in it.
The kids all lined up from youngest to oldest and each took several swings at the pig:
Even after two rounds of all the kids and Lance's third turn, all they managed to do was dent it and knock off an ear.
Mason, Tyler, and Scott watching the pig's demise.
We tried to give Jude a turn, but he was scared to smack the pig, so he hung out in the swing instead.
Since the kids were having a hard time killing the pig, we called in the "big dogs" and had Rod take a turn. He managed to split it in half and knock it to the ground, but the pinata would not give up the goodies that easily.
So, George and Rod took matters into their own hands:
"One, two, three... pull!"
Candy frenzy!
(Thanks, Nicole and Laura for being my camera crew while I tried to keep the game going!)
While the kids were picking up the toys and candy that had spilled, George and I ran inside and set up the next game: Stomp the Pigs. We had blown up about 45 balloons, each with a prize inside, and then threw them all into the living room. The kids ran from the playground into our house to pop as many balloons as they could (to the tune of "Angry Birds" of course) and collect the prizes. It was loud, it was crazy, it was tons of fun!
Lance had put on his soccer cleats before the party and for my life I couldn't figure out why. Planning ahead?
Poor Kendall was having a hard time popping the balloons with her tiny frame and enlisted the help of her mom.
I came to the rescue of a few smaller kids and popped some balloons for them. (Can you see my mom in the corner being the camera man? Thanks, Mom!)
The balloons were gone in a matter of minutes and all the kids came away with a handful of candy and bouncy balls. (Lance had collected probably half the balls--he would stomp the balloons and if there was candy, he would move onto the next one, leaving the candy for someone else to claim. At least he knows what he wants.)
Then it was cake time!
"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you!"
Make a wish!
While George was slicing the cake, Lance wanted to taste one of the birds.
NOT as tasty as he was expecting. It didn't stop him from taking a bite out of several of the other figures--maybe to see if they all tasted the same?
Bennett REALLY wanted some cake!
Waiting for his piece.
I guess forks and bowls are overrated? Lance didn't waste any time digging in.
The cake was great! I used Emily's recipe and it turned out wonderfully dense and moist.
There were so many people there, we didn't all fit inside. With my family, George's family, Scott and all our friends, it was quite the crowd! Lance is a lucky kid to have so many people who love him!
Present time! Everyone was so generous in their gifts. Lance walked away that night with quite a haul.
All the kids gathered around to watch.
Sweet! Dinosaur puzzles!
Legos! Lance's favorite!
A pillow pet. Lance has been asking for one of these for more than a year now.
Remote control car! Thanks, Grandma!
Happy boy!
Scott and Lance opening some family gifts from Joyce, Cal, Pete and Jessica, and Grandpa Bob.
Jude and Mason--cousins! I love this picture. It makes me laugh every time I look at it.
Most of our friends went home shortly after the gift-opening, leaving just our family. It was nice to be together for a bit before they had to drive home. We sat around talking and snacking and enjoying the night.
Me and my mom. I'm tired, can you tell?
Lance and his Angry Birds.
It was a GREAT party! A little chaotic, but what party isn't? It was so nice of our families to drive all the way from Ashburn to be there and celebrate, and for our friends to take time out of their Saturday evening to wish Lance a happy Birthday. We are so lucky to have such good people in our lives!
George and I were exhausted that night and I ended up falling asleep on the boys' bed trying to put them to sleep. The house was a disaster, the kitchen a mess, the floor covered in mashed-up cake and sticky ice cream.
Totally worth it!
And our poor pinata?
Let's just say, he'd seen better days. Good bye, little friend. You served us well.
