Addison had a hard time committing to a birthday theme this year. Every time we talked about it, she would change her mind. UNTIL she told me she wanted a "hula girl Hawaii party". You see, this child of mine takes after her mother, and her grandmother whom her middle name is after. She is obsessed with Hawaii. For most of the last year, she has asked me anywhere from 2-5 days per week if we can move to Hawaii. The last time she was there, I was pregnant with G, so she was maybe 18-19 months old --- there is no way she remembers it. What she does know about it, is that the sun shines and it is warm everyday. That she could play outside EVERY DAY there. That she would never have to wear socks there (which is a bit of a battle with her in the colder months...and also one I completely understand). Barefoot is in her blood. SUNSHINE and warmth sound perfect to her. She is a true fish since the day she could splash in the water. So it is no wonder that she has an obsession with Hawaii.
For now, we will continue to vacation in Maui... and have a Hawaiian 5th Birthday party!
I wanted to keep it fairly simple, which was hard - but this theme was so fun, I seriously could have gone nuts, so I had to reign myself in. Originally, I was thinking of fun luau type food, but then I thought about what my 5yr old likes to eat...and it didn't match up. Afterall, this was HER party. So we had butterfly shaped PB&J's (and sub sandwhiches for the adults), lots of fruit...the stuff she really likes.
Every child received a lei when they arrived. I attached cut out hibiscus flowers with their names on them, and below that, their names in Hawaiian. Look up your Hawaiian name here! Why not, it's fun.
The food spread
Sub sandwhiches, Butterfly shaped PB&J's, Fruit with marshmallow/cream cheese dip, carrots with ranch dip. I cut up my first pineapple ever for this party. I know it's not a big deal, but I was proud of myself :)
Chips (had to have Maui sweet onion), Goldfish
Cupcakes (Addison picked funfetti...I don't do from scratch on those). I did however make the buttercream frosting from scratch and that was good and SO easy. I will never buy chemical-ridden store bought frosting again. I added a lot more vanilla, and used vanilla almond milk since we don't do cow milk at our house. Kept drinks super simple with 100% juice capri suns, and bottled water. My kids don't usually get juice, and if they do, they get one of those kinds with the vegetables in it too, and then I cut it in half with water (yes, I am THAT mom), but I had just learned that the Capri Sun's are all clear...which means no stains on my carpet - perfect! Did I mention I also didn't have to buy cups or keep refilling a punch bowl?
And THIS is her hula girl cake. I was quite proud of this lovely lady! Addison was so excited for me to make her one, and I was quite nervous I would disappoint. Ya see, I can't even frost a cupcake pretty... I have tried those special idiot-proof tips, and I just end up having to spread it on with a butter knife...I don't even try anymore. SO, you can see why I was nervous for this cake. Cake decorating is just not my thing - I have a couple friends who sculpt masterpieces out of fondant, but it's not my talent. Oh and it was SO easy!! All I did was use the Wilton Wonder Mold pan. I bought it for $5 off craigslist from a lady who attempted and failed once...encouraging right!?! When she gave it to me, she said, "good luck" with a smirk. Sure glad I didn't let that intimidate me too much. I had full intentions of a practice cake, but that never happened. So I made this cake in the special pan, (which I had to cook much longer than the instructions told me in order to get the cake cooked all the way through) and I bought one of those little legless dolls for doll cakes. I raided Addison's barbie clothes for a bikini top for her to wear. Then all I did was spread green buttercream frosting all over the cake, kind of thick... and then took a fork and used that to make it look like grass. And amazingly, it turned out, who would have thought :)
Favors for the kids: sand buckets, with Hawaiian temporary tattoos, fruit snacks, each girl got a flower hair clip, bubbles (don't get me started on these...I ordered these bright bubbles that looks tropical and were priced well...and when they arrived, they were the tiniest bubbles I have ever seen. ever. I gave each child two since they likely would blow 6 bubbles each). Oh and each kid got their lei when they got there, so that was kind of a favor too.
For games....what to do with these children!! I came up with "pin the coconut on the palm tree" and that worked well. I bought the palm tree cut out, and then I printed out pictures of a real coconut on cardstock paper. I wrote each kid's name on their coconut so they would be able to keep track of which one was theirs. We also played "Hot Potato" with the bright orange fish in the picture above.
My two blondies. And as our sweet birthday girl waited to blow out her candle, she instead lifted her little brother up and let him blow out her candle - how sweet is that?! She is such a great, thoughtful big sister.
And here is one more of our birthday girl (sporting an "Aloha" tattoo) handing out cupcakes.
Overall, it was a really fun party and Addison had a great time! Now I have less than a month before it's time for her brother's party!
Invitations, cupcake toppers, birthday banner, and favor tag were all DIY and designed by Pink Monkey Prints - excellent, speedy service, great prices, and SUPER CUTE designs :) I just had to print everything and put it together.
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