Jacob's Birthday Party

So Jacob turned six last week! He'd been talking about his birthday party for many months and requesting certain details, themes, etc. I decided that rather than one big party (too many people in the house at once) with family and a few close friends, we'd make this the year that the dreaded 'friend party/family party' split happened. Although, things were so crazy with other celebrations/Halloween/work schedules that we never got around to having the family party.

The last cake request I remember getting from Jacob was a baseball, or maybe it was just the easiest. When I picked Beckie's brain about it she recommended using a mixing bowl to bake it in. I did a large mixing bowl for the biggest part, a round cake pan for what would be the base, and a small mixing bowl for what would be the top.

I wrapped them in saran wrap (the keep the moisture in) and froze them (easier to frost). Some trimming had to be done to make them all form into the shape of a ball. While it didn't come out perfect, I think it looked pretty good for a cake-artist novice.

The frosting was what took the longest because, alas, my impatience kicked in and I took them out of the freezer before they were done freezing. So all the crumbs kept chunking up while I was spreading on the frosting.
But there it is. Close enough, right? The red stitching looks different than what I had envisioned, but I didn't have to do it myself so that's the price I pay. Also, the nozzle wasn't fine enough so the lettering was too big to write anymore than Jacob's name and a 6. But it tasted awesome just the same and he really liked it!I got one of those 'all ready to be decorated' crafts because I thought the kids would need something fun to do when they first came in and I was still running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I thought it would be nice if they had a craft to make that didn't fully involve recycled materials so I let Jacob pick one out and he went with the flower pot. I'd intended to dry some of the pumpkin seeds from our garden and put them in little baggies for the kids to plant in the spring, sort of as a little party favor, but that never happened.

I'd wanted to do an outdoor scavenger hunt with the kids, but I was afraid of what the weather might be like so that sort of morphed into a treasure hunt with a twist to take place indoors. I took photographs of certain objects or patterns in the house, printed them out and then cut them into puzzle pieces.

Each 'puzzle' was placed in a baggie (purchased especially for this occasion because lord knows I never have baggies) and then labeled each one with a child's name. The party guests in attendance ranged in age from 2 to 7 so I wanted to make sure every kid got a chance to solve a puzzle and the bigger kids didn't just take over. Forethought, people. I actually tailored each kid's puzzle to their age and whatnot.
The first clue was given out, and it took them an incredibly long time to figure out that the place they should be headed was the milk box on the front steps. And over half of the kids at the party get the same milk delivered that we do, so I thought this would be easy. Within the milk box was the first picture clue. It had to be pieced together and then identified. Once identified, the kids had to find where in the house that object was (eg. a green lattice picture frame). Behind that picture frame was the next clue, and so on.
The kids really liked this activity and I was so excited to have come up with an idea like that, but it took a really long time. The one thing I need to do differently next time is make the puzzles easier! The 2 year old's puzzle was four square pieces, but what I should have done is just give him a plain ole picture in one piece. And then for the rest of the kids I would give them four pieces instead of the sever or eight they got. Plus I cut them up into crazy shapes - will just stick with normal lines and whatnot next time.

The last clue was a picture of our shower curtain, and I'd given that one to Jacob so he could be the one to find the 'treasure'. He could not figure out what the hell it was. Shower much? Anyway, someone eventually did and they tore upstairs and into the shower.
This is the pinata that Jacob and I made from scratch! Ew, please ignore the moldy caulk in the corner. The kids each took a cloth goodie bag and we proceeded outside to beat the crap out of the baseball. It was a natural step from the baseball cake to the baseball pinata - plus what could be easier to make from a round balloon than a round baseball? I love this picture of Jacob hitting it with the bat.
I loved making the pinata with Jacob. He helped with all three layers but the outside layer ended up being a surprise. We did the recommended three layers but when I went to decorate it the night before I got nervous that it would crack at the first hit and only one kid would get a turn. So I added a fourth layer and had to dry it in front of a heater for a couple hours. Then the next day, just a couple hours before the party, it was still not decorated because of the extra drying time. I was running out of time so Zach suggested he'd paint it since he already had the right colors.

I don't know if it was the fourth layer, or the professional grade paint, but that thing was never cracking open. We would have been out there all day, except the string finally came away from the pinata and it landed on the ground with a thud. We all stood there not knowing what to do so I finally picked it up, ripped it open with my hands and tossed it into the air.

That did the trick and no one really cared after that. What I'll do next time is either skip the fourth layer of paper mache or not use such heavy-duty paint. Oh, and definitely secure the string better.

The boys were so tired after the party that they both passed out on the couch after everyone left. And I got to clean up. All in all, I was pretty proud of myself. It wouldn't have my trademark signature if things didn't go wrong. I feel like I've crossed another rite of passage as a mother: The Kid Party.