Chinese Dragon Party

Not only did we have a lot going on with sick people in our household (in addition to Easter Sunday and the kids' birthdays) this past week or so, we also had the kids' parties in the mix and a special visitor here for the occasions.

From being sick for almost a week, my house was completely out of control when he arrived. When I apologized for the mess, Grandpa just said not to worry about it; you could tell the wife/mother had been out of commission. While Dave did an incredible job, it's obvious keeping up with things around here takes two! There were piles of laundry (both clean and dirty), dishes to be washed, toys littering the floor, Easter goodies spread about, shoes strewn here and there, etc., etc., etc. See what I mean (and this is just the downstairs!):

With every room a disaster, Monday morning with Easter behind me and a bit more energy than I'd had for days, I got to work. We were having Caleb's birthday supper that evening and Hadley's party at the house the next day, which meant there was no time to waste. I spent the morning grocery shopping and picking up party supplies before coming home to start lunch and cleaning. Meanwhile, Daddy and Grandpa kept up with the little ones and even took them outside for a bit to enjoy the beautiful weather.

After picking up all the Easter stuff to get my formal living room back in order, cleaning the kitchen, and tidying where I could, things still didn't look much improved. Nonetheless, I had another more pressing project to complete that afternoon. When the kids went down for their naps, Mommy got to work on this:

I found this dragon cake on Pinterest and thought it looked doable, so I tweaked the original a little and came up with a slight variation. 

I love making cakes, but when I first got started, I was feeling rushed and beginning to get pretty anxious. Though it may seem silly, I know that when I get stressed, I begin to grow impatient, so I just started praying that God would help me so I wouldn't be overwhelmed and He did. Sometimes I can't get the icing to go on smoothly like I want, but not that day. He was helping me not get frustrated.

It turned out just as well as I'd hoped, and may even be my favorite cake I've ever made.

Yep, a dragon cake. That's what I spent the afternoon doing when there were so many other things that needed tending. And, why?

Back in the summer, Caleb got on this kick about black Chinese dragons being his favorite animal. I tried to explain that they aren't real, but he told me it didn't matter - they were still his favorite. 

When we started talking about what he wanted for his birthday theme this year, originally the plan was maybe to do some type of camping trip. However, out of the blue one day, he changed his mind, and can you guess what he wanted? 

Yep - a black Chinese dragon party.

I had no idea how I was going to pull off that theme, and to be honest, I wasn't too excited about it. Then, the thought popped into my head to hold it at a Chinese restaurant in town and go from there. No need to decorate, the food would be prepared....win/win, right?

At first, Caleb was up for the idea, and later wavered about whether or not he wanted a party at all. Finally though, in the end, he decided dinner with a couple friends and his grandparents would be a pretty good way to celebrate.

After the location was finally decided, Pinterest didn't let me down when it came to planning the rest. A few printable dragon masks, some tips on how to make paper lanterns, and examples of "fire-breathing" dragon favors were all we need. Voila! A party!

But more than the decor and activities, we needed guests to celebrate. I was afraid Caleb might want to invite a ton of kids from his class, but he was satisfied with just inviting two of his best friends from school as well as his cousin Dan and his grandparents. (At first he told me none of the adults could come except Dave and I - and we were only allowed since the kids needed protection. But, I guess he forgot about that along the way. Silly boy!) 

Dan and his friend Chase weren't able to join us, but Max's family as well as Aunt Courtney and all his grandmas and grandpas came.

I wasn't sure if the kids would be interested in coloring these masks at all or if they'd even have time to do it since we were at a buffet and wouldn't have to wait on our order. They all started working busily though, creating their works of art while the waitress took everyone's drink orders and their parents built their plates.

Though it was a small affair, I think everyone had a good time. At least, I know the kids did. Caleb and Max were all smiles and bubbling with excitement the whole time we were there.

Reid didn't care too much what the bigger kids were up to; he just kept wanting to run to the other end of the table, going back and forth from grandma to grandma and Aunt Courtney. He especially was fond of Granny's lap; I think he knows she's a sucker for giving him treats!

Things got silly when the fire-breathing dragon faces made their appearance. (While I worked on the cake, I'm so glad Dave took the time to assemble these from the supplies and Pinterest photo I gave him that afternoon. It was a good thing it was him instead of me too, because he had to do a little engineering to get them to work right.) Definitely a hit!

Loving NaNa's face!

You can do it, Reid!

My cake may have turned out looking more like Puff the Magic Dragon rather than a Chinese one (especially since Caleb requested purple icing instead of black at the last minute), but at least he liked it!...The waitress even played the "Happy Birthday" song over the loudspeaker for us to sing along with before we began to divvy up the slices.

Finally, came the presents. One night Caleb was acting very anxious about having any type of party, saying he didn't want any surprises. Another night he even told me he didn't want any presents, which was definitely shocking to hear from a kid his age. However, when the day came, all his nervousness must have fled. He was just the cutest thing as he opened those gifts, exclaiming in awe at each one with such genuine delight over what he'd received. Just like on Easter morning, there was no sense of entitlement...just joy with each unwrapped gift.

Natalia asked me for an idea and I suggested this book that he's been crazy about since we rented it from the library. Sure enough, he giggled all over himself with surprise!

Max made a card and it was cute to see how much Caleb enjoyed his friend's work.

He loves Connect4 at Granny's, so she got him his own set.

Granny also got Caleb a bug catcher and sticker set. He already had one of the sticker books, and it was adorable the way he tried not to hurt her feelings. "I'm sorry to tell you this," he said with remorse, "but I already have one kind of like this."

What a sweet smile.

My mom got him his own real hammer and screwdriver as well as a derby car to build with Daddy!

Grandpa, you did good!

Another win for Grandpa McKinstry!

The kids played a little afterwards and soon it was time to go home.

First date?

The first time we met Natalia and Max was at this restaurant. We took a picture of the boys in their baby carriers in this exact same spot almost five years ago, so we reenacted it here. Both of them had to give us silly faces.

  

When it was all over, I have to say, that I think he picked a good theme after all. We had a great low key dinner together where everyone got a chance to visit and the kids enjoyed one another, plus we got to leave all the mess there at the restaurant when we were finished! Good thinking, Buddy!