Hammy's 4 year old Friend Birthday Party

The decorations you can kind of see in the background were 12-inch colorful circles cut from scrapbook paper.  My friend Sarah gave them to me after an activity at church they were used at.  Hammy loves circles.  So these delighted him to be the decorations for his polka dot party.  We also had about a dozen balloons just kicking around.  No streamers.  I ran out of time.

This boy here is the older brother of Hammy's friend.  We invited him along too.  Gabbers and he are in the same Primary class at church.  They have to be separated though (during class) because they talk too much.  haha

The bean bag toss.  A.K.A.  The sock toss. 

Even when you plan for two months in advance, sometimes life gets busy and you find yourself tossing your daughter's balled up beaded socks into empty bakery buckets instead of lovely circle shaped bean-bags as you previous daydreamed about.

There were two spots on the floor marked off with masking tape.  Everyone 5 and up had to toss from the further mark.  But Hammy and his friend would NOT be thought of as little and tossed also from the "big kid" mark.  This was by far, the most popular game, and the hardest to cheat at.  ;)

The prizes were the most brilliant last-minute idea EVER.  I went to the BX (store on base) and happened across the discounted Easter baskets.  I bought two.  One was $2.47 and the other was $1.57.  There was sidewalk chalk, a jump rope, a cute pink bucket hat, top spinners, jacks, candy, etc.  I divided them up and wrapped up a few of the bigger toys as prizes.  The smaller ended up being prizes for children that didn't win prizes in a game.

 musical chairs

This one is probably better for older children-- like 8 and up.  There weren't too many tears.  (Pookie is not actually crying here-- just being a spazz for the picture.)

If your twins decide it's a good idea to open the CD-rom drive and sit in it during the party, you may want to strap them into their high chairs and hand them some wrapping paper to play with.

And right here is where you imagine pictures of the Pin the Tail on the Donkey game.  Half the pictures showed that I indeed have had 7 kids in 8 years (ie. not your slim and trim mama) and the other half had me lecturing Pookie about cheating. 

The birthday cupcakes were a hit.  I hate cupcakes.  But my kids are thoroughly enchanted with them.  And since this was a party for Hammy, and not me, I honored his wish to have cupcakes instead of cake. 

They were lemon cake (from a cake mix) with yellow frosting (I followed the Wilton Buttercream recipe) and brightly colored sprinkles. 

I didn't get a picture of the presents or the goodie bags.  The goodie bags had Wal-Mart's Fruit Smiles fruit snacks (since they're circles), a balloon, a parachute animal for boys and butterfly sunglasses for girls, and a circle crayon we made out of melting broken pieces of crayons into mini-muffin tins.

Everyone had a blast and we had a good review on being good sports and playing honest.  lol

My fourth child turned FOUR.

Almost two weeks ago on Friday, May 13, 2011, Hammy turned four.  It was the day before his friend birthday party.  He wasn't at all interested in hearing how he bounded into the world Mother's Day morning without enough time for me to get an epidural.  So we skipped ahead to the grandparents' presents.

Gabbers reading birthday book titles to Hammy.

Later in the evening, Hammy went on his first camping trip, along with Bun, Pookie, and Danny.

Ham, Bun, Pookie 5/13/11

They got lost on the way there (to the Stake Father-Son Campout).  There was only one ice cream left.  Two boys were not as happy as the boy with the ice cream.  And since they were a little late, it was a little too dark to set up the tent.  But three little boys were pretty happy about sleeping in the van.  And getting their own row to themselves.

Pookie, being the tallest of the three boys, got to sleep in the back row of the van.

Bun, being the middle boy of the three big boys, slept in the middle row.

And Hammy, being the shortest, slept in the front row.

And the Daddy got the short straw and slept in the passenger seat-- which did not recline as far as one would think.

Meanwhile, the Mommy, Gabbers, Peach, and the twins were preparing the home and cupcakes for Hammy's Polka Dot birthday party with friends that would be the very next afternoon.   ...to be continued

Birthday Party Invitations-- part 4 of our series

It's time to buy or make invitations for the much-anticipated Hammy turning 4 birthday party.

Determine the number of guests that need an invitation.  Four in our case.

Our children can invite as many friends as the year they are turning.  We made an exception for the last big party we had (when Pookie turned 8) because of their policy of handing out invitations at public school and not wanting to hurt anyone's feelings. 

Hammy is turning four so he gets to invite four (non-related) friends.  Siblings are automatically included (cousins would be too if we lived near them).

We've chosen our theme:  Polkadots.  Since we will be hand-delivering invitations we aren't worried about special costs for mailing off-size envelopes.  So we're making polka dot invitations-- big, happy, bright circles!

"Circle" the date and don't be late-- or something cute and appealing to the 4 year old crowd.

The most important part is having the date, time, and place clear on the invitation.  And I personally wouldn't put a TON of work into them because if these children receiving them are like mine, they'll want to carry it around until that date. 

Try to get your verbal invitation out at least two weeks in advance and the physical (paper) invite out at least a week before.  If you're not going to get a verbal invitation out, just send the card out 2 weeks prior to the party.  That gives your guests plenty of time to prepare for the date and get a gift if they choose.

If you haven't finished putting together your goodie bags or game prep, do that this week as well.  You want to save the week of the party for cleaning your house and decorations and cake.

Planning your 4 year old's party- part 3 Games

When I plan a party for my child involving friends, I like to spread it out and start about 2 months in advance.  You can start anytime to plan your child's birthday party.  The earlier you start, the more time you have to gather ideas and information, supplies, gifts, etc.  If budget is going to be an issue, you may want to plan six months in advance.  Some things have to be ordered and waiting until a week before usually ends up in a sub-par party that costs too much.  Don't fall victim to procrastination-style parties.

As you read in part 1,  Brainstorm and pick a theme, pick a location, pick a date, we were picking between a polka dot party and a Sesame Street one.  Hammy chose polka dot for sure.

And you read about Goodie Bags in part 2.

Now we are ready to plan games!

For four year old's parties, I think of school carnival type games to get my thoughts flowing:

• bean bag toss
• a fishing game
• pin the tail

and Kindergarten or Preschool type games like:

• Duck, Duck, Goose
• Farmer in the Dell
• Wheelbarrow races (some might be too young)
• balloon pop (may be too traumatic for little ones)
• freeze dancing
• musical chairs

I like to recall parties my children have been to and what they played, games from past birthday parties we've thrown, games from parties I attended when I was little (if my memory can assist).

Try not to be intimidated by online ideas with fanciful matching themes and bouncy castle birthday parties.


Your child will remember the fun time that went into planning and the fun they have with you and their friends and family.

Without further ado, Hammy's games will be:

1. bean bag toss into big colorful circles-- the bean bags will be made out of dried beans or uncooked rice and the fabric will be from either polka dot scraps or brightly colored fabric scraps. 
2. duck, duck, goose -- it's a circle game and kids love to play tag
3. musical chairs -- I have birthday CD with songs I can pause and I can set the chairs up in a circle
4. fishing game-- there's not really circles, but it's fun to fish and get a prize!
5. freeze dancing-- will be back up game/time filler if necessary

That was easy, right?  Now all I need to do is create the bean bags with background and the fishing game.

Planning your 4 year old's party- part 2 Goodie Bags

We are 7 1/2 weeks out from Hammy's big 4 year old birthday party.  Planning a little at a time will prevent lots of undue stress.  This week's topic is fun and easy:

Goodie bags

You don't have to rush out and get your items this far in advance;  but if you have a theme and an idea of what you want and what you don't want, start a list.

Goodie bags are important when entertaining four year olds.  Four year olds have a hard time coming to a birthday party with a present that is not for them and then leaving without it.  I love to tell the kids, "Goodie bags are our little gift for you!"

The actual bag that the goodies go in does not need to be themed.  Cut down your expenses and use white or brown lunch bags or clear cellophane bags.  Last year when we did The Ultimate Star Wars Party for Pookies we used clear cellophane bags tied with curling ribbon that matched the theme.  Don't pass on the brown lunch bags; the element of surprise is in not knowing what you're going to get at the end of the party. 

Use what you have or buy cheap.

We are going to be gathering up dying crayons to do this little craft and then add them to the goody bags.

I despise junky little toys in goodie bags.  I prefer to pick things that are consumable-- like crayons, pads of paper, stickers, balloons, a treat.  I'm okay with noise-makers as well. 

But little cars (that will lose their wheels first try) or parachuters (that will come off their parachute) or choking rings with possible lead paint, bleck.  I wouldn't want them coming home to my house so I'm not likely to fill bags with them. 

Bouncy balls I'm up in the air about.  haha.  No pun intended.  No bouncy balls this year though because I'm certain two little toddlers will try to ingest them.

My goodie bag brainstormed list as of today:

• Circle crayons (mentioned above)
• A homemade oatmeal cookie with Hammy's initial on it (Sesame Street letter of the day)
• A yellow balloon -- All kids love balloons and Hammy's favorite color is yellow

That's all I have so far.  And I'm not worried.  You don't need to be either with a little prior planning.






Bonus tip:  Earn money with Swagbucks to help pay for your party.  Read part 3 here.

Planning a 4 year old's party-- part 1

Brainstorm and pick a theme, pick a location, pick a date.

The following questions will help determine the theme. 

Ask your almost-four year old (if you are unsure) and write it down (so you don't have to rely on memory): 

What is your favorite book?  Harold and the Purple Crayon

What is your favorite show?  Gumby and Diego and Sesame Street

Who is your favorite character?  Cookie Monster

What is your favorite number?  3

What is your favorite color?  Yellow

What is your favorite animal?  Duckies!

What is your favorite shape?  Circle

Tell me your friends names. Bobby, Buddy, Billy, and Bug. (not really.)

Hmm... I've actually been thinking about this one for a while.  We're either going to do a colorful polka-dot party or Sesame Street.  I'm leaning towards Sesame Street.  Why Sesame Street?  Because I threw a Sesame Street friend party when Pookie turned 4 and I've still got most of it in my memory.  I can see incorporating all the things he loves-- except maybe Diego. 

Location:  Home.  With a young, small group, I think he'll feel most comfortable here.  He is a homebody and more shy than the other kids.  His siblings will also enjoy the decorating process for the few days before.  No renting fees.  Just some clean up will work.

If you choose to use a rec center or a community park, check to see if you need to make reservations, how far in advance, and if there's a fee as well. 

Date:  I like to check for the Saturday before or after the birthday.  Then it does not interfere with the Sabbath.  With a group this young (and having the benefit of being a homeschooler), I might also consider a weekday for the party.

Hammy's birthday is May 13-- which is a Friday this year.  A quick phone call consulting with Danny brought us to the date of May 14.  This is good.  We're 2 months out still.  Calendars are marked.  No need to procrastinate.

One more thing, as a general rule of thumb, I do not like to feed other people's toddlers/preschoolers during parties.  We get into pickiness and slow-pokiness (including in my own kids). 

So, I plan the birthday party for two hours starting right after lunch like 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. I can focus the bulk of the party time to games and fun with a little time for eating (cake) at the end. 

This post is linked at WFMW.  Read part 2 here.

Having a Hammy is a one in a million chance.

I am a lucky woman.  I have been thinking about what a blessing it is to have this sometimes crazy Gremlin little guy in my life.

Almost four is a really fun age.  Kids this age say and do the funniest things.  I haven't checked, but I'd make a guess that most of the Kiddie Kwips are of the kids between the ages of 3 and 5.

Hammy attempted to drag me out of my office/school chair, 

"Mommy, mommy!  Come see, I cleaned my room!"  

"Really?  You picked up everything and made your bed?"  I inquired.

"I cleaned the WHOLE room!" he beamed proudly.

A sight like this just warms my heart.  

After sending Hammy back to bed one night, we were surprised when he didn't try a half dozen more times to stay up with Mommy and Daddy.  Then Danny found him cuddled up to Gabbers and quickly returned with the camera to capture the moment.  update:  Okay what??  I just clicked on this picture to look at it up close and realized he has my spa-socks on his arms that Danny gave me for Christmas.  lol

A few memories:

Hammy was the ultimate Mother's Day gift. 

We thought the contractions had calmed down and weren't changing the cervix.  The doctor was planning to send me home on bedrest .

But Hammy had different plans and arrived early on Mother's Day morning.

Hammy weighed 6 lbs. 12 oz. at 34 1/2 weeks gestation.

He came so fast there was no time for an epidural.

At only four weeks old he experienced his first roadtrip with his three older siblings and Momma from North Dakota all the way to Utah for a special occasion.

Everywhere we went people would say, "Wow!  That baby has the biggest eyes I've ever seen!"

Hammy started reading at the age of 22 months.  We were surprised to discover this during Sacrament meeting one Sunday.  We thought, because he didn't say many words, that he was delayed.  Boy were we wrong!

Even though Hammy is smack dab in the middle of 7, he is never forgotten.  This boy makes his presence known.  He is also quick to remind us that he's a really good helper and a big kid too!

It's time to plan another friend birthday party.  Every four years the children get to celebrate their birthday by having a themed party with friends.

Hammy will be four in two months and will get to invite four friends to share in the fun!  Stay tuned to watch the thought process and fine-tuning that goes into planning friend birthday parties in Pookieville.