Some outtakes and candids from Sammy's birthday party

As soon as Sammy's interest in airplanes sparked a few months back, I knew I had to track down a vintage Fisher Price airport for him (and me and Captain Husband) to play with; I managed to find one on eBay a few weeks back for less than $6 (!) so the matter of Sammy's birthday present was settled.  I set it up in the kitchen and it was definitely the highlight of the day--every kid that walked through played with it and just about every parent in attendance made the comment along the lines of, "I used to have that when I was a kid!"  I'll admit that the party planner/photographer in me had hopes of using the airport as a pseudo cupcake stand, but I didn't have the heart to wrest it away from the birthday boy, so I made do with a cake stand instead.

I managed to time the party so that everyone could enjoy the shaded patio--the sun comes out at full blast on that side of the house by 3 pm; most of the party guests alternated between sitting outside and enjoying the food fresh from the grill and sitting inside under the cool breeze of the ceiling fans.  Captain Husband manned the hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill, while my mom and I had prepped most of the other food earlier that morning, like fruit salad, pasta salad, spinach dip, and a veggie tray.

While the adults munched and talked, the kids kept themselves busy with Sammy's toys and the inflatable pool that we had set up just for the party (Sammy tested it out in his pajamas earlier that morning to make sure everything was up to his high standards).  I don't know what we would have done without the pool--it kept the kids happy and occupied, not to mention cool.  We let the kids run around and play for about an hour and a half and then it was time for cupcakes and cookies.

 

We all sang Happy Birthday to Sammy and then it was time to dig in--the cupcakes, or rather the frosting, were a huge hit with Sammy's guests.  I'm pretty sure more than a few of the cupcakes wound up scalped of their yummy buttercream frosting.

And it wouldn't be an airplane party until Sammy made his airplane cookie fly, complete with the requisite sound effects.  I think he was rather upset when I told him that the cookie was for eating, not playing, but the sugar sprinkles seemed to help change his mind.  All in all it was a great birthday party, especially considering that there were at least ten kids in attendance age six and under, and there wasn't a single horrible tantrum or melt-down to be had.  And while I may have overdone it a bit (hence my trip to the hospital on Monday), I couldn't be happier with how it all turned out and I know that Sammy had a great time on his birthday.