So this year, when Brayden told me he just wanted boys, I was slightly relieved. We ended up having a very small party with just a few of his closest friends from church. Brayden waffled back and forth of his party theme for several weeks leading up to his party. He was all over the map: He eventually decided on ninja turtles. I think the combination of green and swords nailed the coffin on that for him, as he's obsessed with all things green and all things swords.
There are a TON of Ninja Turtle ideas on Pinterest. Most of it I kind of overlooked, as I wasn't looking to get into anything too fancy and time consuming. I did see a pin for a veggie tray that looked like a Ninja Turtle head. I decided to recreate something similar using grapes and strawberries, as I thought those two option would probably be more appealing to 5 and 6 year old boys ;)
I let Brayden pick out his cupcakes from the Walmart bakery. He, of course, picked out the most expensive set this year and had a super fancy cupcake holder that had the entire Ninja Turtle gang on it. Brayden was super excited about it though, so I really can't complain (and I have saved said cupcake holder in hopes that I might get one more use out of it. One can only hope, and my odds are in my favor since I have two more boys ;) ).
We had thought about being organized with party games, but decided to forego order and just let the boys run loose in the backyard. For the most part, everyone had a great time and there were no injuries or huge fights to break up, so all went well in my books.
Brayden had two request for his party: a ninja turtle pinata, and ninja swords. When requests are simple, momma says "DONE."
One of the best parts of a smaller party is fewer gifts. I have always toyed with the idea of just telling people not to bring gifts, but I think that kids at this age really enjoy giving gifts to their friends. Watching the excitement in their eyes as their friends open their gift is so sweet. I loved watching the boys get excited about all the cool games, books and toys.
Drew and I gave Brayden a new bike for his birthday. He was in dire need of a new one, as the 12 inch bike he's been riding for the past 2 years is just a little too small for him ;) He's now on a 16 inch bike!
For party favors we sent each boy home with a plastic samurai sword. It was Brayden's one huge request for his party, and one that I granted since the party was smaller. I was super grateful for the nice weather, as the thought of having 8 boys with swords in my house kind of gives me the chills. ha!
Overall I'd say the party was a smashing success! I still can't believe my biggest baby is turning five this week. If you need me, I'll be hiding under a big pile of kleenex ;)
