Trevlyn's 5th Birthday Party!

Trevlyn's birthday was last Monday, the party was Saturday.  So the fun pretty much lasted all week!

We had birthday pizza on Monday night and let Trevlyn open two gifts from us and her gifts from her grandparents.  Callie had fallen asleep after a long night and a long day.  Landon and Timmy, however, had a great time helping Trevy open her gifts.  I was very impressed with her letting them.  She even gave Landon packages to open!

The birthday girl with her first present.
From Grandma and Grandpa Brimhall.

 I think Landon was as excited about the new My Little Pony mermaid as she was!

(I was a huge My Little Pony fan growing up so I was happy to have Trevy excited to play with it.

Still not quite ready to show her my childhood stash yet!)

Then she opened her gifts from Mom and Dad.

She started this one...

 ...and let Landon finish.

Trevy got to open the new outfit (and underwear) while Landon got to open the glitter Color Wonder.

The last package was the present from Grandma and Grandpa Taylor.  I'm telling you that thing was LOADED!  Dry erase crayons and white board, Pooh Magna-Doodle, Color Wonder water colors and the birthday Precious Moments figurine.

 The loot from Monday night.

We did open most of the packages and let the kids play for a little after they got pajamas on.  Amazing what motivators toys are!  =)

Moving right along.  As mentioned in the previous post, still no birthday theme as of Wednesday morning.  But once we had our penguin theme, we were off and running!  (And splashing in the rain!  We had rain every day but Friday and Saturday last week.  It was WONDERFUL!  Particularly the cooler weather that came with it.  Ready to have that back about now...)  Thursday was spent running errands acquiring things for the party and Friday was spent putting cupcakes and games together.

I Googled penguin cakes and cupcakes.  I found the cutest little penguin cake, but Trevy wanted cupcakes and, it being National Cupcake Week and all, how could I deny her?  So the kids and I made two batches of cupcakes, chocolate and white.

They had just gone swimming with James while I got Timmy down for a nap and did some cleaning.

There is always plenty to do when making cakes so that everyone has something to do.



While Callie mixed, Landon and Trevy helped me put liners in the cupcake tins and then Landon counted them for me.

 Yep.  Ten.  Give or take.  ☺

At first I wondered if we were making too many, but not after the carnage of the first batch.  

Timmy sampling the damaged goods.











After we had popped the white cupcakes in the oven, Landon and Callie went outside and came back in with five eggs between the two of them, doing the Hokey Pokey.  Crazies!  =)

T
This one was taken as Callie's egg was falling to the floor.

Following the twin wreckage, I calculated that I took 21 chocolate cupcakes out of the oven and had 16 to decorate.

We didn't get quite as many from the white batter.

It's hard for kids to understand that they can't decorate (cup)cakes right out of the oven.  Trevy asked me repeatedly throughout the day when we were going to "decorate the cupcakes."  We waited for a couple of hours after the second batch finished baking and then the kids helped me attach donut holes to the top of the cupcakes with frosting.  This was much trickier than I thought it would be.  I had only found the crunchy holes and the ones coated with powdered sugar.  I figured, well, there's powdered sugar in the frosting anyway, let's go with that.  Alas, the powdered sugar worked really well to keep the donut holes from wanting to stick to the cupcakes.  Callie got one to stay and Trevy ended up just eating about a third cup of frosting and destroying another cupcake.  I was really glad that I hadn't planned on turning ALL the cupcakes into penguins.  The fourteen we were successful with were painful enough!


After sticking as many donut holes to cupcakes as we could, I gave the girls permission to eat the ones that had fallen apart in the effort.  Callie responded, "Mmmm...sugar.  My favorite!"  Funny girl!




We had another birthday pizza dinner night and then got the kids to bed and I finished the cupcakes.  Fortunately, the donut hole attaching was really the only tricky part.

I can't take credit for this idea.  Here's the link for anyone wanting to make penguin cupcakes.




The frozen penguin bodies dipped quite nicely and Nabisco has some football-shaped Oreos out right now that are perfect for penguin wings and bellies!  I slapped some white frosting on the remaining naked cupcakes to serve as ocean waves and had then all finished in about an hour.  Phew!

Thank goodness for Melissa's fridge next door that is out of reach of exploratory fingers!  The penguins got to spend the night over there in safety.

Thank you Nabisco for your limited edition football Oreos!

By using my cake spatulas and being careful, I was able to remove the cream from the cookies and use it as the penguins' bellies.  Sure made it easier than trying to frost!

(This didn't work out on the first attempt.  Can you tell who was penguin #1?)

Starburst beaks and mini M&M eyes!  

Look at that sweet little face.  "I can see!"

The day of the party was a bit of a rush, trying to get the house picked up and still needing to pick up the piñata and ice cream.  The piñata was supposed to be ready at 10:00, but we didn't make it out the door until 10:30.  I figured this would give the people making it a little extra time if they needed it.  Apparently not enough.  We got there about 10:45 and didn't leave until 11:15.  I'll be honest that I was more than a trifle anxious when the lady told me it would be about 10 more minutes.  I had ice cream to get still too!  And the party was starting in two hours!  (Not to mention that James was doing some dental work that morning so I had all four kids with me again.)  Another five minutes and Landon had to go to the bathroom.  (Thank goodness for empty lots next door!)

The penguin turned out really cute and we were given an official piñata wacker for having to wait.  We also walked out with a table cover and two sets of invitations that the kids had thrown in Timmy's car seat.  (I ran those back in.  Scary how easy it is to shoplift!)

A blazing trip through Fry's - gotta love the new car carts that can hold four kids and are actually maneuverable! - and we made it home right at noon.  I was starting to panic a little just trying to get myself to focus on what I really needed to have done (piñata stuffed, beaks cut out, cupcakes and plates set out), and get that done first instead of just what I would like to have done (cute decor along with all of the above).  Bless Melissa for stopping by and helping with a quick pick-up.  The kids took charge of stuffing the piñata...and themselves!

They're addicted to Dum-Dums.

Maya was the first guest to arrive and couldn't wait to tell me what she had brought Trevy.  So sweet!

Nik and Nastia were next, followed by Josh (who wrapped his present himself in a huge baby bag with a single sheet of tissue paper.  I love it!  I love watching kids learn.  They're so funny!) and Cairn, Cerise and Carrie.

By 1:30, I knew we needed to get the games going or we were going to bore the punctual crowd and run out of time for everything.  (Bless Nastia and Carrie for staying for the party because James was running way late.)  It felt just like preschool!  Nastia held the white board Melissa had drawn a penguin on for us, Carrie put names on the front of the beaks and tape on the back and I spun the kids and kept Landon's hat over their eyes.  (Definitely a time when a big head comes in handy!  It was sooooo much easier using Landon's red ball cap then having to retie a bandanna every time!)

Around 1:45, the cousins - Madelyn, Vivian and Emerson - arrived and the living room got really full.  We played Musical Balloons.  I can't say it was the best idea I've ever had.  Definitely would have been easier with a stationary object.  Like a chair, for instance.  ☺

I'm usually one to drag things out at parties.  Not that I plan to, it's just the way things work.  But not this time.  We moved right to the cupcakes and ice cream.  They were a big hit!  So cute!

So many little impatient fingers.  Again, nice to have more adult hands (Bridgette, Daniel and Leah were also here at that time) to help pass out cupcakes before they were assaulted.

Black and red frostings are tricky.  They stain really well.  The kids all had the appearance of going for the goth look.

Hopefully no parents are mad at me.  We really did try to get faces and hands wiped as soon as kids were finished.  I asked them all to come see me as soon as they were done eating so I could help them wipe their faces before they went out to play or have Melissa paint a penguin on their cheek.



Vivian was hilarious - she started out the door and I asked her if I could wipe her face first.  She picked up her dress, wiped her face and told me she was all clean.  (Sorry, Yvonne!)

Most of the kids were happy to have Melissa to paint their cheeks.  Cairn is a girl after my own heart and would only allow the paint to go on her hand.

Madelyn was first.

Vivian wouldn't sit still.  

Landon was more than happy to comply.

The palette.  How fitting that we had given Melissa a penguin plate last year for Christmas!

Trevy got her face painted and ran inside.  I wanted to get a picture of all the kids with their penguin cheeks standing around the penguin piñata.  Most of them were more than happy to stand around the piñata, but we couldn't see Trevy. Turns out she had gone back in to finish eating her ice cream, all by herself.  Bridgette brought her out and she announced to us that she didn't have "a silly goose penguin" on her cheek anymore.  Apparently she had washed it off as soon as she had gone back in.

I know, we're missing someone - Callie.  She was still getting worked on.
Just didn't think the rest of the natives would wait patiently for too long.







At long last, it was time for the piñata.  As is tradition in the Brimhall family, we went youngest to oldest.

Cairn

Nikolai

Waiting so patiently

Avery

Callie

Landon - I love this smile!!!

Vivian

Trevlyn

Madelyn

Josh

Maya - she only looks nice...  ☺

Brennan - he got there just in time!

And Timmy for the finish...but no.

We went through all the kids and half the adults before the penguin was finally broken enough to pour the candy out.

Daniel went first but we weren't able to get a good shot.

Bridgette and her mad Highland Games skills

Chance took a couple of swings too.  (We limited the adults to two.  I know you're impressed with the spelling, huh?)

Missa - better the penguin than the kids... ☺

Christian with a little kung fu - so close!

Honestly, this is the best one of Leah.  But it had to go in because...

 She broke the piñata wacker!

The kids were getting tired of waiting for candy by this point...

So Carrie took the matter, literally, into her own hands.

The final event was the balloon making.  It was already about 2:50 at that time and I knew parents who weren't already there would be coming soon.

So, when someone reminded me that we hadn't even done presents yet, I came up with the idea that those who brought presents could get them and give them to Trevy one at a time.  Whoever's present was being opened could pick their animal and we would see if Christian could make it before Trevy got the present opened.  That idea was a major flop because Trevy couldn't wait that long between presents and Landon decided to help!  He had Strawberry Shortcake open before anyone noticed!

Here's the stash that Trevy had opened about halfway through the balloon making.  (Dress-up make-up from Maya, ring toss from Josh, Strawberry Shortcake from Nik, flower clips, crayons and glosses from Cairn and Cerise, wedding Barbie from Emerson and ballerina Barbie from Madelyn and Vivian.  Thank you cards should be going out soon!)

Most of the balloon wonders and their new owners.

Nik and his axe

Josh and his monkey

Maya with her tiger

Emerson with his snake -
best balloon snake mouth I've ever seen!

Making the dolphin for Madelyn

Madelyn wouldn't hold her dolphin still for me

Callie couldn't make it through the party so we ordered another balloon elephant for her.

Sweet little sleeper.

                                                                                     

Timmy with Melissa's lion and my awesome dragonfly!

I love that the girls all wanted to do make-up and nails right away.  Such girlie little girls!

Maybe just a tad thick...

But if you've got it, flaunt it!  ☺

It was a fun party.  Maybe a bit overdone, but I love doing things for my kids!  Already looking forward to the next party but glad we have a few months to recuperate.  (Or can you do that during the holidays?)  Thankfully, it will also only be a family party.  Thinking the kids will all have their first "friend" party at 5.  Maybe another at 7, 9 and 12.  We'll see.

In all the excitement, I had completely forgotten that I had a couple more gifts for Trevy - a Doodle Pro glow (not too impressed with it, I'll be honest) and a Curious George book.  Still trying to stick with the mantra "something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read" when giving presents to my kids.  Four presents strikes me as more than sufficient for birthdays and Christmas.  And, although something to wear and something to want can duplicate a category, it does help so that everyone gets at least one thing they want and not all four items in the same category.

Another cute Callie moment: the make-up kit that Maya gave Trevy has a few princess rings in it.  Of course, they weren't in the case for long and, at one point, Callie handed one to Timmy.  I took it and handed it back to her and asked her not to give them to Timmy, as the rings are small enough that he can choke on them.

So that night, as I was rocking Timmy, Callie came in and, with her serious face (which I love.  She does the eyebrows and everything!) told me, "Timmy eats Cheetos.  Not rings."  Yes.  Timmy eats Cheetos.  ☺  Gotta love these kids!