It’s a Dinosaur Party!

So, yesterday was the big day! It was finally party day, the day we have been anticipating for weeks. Party day for me is wide open. I wake up cleaning. Thanks to Jeremiah’s encouragement, I still took an hour out of the day that was just for me. I went to spinning class! I am so glad I did. My instructor, Lacey at MH Yoga Health Studio, is wonderful! She really kicked my butt, but it also gave me energy that lasted all day. After spinning and getting showered and dressed, I hit the ground running as I cleaned, decorated, and cooked. I only sat down for 7 minutes, when Jeremiah brought me a subway sandwich. I know that it was only 7 minutes, because I had pasta boiling and the timer went off. Wesley has always loved dinosaurs, so he chose a dinosaur theme. All morning the boys were more than excited. They couldn’t think about much else besides the party and it was clouding their judgement. We had to get on to them several times. It was as though you could see the excitement radiating through their little bodies. Finally, 2:00PM came and it was party time!

As guests began to arrive, we had them decorate a “paleontologist” hat. There was a table set up with hats and more dinosaur foam stickers than anyone has ever seen in one place. It was fun and interesting to see the kids work on these. William put three stickers on his hat. Wesley, strategically placed stickers on his hat until it was covered. This hat was supposed to be worn during the dinosaur egg hunt. However, the hunt was about an hour into the party and I totally forgot to have the kids grab their hats before they began. Whoops. Still, they had them to play with and take home. For the egg hunt, Jeremiah and I hid over 100 filled eggs. Most were filled with little dinosaurs, but others had candy or little trinkets in them. I also had brown paper bags, with a fun “Dinosaur Egg Hunt” picture glued to them for the kids to put eggs in during the hunt. So, I passed out bags and we gathered all the kiddos at the “starting line” and yelled “on your mark, get set, go!” Running with excitement, they took off! I’m pretty sure they found every single egg in less than 10 minutes. The rest of the party was spent munching on food and getting our faces painted! On the way out, party guests were able to “Adopt a Dinosaur.”

Face painting was an excellent idea! We used Rachel at Cloud 9 Face Painting and Creative Services. She was absolutely amazing. Rachel was kind and patient with the kids. I ended up booking her for two hours, which I’m extremely glad I did. A few kids had their faces painted twice, and of course I needed mine painted too! We didn’t have to rush it, which made it a great fit for the party. It was a big hit all around.

Jeremiah and I were a little bummed about one thing. No one from Wesley’s class came this year. Wesley didn’t notice. So, that was good. Still, we knew. We know it is a busy time of the year. More vacations and outdoor activities are being planned. It’s close to Easter and prom. It just made us a little sad. We both know that Wesley is a great kid with a cool personality, so there’s nothing to worry about.

The party was a huge success. Most importantly, Wesley felt special and enjoyed his friends being here to celebrate with him. I believe everyone else had a great time too, including the parents. I’m posting pictures below!