Connor's Birthday Party!

I have sat down 3 times now to make a scrapbook page of this day so you didn't have to look at 30 photos. But something keeps happening and I have had many requests to see the photos. So here they are. That was the invitation above. We had a Thomas themed party. Yes we had a train cake (not party because we weren't allowed to have a party at 2 because they would never remember it, says daddy) last year but he was very adamant that he wanted a Thomas birthday cake! So who am I to tell a 3 year old what he "really" wants? So Thomas party it was! We invited all of the 18 Sr. Nursery kids. Luckily only 9 could come.

Yes folks, that is the best photo you get with 11 3 year olds! I had all of these grand plans for the party but I quickly realized that plans must change when my son was the only one that truly grasped the concept of Red Light Green Light.

There were some fun things we did do to decorate for the party. First, I had Mike draw train tracks up our driveway


Then I found these cute sippy cups for each of the kids:
I sent Mike to the grocery store for balloons. We about died at the $1 a balloon price. But the real kicker was the $9 they charge for the Mylar Thomas balloon. Oh and 2 balloons had popped before the party even started!

And of course I had lots of fun decorating the cake (But I really missed my cake making buddy Maren this year!):

If you look really close, you can see where Connor was found "driving" Thomas on the tracks. I had hid the cake on the top shelf of the refrigerator. He pushed a chair over and started driving Thomas on the tracks while mom and dad were busy setting up for the party. At least I knew he really thought it was cool!

But by far the best decoration of all was a last minute suggestion by my husband. He pulled out his model train that we usually only use for Christmas and set it up on the table.
When the kids arrived, I had different stations set up. I had two Thomas tents with Thomas books in them for the kids to read. We had another station where we set up our wooden Thomas track set that we have. The third station was a Thomas computer and Thomas telephone set. But for the most part, the kids just sat around the table staring at Mike's cool train.

Once all of the kids arrived, we tried to pull them away from the train to go outside and play games. Connor just wanted to sit and "watch the train." Finally we talked them all into going outside. That is when I tried to teach them red light, green light. Connor grasped it pretty well. He would say "Guys! She said RED light. That means STOP!" But I quickly realized that we needed a new game. So we attempted Percy, Percy Thomas (played like Duck, Duck, Goose). That game failed before it even really started. No body grasped the concept of running after Connor and I. So then I pulled out the two Thomas tents and did a race. We stuck 4 kids in each tent and had them race. They just kept running right past the finish line. Let's face it! They really didn't care who "won" or "lost". They just enjoyed running and screaming with each other. I was going to do a coal brigade (tinfoil balls from one bucket to the next.) and a few other games but instead, we let them run in the back yard. We had present time and cake time and then I pulled out a few Thomas books and read to some of the kids while the others ran around again.

Connor had a great time and loved having his "friends" come and play. But we deeply missed his good friends from Vegas!

He was so stinkin' cute handing out the "Track Sacks" that I made. (Inside was a CD of "Connor's Favorite Tracks" (52 songs many from a CD called Wee Sing Fingerplays), a whistle (Sorry Mom's), Thomas Stickers, Playdough (with the stickers removed and a new Thomas sticker stuck on the container), Sidewalk Chalk to make their own tracks at home, and a few other things that I can't remember.


After everyone left, we got to break open the toys and play!

Yea! He got the Pizza set that I wanted to get him!
He has played with it a lot but the true lover of the pizza set is:
She will decorate pieces and them come bring one slice to me and then take one slice to daddy in his office and then one slice to Connor wherever he is playing. Thankfully Connor is usually nice enough to share with her.

It is times like this that I am so glad I had them 13 months apart:
I think he had a really good time. Luckily he hasn't continued asking me when his birthday party is going to be again. He seems to grasp that that is a special event that doesn't happen over and over again. But, he does ask me MANY times a day "if we can get daddy's train out to watch it some more."