Race Car Birthday

It’s the day before my son’s 10th birthday…

10 years! Double digits!  I can’t even believe it.  It feels like just yesterday we were walking past a shiny red Corvette and he literally stopped in his tracks, as a 5 year old, stared at it, then turned to me with the biggest cherry bright eyes, just gobsmacked.  The car obsession began right then…

Bryson’s 5th Birthday Party

5 years ago, my son was in pre-k, getting in trouble for poking kids at circle time, the only kid wearing a bike helmet on the preschool playground (with his “risk-taker” mind, you bet I sent him with a helmet!), and was obsessing over cars, cars and more cars.  So guess what?  We had a CAR themed birthday party!

The Buffet Table

Details

I don’t usually buy too many “theme-y” items for my parties, but I couldn’t resist these tire cups!  How adorable are they?  Give me a circle cutter and a sheet of printable sticker paper and now you have a custom set of wheels, made especially for that birthday boy!

Custom paint cans?  You bet!  Take empty paint cans (purchasable at any hardware or paint store) adorned with the custom logo and you have another easy, custom display.

Games

GAME 1: oil can stacking.  I mean what 5 year old doesn’t have his own oil can labels? 😉

All the kids got into it!  Some were very serious. Some were not quite sure how to stagger cans to stack them.  But by the end, kids were asking to do it again and again.  I am thankful to say that no tears were shed ‘cuz there’s no crying in racing. 😉

GAME 2: car beanbag toss.  I found this car game online too (ok, maybe I AM a sucker for a theme!)  Pretty inexpensive, and ready to use at the NEXT race party (I may have repeated this theme for the end of year party for my daughter’s class.  Resourceful, right?! 😉 )

CRAFT and GAME 3: Design your own race car, then RACE that balloon powered vehicle on the road!!!

GAME 4: Pinata!  I am pretty sure I found this at Winco (they have the best pinatas for the best price!) and just added the #5 on the side!  Thank goodness it was in the color-scheme of the party 🙂 .

Note: this was SOOO STRESSFUL!!!  A stick and 5 year olds… just not the best idea.  No matter how controlled you made it, no matter how many adults you had on hand, there is such a huge chance of someone getting hurt.  I am glad we did it, but I think that was a 1 and done party pinata experience 😉 .  

FINAL DETAIL: the cake!

Remember when you were young, … and so ambitious…and would make your kids birthday cake from scratch, tinting the perfect yellow frosting and adding fondant lettering?!!!!  (I know. I am crazy. Pretty sure my sis could –and maybe has–diagnosed me! LOL!)  The “pedestal cake plate” was a wrapped piece of wood placed on top of a large can of tomato sauce I wrapped with checkerboard paper.  I don’t even think I glued it…  Who’s the risk-taker now?! (My mom would be laughing…cuz, I’m the least riskiest person there is!  Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, right Mom? 🙂 )

We had quite the party 5 years ago.

What are we doing this year, you ask?  A LOT, but at the same time, not much! B wanted to invite his closest buds, 5 boys, to come over for a sleep-over along with the LONGEST PLAY-DATE EVER!!!  No seriously.  No custom logos.  No labeled waterbottles.  Just his best buds, hangin’ out.

But not JUST hangin’ out.

On a walk last week, he made his list of “Bryson’s favorite things”…

• video games
• badminton in the backyard
• dinner: burgers and fries
• movie marathon: Cars (hmmm….still loves cars 🙂 )
• dessert: angel food cake topped with strawberries and whipped cream (no custom flames…I’m a little sad about that.)
• sleepover
• minecraft in the morning
• nerf gun battle
• breakfast: Belgian waffles with syrup and powdered sugar (I offered whipping cream and he said no. 😉 )
• Baseball at BSE
• basketball out front
• Lunch: pizza
• put put challenge in the hall
• legos
• hotwheels
• say GOODBYE!!! (and mom and dad pass out!)

I mean, the party IS for him.  Why shouldn’t we just all do his favorite things?  You only turn double digits once… and then it’s all down hill from here. 😉

Do you have boy?  Is he car obsessed?  I don’t understand it.  But I love it!  and I love YOU, Bryson Manos!  Happy birthday, bud! xoxo!

Love, Mama