Whew...thank goodness August is over! It is such a busy month for us. 3 birthdays (Me, my mom and the Rock Star), back to school shopping, the daycare is closed and we usually throw a car trip in there just for fun. This year we stuck close to home and with the warm weather it was great just to hang out in the yard most days. Because our back yard gets the afternoon and evening sun, it is usually quite warm and the 8 foot fences that surround it protect us from most of the wind that blows...it will often be 20 degrees Celsius in the front year, but 30 in the back yard....very nice!
Anyway, we have always done a birthday party at the house for the Rock Star. This year, we decided to do exactly what we did last year...less planning for me. So, I phoned the Bouncy Castle guy and booked it. We are especially lucky because he lives in the neighborhood, so even though the party is from 1 - 4 pm, he drops it off just before noon and doesn't come back to pick it up until close to 6pm! Evey year we invite the neighborhood kids to come and play before and after the party. Thank goodness we have a big backyard!
Every year, at my cousin's house, my girls comment on how my cousin makes the birthday cake for her kids. I always buy mine at Safeway...I just love their icing...and really for the $$ it's totally worth it. However, this year I was convinced to make the cake. Many hours went into the planning and preparation of this cake. Despite my initial attempts to make a Princess Cake (I used to decorate cakes...long before I had kids...and I used all the techniques that you see now) out of Color Flow Icing, that idea was scrapped and the Cupcake Tower was born.
Can you believe that I found the Happy Birthday candles at the Dollarama? Amazing what you can get for a buck! Thankfully the Rock Star loved it. Here she is enjoying the cupcake from the top.
No, she didn't get really dirty beforehand. That's part of the party...I have some experience as a clown and so every year I try to incorporate that into the party. Last year there were balloon animals, but the balloons kept popping, so this year I pulled out the face paints and everyone got their face painted. I did find though, that 4 & 5 years old is the last year I am going to be able to do a partly like this...where we just basically invite everyone over and the kids entertain themselves. They were definitely looking for some "activities" so next year will be a whole new adventure.
I'll be back tomorrow with a card...amazing what I can accomplish with a few hours in my craft room!
Happy Labor Day to those who have it off.
