Yo Ho Yo ~ A Pirate Party

Arr mateys, this Mommy is going to have to break this Pirate Shin-dig up into a couple different post so it isn't quite so long.  Thinking it will go a little something like this...

Yo ho ho ~ A Pirate Party for Me

My Matey Family & Friends

Cake & Gifts

Our Pirate Boy

So let's get this party started me hardy.  These pirate parents swabbed the deck for a while to plan the perfect little pirate party for our littlest buccaneer.

The invitation that invited all Gavin's mateys to the swash buckling fun at sea.   This year we cut our invitation list in half and it ended up being the best thing we did.  Not that we do not love having lots of folks join us to celebrate our kiddos, however it just got very chaotic having so many people and left little time for us to enjoy our kids and the company.

Gavin's big gift from us was this pirate ship that is so detailed and so much fun.  Daddy spent a couple hours assembling it and is convinced he is capable of building a real ship after this one.  Our little man loved this and it served as a great centerpiece for our craft table during the party.

Every year on our kid's birthdays we put this wooden cake in the yard and tie balloons to it.  It has become a special little tradition and I look forward to passing it down to them one day when they have children of their own.

Our foyer was decked out in pirate loot from the top of the deck to the bottom.  The great thing about this party was having so much of the decor.  We have been collecting stuff for over a year to create the perfect big boy pirate room for Gavin, so all of it came in handy when he declared he was having a pirate party.

A party would not be complete at our house without a candy bar with lots of junk.   The jars were filled with gold coins, gummy sharks, animal crackers, pirate booty, eye patches, compasses, skittle, M&M's and more.  I ordered these chocolate gold coins and had one side stamped with Happy 3rd Birthday and the other side stamped with a whimsical pirate ship. 

The cake table is always my favorite part of our parties.  I love cakes, cupcakes, ice cream and all the little details that make it complete.  I was so excited when I found the weight that had "3T" on it, the perfect finishing touch.

We had the cake done to coordinate with the invitation and it turned out so stinkin' cute.  Our cupcakes were from Sam's and we even had the little blue ones (water) in the pirate boats floating around.  I love all the details that bring a party together, can you tell?

I went the simple route on food (and cheap) this go around.  We served our guest pizza, Pirate Island fruit in a pirate ship (waffle bowl),  Pirate Canons (cheese balls), cake, cupcakes, ice cream, juice, IBC Root Beer and milk.

We decorated our crooked house like a pirate shack and the little pirates were able to "Walk the Plank" right outside their front deck.  Emma is secretly hoping we leave the plank outside all summer, she thought it was the greatest thing ever. 

"You, my little pirate Arrr the treasure" and indeed you are Gavin Thomas Frazier.  We had this sign made for his room and it worked out perfect for the mantle on his special day.  

Check out that balloon pirate ship that we were able to get inside of during the party.  Our pirate face painter/clown made it and delivered it to Gavin before the party.  She was scheduled to do a magic show and treasure hunt for pennies, but we ran out of time after all the face painting.

Each little pirate made their way to get dressed in the cutest little pirate garb and grabbed a sword for a huge sword fight.  It was a blast to watch all the kiddos and adults play with these.

Every good pirate needs a treasure map and balloons, right?  We had these little maps all over our fence line and at the end of the party the kids were running around looking for the hidden treasures.

We turned our Rainbow play scape into a pirates ship that allowed the kids to sail the seven seas.

Last, we had a Pirate Dig set up for the kids to dig through the sand in hopes of finding a golden treasure.  Balloons, balloons and more balloons.  Check out that net full of dinner for all the little pirates to chow down on before bed time.

This my friends is what life is all about at the end of a birthday party.  A happy little PIRATE, super excited to be THREE years old and so thankful for the special people who joined him on his magical day.  Gavin's party actually fell on his real birthday this year, yay!

  Gavin, it was a JOY to do all of this for you sweet boy.