Birthday Camping Party

Ok, get ready for a photo heavy post! There were just so many fun things about this party, that it was too hard to pick out just a couple to share.

PLUS ~ it was my daughter's 5th birthday!! :)

There are tons of people we want to THANK for helping out! We are truly BLESSED with awesome family and friends! You all know who you are.

white chocolate & milk chocolate cocoa powder . mini marshmallows . peppermint bits

Our UNglamorous S'mores bar - we were camping, remember?

The kiddos 'fished' with a pole & a magnet . {my Jenia decorated the fishies}

They also practiced their target shooting . {rubber band gun & styrofoam cups}

Then they made pet rocks {you need a best pallie out in the woods}

They decorated canvas backpacks {fabric markers . poms . jewels . glue dots}

That cutie on the left is mine! :)

The kids also went berry picking {planted strawberry seeds in these teeeeeeny pots}

Upon entering, the kids were welcomed with 'campfire songs'

by a local friend music director I hired

At the end of the party the kids all settled down to listen to "campfire"

{kid-friendly} ghost stories told by a local storyteller that I also hired.

That one is mine in the front with the stuffed animals. :)

We invited the kiddos to come in their jammies. {what's camp without a tent?}

THE birthday cupcake . {strawberry vanilla} . simple as can be!

I had a pics of the cupcake table...but, blogspot is giving me a hard time importing it.

I may have to do it in another post...

paper trees {made by Azila} and mason jar lanterns {made by the hubby}

adorned the tables

Our "campfire" {bought the indoor fire [typically used for rockstar parties] at party city}.

We surrounded {decorated} it with real firewood.

The foodies table . below is the menu pics. :)

chilli . coarnbread . hotdogs . chips . pulled pork sammiches . meatballs & sauces .

chicken wings . vege & fruit platter . desserts

the pics of my daughter i fancied up for the entrance table .

there the kiddos got 'wilderness' explorer name tags {forgot to get a pics of it}

The entrance table with camping figurines that said "Happy Campers"

{from Oriental Trading Company} & the guest book

I got this "UP adventure book" for free from collecting Disney Rewards.

The sign to enter the "Camp" . I forgot to get pics of the ENTIRE setting, where we hung up banner flags between the eating area and the activities area. We also brought in some branchy trees to give it a more 'woodsy' look.

The parents and the kiddos all said they had a good time.

I know we did!

Rawr...A Jungle Inspired Soiree

A last minute venue change took place for the GDG (Go Diego Go) b.a.s.h. It was super ugs weather on Monday...windy, rainy..then windier and rainier before the partay.

Anyways, little birthday gal, Kira, was sooo cute. Annaliza gave her the jungle themed tutu to wear and she accessorized with some pink mid-top chuck taylors. ka-yooot!

So the most challenging part about planning this party was to find a connection behind what Mom wanted (strawberries) and what Kira wanted (GDG.) Annaliza did her homework and discovered that there was an episode of GDG, where their mission is to save Abuelito's farm.

So, we incorporated that storyline when presenting the strawberry cake mom special ordered from an out of state bakery.

The activities for the kids included:

• Face painting & tattoos
• Decorate a goodie box - using stencils, markers, stamps and stickers
• Make a rain stick - using recycled paper board, rice and dry beans
• Explore a station - assortment of I-Spy books, magnifying glasses, finger puppets
• Save the strawberries - white ceramic planters lined with plastic cups so kids could 'plant their strawberries', using ice cream, Oreo's or graham crackers and of course strawberries on top.
• Photo op backdrop - hung up a green canopy, turned a super sized tote bucket upside down for sitting, floor pillows and an elephant for props, along with a variety of animal masks.

The kids had a fun time, even the older ones. Hope you enjoy this little montage...created by Annaliza!

Click Here to Watch Go Diego Go Inspired b.a.s.h.