Are you ready for a serious picture overload? Don't judge. I have accepted the fact that I am that crazy Mom that I always made fun of at kids birthdays. I went over the top and I loved every bit of it! For the last 2 months I have been crafting like crazy getting all of the details worked out for E's party. It was TOTALLY worth it! I was so pleased with the final out come. Now onto the pictures! I thought it was super awesome that the lights outside of our apartment looked SO similar to the light on Sesame Street. So I made a little sign. I made a few boxes with arrows to direct people to our place and a special sign that said Ethnie St. Welcome to Ethnie's World. At first I hadn't planned any activities for the kids but I am SO glad that I did. They were able to play all of the games by themselves which was so nice. The kids played while the adults socialized. The first station was coloring with Elmo. I got most of my inspiration for these games here. Next was Super Grovers First Flight. Jakob made the sling shot last year for our Angry Birds game for Blue & Gold so all I had to do was paint a few balls. I loved how they turned out. This was a game for the older kids. They needed a challenge. Next up, Blowing Bubbles with Big Bird. This was hands down the most popular activity! The kids loved blowing bubbles. So simple! Next was Oscars Trash Toss. The kids really weren't into this one as much but it was super simple to throw together. Then there was the I Spy game. The sign on the door. The Favors. Goldfish crackers with some crayons. The Living Room. A few years ago I went to a birthday party and the Mom had made tons of cardboard cut outs. I fell in love with the idea and rocked some out. I loved how they turned out. They took me approximately 2 hours each to complete from start to finish. Ethnie loved Elmo so much that she would kiss him good night. That right there makes it all worth it. :) I tried my hand at tissue paper garlands. I really love how they turned out. They added a lot of color to the room. And of course we couldn't have an Elmo party without Dorothy the Fish. She was a door prize and Stu & Cortney took Dorothy home. Tissue paper pom poms. These were a piece of cake to make and really filled up those empty spaces. I have learned that 13 pieces for tissue is the magic number. you can get away with 6-8 for the small ones. A few highlights from Ethnie's year. The food Table sans food. We had a taco bar. The streamer wall wasn't as epic as last year but I still loved how it turned out. I took regular balloons and taped them to the ceiling instead of paying for helium. It really finished off the wall and it only took me 3 1/2 hours instead of the 6 hour that canopy took. :) Oh the Elmo pinata. I was happy with the final result but I wish his eyes and nose were smoother. He did his job though and Ethnie liked him and that is all that matters. The cake. *Insert choir of angels here* Seriously.... the best cake ever! Everything about this makes my heart happy. We got our inspiration for him from several places but here is a link to my Pinterest board with them all if you are interested. Duke needed a shot of energy before the crowds came. :) Playing with the bubbles. Let's take a moment to give a shout out to Pa!! He was so wonderful and played with the kids outside for the ENTIRE party! He was everyone's Pa and I am so thankful for him! There's our Birthday Girl!!!! Trying to get Grover into the bucket. It was tricky! The cutest little man! We had a special guest! Elmo came from Sesame Street to meet Ethnie!!! At first E was terrified. She didn't even want to be outside where he was. Don't worry, Pa protected her. Duke one the other hand really wanted to get in there! He really liked playing with his fur! Bella the clown was INCREDIBLE as per usual! I work with the most amazing people. Bella and Elmo made everyone feel so loved and special. Words cannot do my love and gratitude for them justice! They started off with some birthday magic! Then they did some dancing. All the while E was safe with Grampa! Once the started to play the Elmo slide she really warmed up and started to dance with Pa. She was good as long as Elmo kept a safe distance. Duke was fearless. Family Photo. Pa, Elmo, Ethnie & Duke. :) The children then did a treasure hunt. I love how Uncle Duke and Cortney stole some suckers. They make me happy. It was then time for little man's nap which is why he is not in any of the pictures after this. E was finally brave enough to get close to Elmo all on her own. She was so cute in her little chair. I made her her own Abby Cadabby wand. She thought it was pretty neat. Sprinkles!!! Putting in her Birthday Magic! Ta Da! It turned into a yummy cupcake! She had lots of helpers help her take a bite :). Ethnie loved Bella. She jumped up into her arms and didn't want Bella or Elmo to go when it was all over. It was so cute! Tickles from Elmo. Time for Cake. Ethnie was so cute petting Elmo and grabbing his nose. Bye Elmo & Bella Thank you so much for coming to E's party! It was perfect and Ethnie was so happy! The group! We have amazing friends! Time to break the pinata!!! E was so spoiled with all of her presents! I think my favorite was a bum cover from Gramma. It was the perfect way to finish off her little dress. Thank you Gramma!!! Another thank you to Gramma for taking all of the pictures and helping with the cake and food!!! I don't know what I would have done without you! Thank you to all who came!!! You made E's day perfect. I think my favorite part had to be while putting E to bed. Our conversation went like this: Mama: Did you have a good day? E:Ya! Mama: Did you see all of your friends? E: Ya. Ma! I taw E-mo!! Ma! E-mo tame!!! (I saw Elmo, Elmo came.) Mama: That's right baby, Elmo came. E: Ma! N Pa tame oo!!!! (And Pa came too.) The happiest girl Ever with Elmo and her Pa!