To celebrate Eve’s birthday this year we threw a pet show party. We invited her entire class, plus a few other friends, and hoped for sunny weather. The kids all came, but the weather did not. Nonetheless we had a great time!
To start the theme Eve and I made “Eve’s 5th Birthday Party Pet Show” invitations. We got all fancy with the crayons and copy paper. Nothing but the best in this house. I can’t seem to find a picture (or the original!) so you’ll just have to trust me that they were top-notch!
As the party drew near we prepared by making a bunch of blue ribbon awards and games for the pet show.
Felt, paper, and hot glue... blue ribbons!
Eve didn't have patience for the hot glue gun and decided to make her own ribbon with scotch tape. This one is for the "Softest Pet"
We have an early winner! Cotton Candy won the "Softest Pet" award about a week before the pet show! :)
Eve loves her pony. Thanks Aunt Katie!
In an effort to find a game that would work both indoors and out (darn unpredictable weather!) we settled on "Pin the tail on the unicorn." Eve drew the unicorn and the tails.
The day before the party we baked and decorated the cake (double layer dark chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting) and added some black fondant “dogs” and “dog bone” decorations. Fondant is not very tasty and quite messy to work with. It was fun for this cake, but probably not something I’m going to do again.
Fondant is kind of like Play-Doh, only made of sugar. The taste is only marginally better, especially when it's black! On the plate in the background you can see the dogs we made. Mine is towards the front, Eve's is towards the back. I think her's looks more like a mouse on a barrel, but she insisted it's as a dog. Actually she insisted it was Bone and Karma on her cake. :)
My cake designs always come out better in my head than they do in real life. It tasted good at least!
Then the big day arrived! Normally we do afternoon parties and use the morning to get things done, but this party was at 10am so we were scrambling! Lex was SUPER helpful in cleaning and decorating with me. He and Eve made some party signage, he hung up streamers, decorated the door, and cleaned the mudroom! I think the best party decorations are the ones the kids make!
I like to leave a little something for the birthday girl to find on the table in the morning.
She was surprised and excited to find presents from us! :) She thought she had to wait until her party for presents. I got her a dress and the new Muppet movie.
He refused to get dressed, but he did a great job decorating the house!
No free play at this party! When guests arrived they got a bag and were put to work! :)
A "Pet Grooming and Vet" sign, made by Lex, hung above the office door.
The final stop for the pets was the judging station (ie, the hearth), sign by Eve.
Then the crowds arrived. We had 17 kids, plus most of their parents. The house was tight but everyone tells me they had a great time. There were no tears and no fights (that I saw or heard!) so I’m going to call it a success!
The first task was to make a collar for your pet. Turns out most kids don't have names for their stuffed animals so we got some creative collars. Some made up a name real quick, others put their own names or random letters. It was fun.
Next step was grooming (brushes, bows, etc.) and then a photo with Eve. Alan used my phone and we printed a picture for each kid to take home. Some kids were excited, others refused. Here are Lex and Eve doing a practice run.
Last stop, the judging station. Once each pet had a collar, a grooming session, and a photo with Eve, they were placed at the judging station.
Only then were the kids allowed to play! :)
Baby Kate was taking notes for her upcoming birthday! :)
Time for cake!
Lots of eager children filled the kitchen.
Make a wish!
This is the only photo I took of the judging process. I wasn't quite sure how this part of the party would go. It ended up being a throng of children crowding around me while I read the awards. They eagerly clambered for each one. I handed them out and made sure each pet got one, but I'm not sure how appropriate they all were. Everyone had fun though!
Lex didn't think any of the awards were right for his pet, so he took one of my blank ones (I made a few blanks, just in case!) and made his own award. Most Loved Pet.
Time for presents!
Many of her friends drew her lovely pictures to accompany their gifts.
After presents Eve went around and thanked and hugged each of her friends.
After presents we headed outside. The day was overcast and chilly, but everyone was full of cake and ready to play! The most popular gift was the stomp rocket. The kids (mostly the boys!) were lining up for their turn!
The party officially ended at noon but it was almost one before her classmates all left. Jim and Julie stuck around for awhile longer with their sweet girls. When they left we all crashed. I bought Eve the new Muppet movie thinking she might like that for quiet time, but instead she wanted her usual quiet time (an audio book in her room) while Alan and Lex crashed on the couch to watch the Muppets. I cleared the counters a bit and then got lost in my computer. A few hours later Amanda and Rachel came to visit.
Paint marker bowling
Eve got a 3D Tinkerbell puzzle that was quite challenging!
We had pizza for dinner and Eve added a few burgundy chocolate chunks to her piece. An interesting way to wash down a sugar filled day!
Happy 5th Birthday to Eve!! I think everyone had a fun-filled day.
