Happy Barrrrrrrthday Caitlyn

Caitlyn chose a pirate themed party this year- she finally chose a theme 4 days before the party. I still can't figure out where this came from, but it turned out to be really fun to plan and I think the girls enjoyed it b/c it was something different! Before the guests arrived, we had Lyndsie (C's little friend, whose mom took my 2 youngers home) snap this photo. I love these girls!-As the girls arrived, we tied their hot pink bandana on their head and they got to make their own spy glass. While they were creating, I asked each of them to tell me something they knew about pirates- they had some great answers, that I really should've written down. (Side note: we went foodless for Halloween this year and handed out glow bracelets. As Caitlyn was helping me open and assemble them, she requested to save the cases they came in b/c we might need them for her birthday party. Who knew she had such great foresight! This girls is ALWAYS thinking!)

-They worked at their own pace, so some enjoyed the play room while others finished. Glitter glue and alphabet stickers are just too fun!

{I love their pirate faces!}

-A new twist on the old game of Duck, Duck, Goose was first up- Pirate, Pirate, Arrrr while using the blow up sword was quite exciting & a little dangerous for socks + wood floors.

-We tried a game called 'Tick Tock Croc'- you know find the timer before it buzzes... it just wasn't that fun b/c you couldn't really hear the clicking timer with 10 4 & 5 year olds. So we improvised and played... "I'm Going on a Pirate Ship and I'm Taking _____________" It was fun to see hear their answers and watch as they helped each other try to remember what the others before them had said.

-Outside we did a bean bag toss into the sharks mouth (thanks to my artistic friend Amy!) and took turns being eaten alive while playing on the swing set.

-The birthday girl requested cake pops and no candles... don't look too closely at the pirate faces- my experiment of dying the white chocolate black did NOT work. The girls thought they were skeletons :).
-Pirates Booty was the perfect snack addition to our cake balls!
After presents it was time for the treasure hunt- it was definitely the highlight. There were about 6 rhyming clues leading them through the house. Before they could read each clue there was something they had to do to 'unlock' the clue. They were soooo into this; spinning in 5 circles, saying Happy Birthday to Caitlyn 5x, etc. and then deciphering the clues. I REALLY wish I would've had a video camera when they had to sing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" like a pirate, I was not prepared for their enthusiasm or ability to sound like pirates- swinging arms and all. It was absolutely priceless!
The treasure chest was in the tub and full of some take-home loot. Good times were had by all!
(Did you notice Briella & Olivia's matching pirate shirts... talk about perfect attire!)