Party!

MJ's friends came out in full force even though I delivered the invites just 2 days before the party!  With a little help from my in house party planner (Chloe) and my sister, Rebecca, we had a blast!  We played games, ate, and played more!

This was a version of hot potato.  We wrapped up a stuffed animal in about 15 layers of foil.  Our game wasn't as successful as we wanted since someone (Ellie or MJ) spilled the beans that you actually wanted to end up with the 'potato'.  :)  We had music going and when the music stopped, whoever had the potato unwrapped a layer.  The girl to unwrap the last layer got to keep it!  It was Sara.

Above: front - Sierra, Sara, MJ, Isabella, Andi, Coral, Blaire and back - Mollie, Autumn, Ella, Elle, Rayna, Lindsey, Madison, Carmella and our cousin, Cecilee

Then we went in the back yard and played a new and improved game of musical chairs/scavenger hunt. Music played and when it stopped, Aunt Rebecca yelled out an item (one that we had pre-selected, like lipstick sucker) and the girls had to run around the yard and find said item.  We had toys and candy and gum spread all over our mini yard.  :)  When they found the item they raced back to their chairs, and if they didn't get a chair...they were out.  It was hard to make them be out, especially those first couple of girls.  But this ended up being really fun!  If you were out, you still got to scavenge for the item, you just couldn't get back in a chair, so couldn't win the game.

(Chloe played a version of this game at a party recently.  They had to find items like a credit card from an adult who would trust them to give it back, or a business card, or a tube of lipstick.  There were adults at the party too.  It was a bah mitzvah.  She said it was sooo fun!)

After the games, we made little necklaces.  I ordered 'dog tag' style necklaces engraved "Friends Forever! Love, MaryJane" from oriental trading company.  And on the other side of the tag, we let the girls put bling stickers.

And at the end...it was all about the tetherball!  And let me tell you, these girls are serious about tetherball!  We got this for MJ for her birthday.  It has been a great purchase.  The kids are out there all the time!  We love it!  Even though our yard is mini, we can still fit a tetherball.  :)

We had some decorations.  We had everything all turquoise and green.  Turquoise is MJ's favorite color. This picture doesn't do justice to how cute it was.  We had so much fun.  Thanks for having a birthday, MJ!  XXOO