Anna's Birthday Party

Due to some scheduling conflicts (like oh spring break) and a few other issues, we held Anna's sixth birthday party yesterday afternoon at our house. A month late but a fun time nonetheless.

Anna had a very difficult time choosing what kind of birthday party she wanted to have this year. I suggested many locations and several themes, but nothing really appealed to her. Anna takes parties very seriously and I can't really talk her into something that doesn't feel just right. So one afternoon she struck upon the idea of a costume party, which later morphed into an idea that her friends could come dressed as children from other countries and I ran with that.

By the end of the day we had chosen invites on etsy and the party was set in motion. Thank goodness. If she'd delayed any longer, we'd be celebrating her seventh birthday.

So we had a trip around the world! Each child came in costume and they all did an awesome job! Anna dressed like a child from India, borrowing a beautiful outfit from her friend Jadyn who is Indian. Kids were dressed in costumes from Mexico, China, Poland, India, Norway.

All the parents deserve major props for squeezing their children into special outfits for this. Fortunately, the kids all seemed to love it, too! I think special honors go to Georgia (and Kate) who not only dressed up, but dressed up like Frida Kahlo - unibrow and all. Mrs. Trogdon would be proud.

I planned two games for the kids. The first was a Global Taste Challenge. All the kids gathered around the table and we gave them a worksheet. On the left side was a list of countries and on the right was a list of foods. As each food was brought out, the kids tried some and then drew a line to connect the food to the country they thought it was from. Seven rounds of food were brought out. Stuff like Mochi from Japan, madeleines from France, tea and scones from England (yes, I made tea!), latkes and applesauce from Germany. The kids all did great. No whining about food tasting strange, though they certainly had their likes and dislikes, and a generally respectful attitude about everything. Score!!

Then we headed outside for the second game called Pack Your Bag! Now this was a bit of a throwback from my own childhood birthday parties. My mom once did a neighborhood scavenger hunt that I still remember to this day. It was a blast. I think everyone loves a good scavenger hunt.

I broke the kids up into teams of two. Each team had an empty suitcase and a list of items they were supposed to find (hidden in our yard and our neighbors' yards) and bring back to the suitcase. They were ordinary items you would take on a trip like a toothbrush, socks, shoes, money (fake), camera (clip art photo), passport, map, compass, etc.

They had to read the items on the list (everyone did fairly well and adults were there to help the ones who had trouble sounding things out) and work together. Thankfully, the weather was bright and sunny. A little cold but that was good because they were running around!

 

And then, of course, I can't have a party without a pinata...

And, with that ritual beating of the donkey, we then headed inside for the cake. Oh how I loved her cake. I didn't even want to cut into it! A lady from our church makes cakes and donates her profits to a local food pantry. She is the most awesome cake-maker ever. They are gorgeous! And I asked her to make some cute  world cookies for take home gifts. Also adorable.

Happy birthday, sweet girl! By the look on your face, I think you had a good time. And we had a fun time planning it for you! You're a beautiful and special girl. Don't ever lose your curiosity about the world you live in. Love, Mama and Daddy.