A fairy & pirate birthday bash

All that Mya wanted was a pool party for her birthday this year--with all of her friends, and with fairies.

Because I love fairies so much mom, and I love all my friends she told me.

So I looked at this little blondie, staring at me with those baby blue eyes and I hatched a plan.
A plan that meant that we celebrated her birthday a bit early this year, to avoid the cold that October undoubtedly brings and to be able to enjoy the heat and sun of September with all of her friends in the pool.

And this plan would have worked out perfectly, if I hadn't unknowingly chosen the coldest day of September as the party date. So as we cursed the weather network, telling us that rain, wind and cooooold air would be sharing the day with us, we tried willing the sun to come out with no avail.

So two hours before the party guests arrived, still hoping for the heat to creep through the chill, I begrudgingly planned last minute for an indoor party and brought pretty much all of it inside.

But you see, what I didn't plan for was that these kids wouldn't feel the cold. So as the wind blew through the backyard, and as winter coats were pulled over sweaters (seriously..there were winter coats)---these kids wanted to go swimming. SWIMMING! 
And their super parents went in with them.

So she got her pool party. Cold and all. And she loved it.

Because this year her birthday bash was a bit different than previous years. Life is changing as another year has passed.  Mya has now made her own group of great friends from school and still has her wonderful friends from outside of school, so for the first time in her little 4yr old (almost 5yr old) life she got her very own big girl party, she called it. A party where she specifically chose each and every friend who was invited and where the guest list was literally half the size of our regular joint birthday parties (hers and her brothers combined as we've always done, like their western cowboy party)--which meant that she could then have age appropriate games, activities, prizes and fun with a small group of friends. So Carter got a special day with his Papa going to an air plane show that day (and will get his birthday celebration in October) and Mya got her big girl party. Both thought they won the lottery. Clearly.

So...here is her fairy birthday party (with pirates of course, for the boys).



 A tutu and flower headband is a must when you're a fairy...

so we dressed her up and apologized to her for not being able to find teeny tiny wings...because, well, they're a must too, if you're a fairy.

So we had a dress up station for the kids as they walked in the front door, and each little fairy got some wings, a tutu, and a homemade flower headband  (*you can make your own too with just a glue gun, some artificial flowers and plastic headbands).  And the boys were given a pirate hat and eye patch...





then they were sent over to paint a fairy house--because if you put these little bird fairy houses outside in your backyard, fairies will come when you're sleeping...they really will.

And the rest of the party was full of yummy treats, including a KitKat cake that I decorated the morning of...

 

 

and games where you passed the present until the music stopped, and until every single layer was unwrapped...

and where empty boxes of nothing but another present inside were meant to trick unsuspected little people...

until that final layer was ripped apart, revealing a bag of treats for everyone--because everyone is a winner when you're turning 5yrs old.

And where little people were told that fairies snuck into our house when we weren't looking and they were sending us on a treasure hunt to find the hidden treats--so little fairies and pirates tore through our house on a search for the next hidden clue telling them where to go next, until they found that sparkly bag left by the fairies with mini chocolate bars in it for everyone.

Then they were sent outside and handed either a piece of paper with a fairy on it coloured a certain colour, or a pirate ship coloured a certain colour--and they had to go find 5 fairy wands or 5 pirates that matched their colour...because sneaky fairies secretly hid them around our yard when no one was looking.

and when they finally found their 5, they won!..and they got to go to the Treat Man---and they chose from the bucket of yummy treats, rings, stickers, bracelets or tattoos.

Then, just when we figured their sugar high was just about perfect...they all jumped in the pool, these crazy kids.

And we all pretended that it was sunny and hot.

So after opening some amazing gifts from some amazing friends,

we said goodbye to all of the pirates and fairies, and sent them home with their very own bubble wand...bedazzled with some fancy flowers and ribbon for the fairies (I love my glue gun), and rugged, burlap tied pirate patches for the pirates.

Then just as the last guest waved goodbye, the fun started up all over again on our court as skateboard ramps were positioned just so...and neighbours poured out to finish off the day with some fancy bike, scooter and skateboard tricks. Because, clearly the party must go on.

So thank you all of Mya's friends who gave her the party that she wished for. And as I tucked little legs into fleece jammies that night, I decided that the cold, the wind and the clouds was maybe exactly how it was supposed to be that day. Because to Mya, it was perfect. 

Happy (early) 5th birthday my sweet girl. 

Love, mom xox