Pizza, cupcakes, balloons. Pizza, cupcakes, balloons. Every time I felt the urge to start eeking toward the full-fledged party, I reminded myself that this little girl will be over-the-top thrilled with just pizza, cupcakes, and balloons. And she was.
Willa had a pretty big party last year, with lots of decorations and lots of people in our not-lots of house. It was a lot. Harper had a low-key third and fourth birthday, so we decided to follow suit with WK. She did say that she wanted a Paw Patrol party, so we decided to do a super basic little get together for her with our closest friends and local family. And it was perfect. My little girl was loved on, celebrated, and made to feel so, so special, but there was very minimal stress or expense. I spent $14 on balloons from the local party store, $4 on dog bowls from the Dollar Tree, $13 on two dozen Paw Patrol cupcakes, $48 on pizza, and $6 on a party game. So, for under a hundred dollars and around an hour of effort, we fed, entertained, and celebrated six kids and fourteen adults.
I set up the kids' party table in the living room, made from our leather ottoman with a piece of plywood on top. I loved how the adults could visit on the other side of the room while still being accessible to the kiddos. And when WK came down from her nap and saw the balloons, dog bowls, and little table settings, she was so excited! And if you can't tell, she was very excited about her Paw Patrol dress. (I didn't include this in the party cost, because she's already worn it three times. I wish I had videoed her opening it up last week because she just couldn't believe it. She'd hug me and squeal, and hug me again in utter appreciation. But, in case you missed that, three times in 10 days. This little dress is earning its keep.)
Somehow Willa has won the birthday weather Powerball because despite her Mid-March birthdate, she has had beautiful, unseasonably warm weather for each of her now three birthdays. The party started at 6, and as friends began to come in, the kiddos went straight outside to swing on the swingset together. It sure made for easy clean up since a lot of the eating was done in the treehouse.
But, before any of that low stress, no stress pizza was served, I asked Sam if he would mind to say a blessing for the food and for the precious little girl we're all here to celebrate when Willa Kate piped up, "I'll pray!" And there in front of her friends, she stood up on her chair and proudly belted, "God our Father..." I didn't get it on video, but hers a peek of her doing it for Kasey earlier in the week.
She prayed, and I cried. All week I've been thanking Him for the precious gift of her life, and here that sweet child is giving praise right back to Him. Oh she makes my heart full. I can't wait to tell the stories of how that darling girl was already praying over the meal for her third birthday.
With this laid back party, I tried to remember-- adults aren't needing to be entertained. It's about the kiddos. So, I gathered the six kids up at the fireplace and read them a Paw Patrol book. And then we played Pin the Badge on Chase. And lastly, we did my little homemade from a free printable on Pinterest game. I printed out 36 badges (6 sets of each of the main six Paw Patrol characters), and hid them around the living room. Each kid got a sheet with the six characters, and as they found the badges, they needed to glue them to the corresponding character. I had out a few glue sticks, but that didn't seem to be enough, so I grabbed a bottle of liquid glue from my never ending craft stash. I was distracted and trying to help the girls get theirs figured out while opening this glue, and as I was squeezing, the top exploded off and glue flew all the way up to the ceiling (literally), and then back down on to me. Never a dull moment. A little got on my hair and the floor, but it was nothing that couldn't be cleaned up. Remember? Easy low stress, no stress party.
Willa got to sit on our special milk can and open her gifts. Each was met with a heartfelt "oh wow" or "oh my goodness!" or "that's amazing!" This child is so appreciative. Since the Fertitta clan hadn't made it to the house yet when we went ahead and prayed for the food, Willa again sang her prayer for them and she got to finish out her night loving on some of her family and playing with her friends. It was a great party for her, and to be honest, maybe my most favorite party we've had.
Even more celebrating:
Ziplining for Willa Kate's birthday
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