We Found Nemo: Madelyn's Finding Nemo Birthday Party!

It's that time of year again...the culmination of months of planning...it's Madelyn's birthday!  This year, because of Benjamin's March arrival, we decided to host the party at an offsite location to minimize the cleaning, set up and clean up that would have to take place at home.  Finding a location, however, was a huge challenge since I knew that I wanted to be able to bring all of the decorations, food, drinks and desserts myself (even though we were having the party offsite I didn't want it to be any less personalized since Madelyn and I have so much fun working on our parties together).

Finally we settled on Charlotte Aquatics for a few reasons:
1. this is where Madelyn takes swim lessons (and we HIGHLY recommend those) and she considers this her pool
2. the pool only hosts one party at a time so the entire facility would be ours alone
3. we could bring all of our own food, drinks and decor
4. we just love everyone there and knew they would make it a very fun event!

Once we had a pool we then easily decided on a Finding Nemo theme since it is one of Madelyn's favorite movies.  Once again, however, this is not a very current movie and party accessories were NOT easy to come by.  Here is what we cobbled together for, what I think, was a pretty nice birthday for a 4 year old.

Here was our invite that Patrick designed in Photoshop:

Like all parties, planning started early and Madelyn and I decided on, shopped for and assembled favor bags (with some help from Grammy).

The ribbon below is from Jo-Ann Fabrics and was used as our accent for everything.

Here is what we selected for our big kid favors: Nemo goggles (Dollar Tree....so excited we found these!), orange and white dive sticks (also Dollar Tree, very Nemo-esque), Nemo fruit snacks and water bottles (Michaels with tags I designed in Photoshop).

Here are the finished bags all tied up pretty!

On party day, me and my crew of party set-up professionals swarmed Charlotte Aquatics with bags and boxes and laundry baskets of food and decorations.  In a cloud of dust that Pigpen would be proud of a party was formed.  Here was our o-fish-al (I just cant get enough of that) result!


A few buffet table shots...I love the Nemo ribbon that Patrick's mom found (although I am not sure where)...it matched my little Nemo ribbon perfectly so we used it as a table garland.  The centerpiece of the table was delicious blue punch made with blue Hawaiian punch, lemonade concentrate and pineapple juice.

Fish (gold fish of course) and Chips with Dip and Veggies and Dip.

Bait (gummy worms and gummy octopus)

Bell Pepper Octopus on Hummus (thank you Pinterest!)

Patrick's awesome shark watermelon bowl (another Pinterest find)!

"Jelly" Fish Sandwiches for the kids plates (fish cookie cutter from Jo Ann Fabrics) and finger "sand"wiches (egg salad, ham salad, chicken salad, pimento cheese and cucumber tea sandwiches) for the adults.

Another Pinterest find- wrap your silverware in napkins and tie with twine and a "lifesaver"...very nautical and has the added benefit of lending a minty aroma to your party!  (Silverware from the Dollar Tree, napkins from Party city, blue caddy from the Target Dollar Spot, twine and lifesavers from Walmart).

The kids table all set up with place settings and favors.

Everyone worked up a hearty appetite with a little swimming, sliding, rope swinging, water gun fighting and water basketball playing before lunch.

Lunch is served!  The kids got their jelly fish sandwiches and a little aquarium cup of blue jello with Swedish fish in them.  They could then choose any other items from the buffet that tickled their fancy!

Up close of favor bags and bottles:

The babies (we have a lot recently) all got under the sea tub books from Dollar Tree:

One very excited 4 year old and her Nemo before lunch!  (note: the Nemo balloon was impossible to find anywhere near us in Charlotte...this one came from a grocery store in Ohio with Grammy and Grandpa)

And during lunch...

After lunch we brought out the good stuff!  Crush Cookies (chocolate dipped oreos to look like Crush)...

Pearl Pops (cake pops made to look like Pearl the octopus)

Peach Pastries (cake cookies cut and decorated with frosting and sanding sugar to look like Peach the starfish)

And CAKE!!!  Grammy made the Nemo and Dory bouncing on Jelly fish cake from Here and a personal cake for Maddy with a fondant sea gull on it that said "Mine"...hilarious!

Madelyn was very excited that the inside of the cake was all different shades of blue and got darker as you went deeper in the "ocean" since blue is "totally" her favorite color.

After a fabulous day of playing in the pool and eating a lot of food, we had one exhausted baby...

And one worn out little lady!

Happy Birthday Maddy!!

A Bouncing Baby Boy!

Benjamin Edward Barry was born on March 27, 2012 at 8:58 AM, weighing in at 9 lbs. 3 oz. and 22 3/4 inches long!

Welcome to the world sweet baby boy!

Fun in the Sun!

Since our pirate party, Madelyn and I have been laying low and trying to beat the oven-like temperatures outside.  Just because we have been playing low key (no week long pirate party decorating and cooking marathons) does not mean we have not been having fun!

We went to a wonderful shady playground in Mooresville early one day with our friends and climbed like a monkey with Henry...

We played in a "spooky tree fort" (so named by Maddy) with Nick.  I am sure Nick is saying "Madelyn, don't be afraid, I will protect you from that spooky spider web because I have these awesome super hero workman goggles"...

We have also been thoroughly enjoying that Grammy had hand surgery and is out of work for a few weeks!  We went to our very first theater movie, Cars 2 (and loved it!!).  We were too busy watching the previews (I believe she thought these were the main feature) to smile for any pictures.  Notice the massive bucket of popcorn???  What you cannot see is the giant cherry Icee and bag of candy next to her, Piggy and Lighting McQueen...they were hungry apparently....

We went on several mall shopping excursions to get clothes for Grammy to put on more easily with only one hand- too bad Captain Hook doesn't have a line of clothing for the uni-handed... Madelyn, however thought these mall trips were for ice cream, the Disney Store, riding elevators and escalators, and lunch with Grammy.  We somehow even found a wonderfully air conditioned and padded play land...I have to say, better than riding the outdoor escalators up and down repeatedly in the hot sun at Carolina Place...

We even found out that water from the fountain at South Park is very cooling on hot days and it has benches in the shade for Mommy and Grammy!

After hot morning activities, we southerners like to stay indoors in the heat of the afternoon!  We love play-doh time with Grammy...

(she is showing you her pizza that she made for Daddy...you can see it can't you??)

We also cooled off with an at home movie afternoon and some dancing with Daddy...like the Cinderella Castle playset on the coffee table from Grammy??...we like to recreate our movies as we watch them...

We also have been doing a lot of potty training practice while we have no where to go and the hot weather means running around in a bare bottom is not so offensive.  We have to be fully weaned from diapers before we can start school again in the fall...and we WILL be starting school again in the fall!

While the photos of me, nearly 30 years ago, learning to potty train have taught me one valuable lesson - NEVER PHOTOGRAPH YOUR CHILDREN ON THE TOILET (it is never cute nor funny when you grow into a teenager or have these photos shown to your future husband and in-laws....no names mentioned...MOM)- I could not resist photographing our partner in crime in his wonderful waiting location at Mr. Nick's house...

Thank you, again, for reading!  Stay cool and have a wonderful Fourth of July weekend!

Kristin and Madelyn

A Pirate's Party For Me!

Update: Our little old party was featured in the February-March 2012 issue of "Little Ones" Magazine (one of my very favorite publications here in the Charlotte area)...we are so honored and thrilled that our pirate party could inspire others the way all of the other featured parties have inspired me!  Here is the link to the magazine issue, we are on page 28 of 60. 
http://issuu.com/idesign2inc/docs/little_ones_29

Our story begins with a rising 3 year old with a penchant for Peter Pan and pirates. No princesses, flowers or Dora for this little girl...we needed a pirate party (with a sprinkling of fairies and pixie dust because...after all...Peter Pan does need his right hand girl and pixie dust is "sparkly like Mickey's castle).

To begin our journey to Neverland we invited our pixies and pirates with a treasure map, showing them the precise directions to Neverland. For those Peter Pan novices among us, the directions are those given to Hook by Tinkerbell in the movie and the footprints are those of Tink as she hopped across the map showing Hook the way. We burned the edges of the pages to make them look old and worn.


We mailed a few invites but most were tied and hand delivered like this:

After lots of planning, it was PARTY DAY! Our pixies and pirates were directed to the house by a few key markers:

Pirate Balloons...

A few key scenes of London as they "flew over"...

A small shadow of a boy who wouldn't grow up coming to collect the children from their room for an amazing journey of imagination...

A gateway to Neverland sign and, of course, by following the second star to the right!

Upon entering Neverland, our guests were captured by the scurviest of the scurvy, Captain Hook!! They were taken to skull rock aboard the Jolly Roger and forced to sign up to be on Hook's crew! Hook himself was awaiting them to sign his pirate enlistment book...

Here is the demand from the Captain...

Here is his table of goodies awaiting his new pirates: the enlistment book to sign, hooks for all, tattoos (afterall, "those who sign without delay...get a free tattoo"), treasure maps of Neverland to find Pan and swords to fight him!

Here is a close up of the Neverland maps (really maps of our house and where all the games and goodies were located)...excuse my feet in the picture...photography is not my strong suit!

Here are the swords awaiting their new pirate owners!

Once you had signed in, gotten hooks, swords and tattoos, you were ready to enter (sadly enough the skull on the door and above the door are permanent fixtures in our garage from the Halloween party and were not added for just the birthday)!

The first land you encounter is the Neverland Jungle complete with jungle vines and flowers.

Next our pirates headed to the Indian Camp where they were greeted by the Big Chief and could make headresses (on the table in the center) and tribal artwork (pirate and pixie coloring pages on the easel).

Even the Indian Camp held a reminder that danger lurked around every corner (no pun intended...not really at least)!

Deeper into the Neverland Jungle you could review your treasure map and try to pinpoint where Hook's treasure was!

At the edge of the jungle lurks Crocodile Creek where Tic Toc Croc lives! It is also here that our pirates could try to keep that sneaky croc's mouth shut by tossing rings around his snout...the sign behind the crocodiles reminded them of what happened to Hook when he didn't succeed!

Here is our little Tic Toc Croc ring toss...


After you successfully defeated the Croc a quick stop by Birthday Cake Cape showed you what to look forward to later, a replica of the Jolly Roger complete with Hook and Pan in battle and a Tic Toc Croc awaiting his lunch! The top boat is made of Rice Krispies while the ocean was white cake.

Once you made your way past the Cape, you ended up in Mermaid Lagoon where the Jolly Roger was docked awaiting the new sailors to play on it! Made out of Madelyn's slide, a few refrigerator boxes, a scene setter of a pirate ship deck, a board, an old sheet and nets it included a ships wheel, a hold below decks and a plank to slide down!

Our littlest pirates who couldn't play on the Jolly Roger got to cool off with Madelyn's pirate water table (a birthday gift from Grandma and Grandpa Barry).

Once you were initiated in the art of sailing, our pirates decided to stage a mutiny against Hook and his scurvy ways! In "Hit-a-Hook", water cannonballs were thrown at the Captain to defeat the one-handed villain!

Here are the awaiting cannonballs (and some blue ones since Madelyn HAD to have blue water balloons). It was so hot that they were exploding so they got cooled down in a nice cool water bath in their holding tank!

Here is Captain Madelyn, herself, fighting that evil pirate who is trying to capture Peter Pan. A direct hit and a victory for the pirates!

Once Hook had been defeated by our band of courageous cannonballers, they all made their way to the Lost Boys hideout at the Hangin' Tree (thanks to Daddy, Grandpa and Uncle Davey for the awesome swingset, clubhouse, tree fort!).

Here is Captain Madelyn and her right hand Piggy playing at the hideout in victory!

Since Hook was no longer a threat, the pirates could also successfully hunt for all of the treasure that Hook had hidden around Neverland. Here is our Dig for Doubloons game...a big hit!

A treasure chest with some sand, shovels and 144 doubloons hidden in the sand were all it took for the kids to pick their favorite game...maybe because it was also in the shade???

Even though Hook had been defeated, our pirates had to watch out for other scurvy bandits hiding in the forest behind the clubhouse hideout...

Here is a view from the hideout...

And just a little reminder to guard your treasure well!

Our victorious band of pirates then headed to Cannibal Cove for some refreshments! Rum punch and beer for the adults...

A small treasure chest cooler held juice boxes and mini water bottles for the small handed.

Here is a view of the food tables before food was set out.

The main entree was Tic Toc Croc ribs from that nasty lizard!
                                  

More food and, sadly enough, the only shot we got of the pirate ship carved watermelon....it even had sails and licorice cannons sticking out of its sides courtesy of my mom!

Here is the Pieces of Eight (chicken nuggets), Seaweed Slaw (cole slaw), Peg Leg Potato Salad (hot german potato salad) and Ships Wheel Salad (pasta salad made with wagon wheel noodles)

Patrick and Grandpa getting 9 racks of ribs off the grill...yum!

After food, fun and lots of cake and rice krispie treats our guests could take home Pirate Pops (red velvet cake pops shaped like pirates) or Pixie Pops (vanilla cake pops shaped like star or circle wands that glittered in gold sanding sugar)

You could also fill a bag from our candy bar featuring sour cherry cannon balls (sour cherry balls), cod fish (swedish fish), pixie dust (pixie stix) or chocolate doubloon coins...I think the candy is always my favorite!

Finally, our biggest buccaneers took home chocolate doubloons, pixie dust, compasses, bouncy cannon balls and pirate paddle ball for the boys and glittery pirate key chains for the girls. Our toddler pirates had the candies, compasses, balls and spy glasses and our baby buccaneers took home Peter Pan books. Everyone got Jake and the Neverland Pirates guides to being a pirate with activities, games and crafts in it!

Cast of Characters who Made the Party AWESOME!


"Punkin Face" Grammy (cake baker, crafter, decorator) and Captain Madelyn (Birthday Pirate)

(Note: Here is a close up of her party t-shirt design that I made in Photoshop since I couldn't get her to stand still long enough to photograph it!)

Grammy Barry (chief crafter, artwork painter, decorator, water balloon filler, assistant baker and sous chef)

1st Mate Daddy "Peg Leg Patrick the Plunderer" (decorator, BBQ master, woodworker) - like the Photoshop-made Pirate Crew t-shirts for the guys (the girls did NOT want to be deck hands so we went sans-pirate shirts)??

Great Grandma Geig (head sous chef and chief Madelyn movie watcher)

Quarter Master Great Grandpa Geig "Scruvy Frank the Fearless"(electrician, assistant BBQ master, sous chef, decorator and chief rum master)

Boatswain Grandpa "Scurvy Steve the Scalawag" (decorator, errand runner, carpenter)

Firemaster Uncle Jeffrey (supervising fireman..only a few incidents while burning invitations and the pirate enlistment book... errand runner and heavy stuff hauler)

Me - (supervisor, chief planner, decorating supervisor, head baker, head chef, craft supervisor and one tired mom!)
                                  


Thank you for reading, we hope you enjoyed looking at the pictures as much as we enjoyed the party!

Aye Aye Mateys!
Kristin, Captain Madelyn and Peg Leg Patrick