Monday, May 21, 2012

Cowboy Party: Happy Birthday Eli

Like I said in B's birthday post, my mother-in-law enjoys hosting birthday parties for her grandchildren.  Four of the five grandchildren's birthdays fall within 6 weeks of one another.  She typically makes a cake and a few decorations that are geared toward each of their interests, but at least one of the parties will include several games.

This year, my mother-in-law went all out for Eli's 5th birthday.  His current pretend play often includes a cowboy, so his party was a cowboy theme.  Not only did the kids have a blast, but the adults did too.

NOTE:  This is a photo overload!!!

Cowboy hats and handkerchiefs were available for everyone.  Boots and stick ponies were available for the kids.

I am so glad I got this photo of my two boys, because B only wore his "get up" for about 2 minutes.  However, we all had the thrill of seeing Sam in his all evening (he looked hilarious).



The birthday boy had just had his cast removed about a week (if I am remembering correctly) prior to his birthday party.  You can see the walking boot on his left foot.





My mother-in-law painted the frame and attached the WANTED sign for some fun family shots.  It was a huge hit and brought lots of LAUGHter to the adults. 


Ummmmmmmmmm, my mug shot face is HORRIBLE.  I couldn't stop LAUGHing.  Plus, every time I looked at Sam I LAUGHed even harder.




Bennett takes after his momma struggling to make a "mug shot" face on command, but the rest of the gang were pros.......


...... including Kyle and Michelle.




Sandy was giving instructions for the first game and of course, my hubby was making us all LAUGH.  This first game was AWESOME!!  We had previously decorated balloons to look like cows and pigs.  The adult men were stealing the cattle and pigs, so the kids armed with water guns were sent to capture them.  Once caught they were handcuffed to a bird cage in the back yard.  There were other rules, but you get the idea.  The kids and adults had an absolute blast.


I so wish these photos weren't blurry, but it does show that boys big and small were on the move and having fun.


Bahahahahahahahahahahahaha....................seriously this photo cracks me up.  Sam in those boots and a light blue hankie and Matthew's facial expression is great.


GOTCHA!!!!





It was starting to rain, so Grandma gave instructions for the next game and off they went.  The goal was to gather the egg in the spoon and carry it back to Grandma without dropping it.  





Due to the rain Grandpa quickly took the bike back to Kyle and Michelle's house and Sam went to pick him up (it's a short ride/drive).  However, a water line from the refrigerator had come loose, so all of the adult cowboys/thieves spent the next few hours cleaning up water :)  The rest of us ate dinner and enjoyed a few more games while we waited for them to return.


They ate dinner upon their return while Eli opened his gifts.





We then finished the night with singing/signing Happy Birthday and eating the yummy ice cream cake  my mother-in-law made.  The kids decorated the horses.    








7 comments:

Sam said...

All the pictures of Sam look like terrible photoshops. :)

Gina Kleinworth said...

HOW FUN!!!!!Looks like a great time!

Sandy said...

Was Matthew using a garbage can lid as a shield from the water guns?!! Seriously!! I'll have to make the rules even more stringent for the thieves the next time! :-) Wonderfully fun photos, Amber, capturing some of the moments I missed...and I agree...the memories of watching Sam, Kyle and Matthew SNEAK around stealing the "livestock" bring smiles and joy whenever I think of it...the expressions on their faces and the ienthusiasm with which they got into character was a great gift for the kids...and me! Thank you so much for all the prep help you and Sam gave.

Unknown said...

Love these! Looks like a blast! I hope that when you and I eventually get together the hubbies can meet too, because Sam looks like he likes to have fun like Matt does ;)

Crack You Whip said...

Wow! Looks like ya'll have a lot of fun together! Am I too old to be adopted?

Sandy said...

Amber, I've looked at these 6-7 times already, and still, they make me laugh. Thanks for posting so many photos to help the grandparents and great-grands who aren't local to enjoy the fun.

Amanda said...

The "Wanted" frame made for some seriously funny photos! Looks like a lot of fun. Don't want my little girl and her baby/toddler cousins to grow up too fast, but seeing all the "big kid" fun, does make me look forward to creative family games!