Ahoy, thar Matey!

We've been havin' some swashbuckling fun celebrating D's big 5th birthday this past long weekend, which is why there has been no knitting in sight. D got a pirate-themed birthday this year complete with message-in-a-bottle invitations, pirate-themed games, a treasure hunt, a homemade pirate pinata, costumes, a Pirates of the Carribean cake, and a pirate song with a jig. We had family and friends, old and new to D, all squish into our modest sized home, which was arranged as best we could to maximize space. In the end, the party ended up taking place throughout the entire house, back deck, and garden area. Shiver me timbers! We were super thrilled and grateful to have had some great weather which also helped us spread the party activities out of doors.

For anyone out there planning a birthday party, I highly recommend a themed party. One amazing site from where I got a lot of great ideas was this one. Click on the Winner's Circle to read about award-winning party ideas. I just couldn't stop reading about all the imaginative, detailed ideas that others have come up with for their own parties. I had never planned a themed party before, and ended up being completed engrossed in the theme. I must admit, there was a lot of obsessive work involved, but all the planning paid off in the end. I had enthusiastic participation in all the games and everyone had a lot of fun, which included all the parents who attended. The only person who did not participate in any of the games, unfortunately, was R. The party seemed to have interfered with his usual naptime. Nevertheless, there were lots of compliments all around.



Happy 5th Birthday D! We can't believe our first baby is already getting ready for Kindergarten. Here's a comparison of what D looked like a year ago versus today.



Above is a thank-you card that I'm currently working on for our guests who attended the party. Sorry, I couldn't get it any bigger for you. I'm still just learning how to work with Photoshop.