When we first started brainstorming ideas for an easy, summery, gender-neutral theme, we fell in love with the idea of a luau. It's tropical, fun for all ages, the food would be delicious, and the decorations would work for boys and girls. We could have pretty tropical flowers for Riley and surf boards and sea creatures for Kaden and Jack. Jordan picked up some fun decorations at Party City while she was in the States and, with lots of elbow grease and help from friends, we managed to put together a really great event!
On the menu were BBQ and Sweet 'n Sour pulled pork sandwiches on Hawaiian sweet rolls, meatless meatballs and sticky rice (for the vegetarians in the house), rainbow fruit skewers (painstakingly assembled by Yours Truly), a cute hummus island surrounded by a sea of fresh veggies (complete with carrot palm tree), beautiful tropical cupcakes made by a friend in the squadron, and mandarin orange sail boats in blue jello for children whose parents don't want them to consume TOO much sugar before nap time. ;^) We also had an inflatable pool filled with ice where we stashed our water bottles and juice boxes. And in the back, we had some adult beverages including a vat full of some sort of spiked tropical punch called a "Bahama Mama". I hear it was quite tasty.
We decorated the room with colorful plastic table clothes, bright fresh flowers, lots of printed pictures of the babies as well as some of my favorite Hawaii travel photos. Jordan made some cute tissue paper grass skirts for the babies' high chairs. We also had all kinds of fun tropical paper plates, napkins, balloons and a big 'Happy Birthday' banner draped across the back wall. Normally the giant, plastic potted plants in our tower's rec room are an off-putting distraction, but today they worked in our advantage. We topped that all off with a playlist of luau music and - presto! - instant island atmosphere.
Of course - the focus was on the babies. The visual representation of that was their birthday cakes. We wanted them to have small, low-sugar cakes that matched but had a unique theme for each baby. Jenny baked the delicious cakes, and we got together to ice them with a low-sugar cream cheese frosting. Then we ground up some Nilla wafers to make edible sand to sprinkle over the cakes. We placed them on blue plastic plates so they looked like little tropical islands. Then each mom customized her cake for her baby. Riley's had a big, pink, tropical flower and gold, sprinkle "glitter". Jordan iced some oblong rice crackers and stuck them on top so they looked like surf boards resting in the sand. Kaden LOVES animals and the movie Finding Nemo, so I made some candy sea creatures and drew some waves in blue icing on the front of the cake. I think they turned out beautifully!
I was glad to see that many of our friends got into the theme and dressed up in their best luau attire. Kaden looked so cute in his Hawaiian shirt and tan shorts! We love our growing boy and were so happy to spoil him on his big day!
After we made the rounds, mingling with our friends, and enjoyed some delicious food, it was time for cake! We put the babies in their high chairs and gathered around to sing. We asked my friend Christy to step in and be my hands since I was taking pictures and James was video taping the proceedings.
Kaden did not enjoy all of the sound and attention so it took him a while to get into his cake. But eventually he sampled the frosting and took a few bites of cake. I was surprised that both boys were very clean and orderly, and little Riley was the one who really got into it. She plunged right in, picked up her cake with both hands, and after smearing herself with cake and frosting, dropped the whole thing on the floor. It was highly entertaining! All the babies needed a bath afterward.
We loved the opportunity to celebrate this special day with our good friends. This journey of parenthood had a very memorable beginning with all three babies being born almost at the same time. Now that first year has a memorable ending. I can't imagine raising our boy in a more supportive community. We are very blessed!
After the cake, the party wound down pretty rapidly. We planned some games for older kids: a limbo contest and musical beach towels. But by the time we got to the games, we only had three participants. So they had a limbo contest and all walked away with prizes. :)
After the party was over, the moms and I breathed a big sigh of relief. We survived the first year. We survived the birthday party. Now it's time to relax and enjoy. Our amazing husbands have agreed to watch the babies for a full day later in September so we can take a trip to Seoul and enjoy a much-needed break. =^D
But till then, no rest for the weary. Our babies needed a bath, the room needed to be cleaned, and we all needed a nap. Thankfully, the babies helped us out. They all kept trying to climb into the kiddie pool full of melted ice and left-over juice boxes while we took down the decorations. Jack and Kaden served as human vacuum cleaners and ate lots of scraps off of the floor before we could sweep up. GROSS! Boys. Gotta love it. There's never a dull day when raising them.
