Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start. (Ok, I know. Wrong show.)
Anyway, here's a look at the invitations that we sent out.
So what did they see when they got to the party?
First they had to follow the second star to the right and go straight on 'till morning. I think these got lower throughout the party as the weight of them pulled on the fishing line.
Once in Neverland (which, by the way, can correctly be written as Neverland, Never Land, or Never Never Land), there was a sign post directing them to the various areas. I made this with a mix of pallet wood, an old fence post (complete with rusty hardware), and some old scraps of wood from Andrew's house. It's nice to know people with old falling apart barns. :) The pile of rocks at the bottom is purely decorative, covering the functional 2x4s. And who knew we had so many random rocks hanging out under our porch!
This was the only place that we had a sign but didn't have depicted anywhere at the party.
The star fish was decorated by Bennett at school over the summer during Beach Week.
We had wanted to have a noose hanging from the Hangman's Tree (the swing set) sign but we ran out of time.
Cannibal Cove is also sometimes referred to as Pirate's Cove. I burned the left hand side of the sign with a kitchen torch.
Overview of the ship in Cannibal Cove. There was a bow, sides, and also a wheel.
The wheel came from Chris' work, although he did make the lighter colored handles on his lathe since the originals had fallen off.
View of the mast, sail, and flag.
We started referring to the ship as "the set". As in, "Daddy has to stay late at work to build the set for your birthday party."
And the final sign, which pointed to London, which wasn't really represented, but that's where people started.
The mileage is based on the distance from our city to London.
We also had a Tattoo Parlor (sorry, no pictures, but it was a small table with a bowl of temporary tattoos), and a station where people could catch their shadows.
I love that Victoria, the woman who cut the shadows, (who we know from Sturbridge) came dressed as Wendy.
Getting the little kids to sit still was tricky, but luckily Victoria was able to work really quickly.
Wendy, John, and Peter
And of course Bennett, Chris and I had to be in costume. What was great about this is that whenever Bennett saw us in costume he would call us by our character name. This got slightly confusing because we had a guest named John, and a guest named Peter, and they would often be confused when they heard us calling people by their character's name.
The ship in the background was another prop from Chris' work. We'd originally thought about making it fly like the ship at the end of the movie, but we didn't have a good way to rig it up.
I ran out of time and wasn't able to make Peter Pan shoes (shoe covers) for Bennett, a fact that he keeps reminding me about. I keep telling him that he'll have them for Halloween.
We also had a few guests who came with pirate hats or Indian headbands, and a couple of friends came as Tinkerbell and a bee. And for those who didn't bring their own costumes, we had a trunk full of dress up clothes.
For games we had a mermaid sack races, hook ring toss, and walk the plank. We had also wanted to have a cannonball water balloon toss but had issues getting the balloons filled. We also had talked about playing Follow the Leader, but nixed that one as well.
I think Walk the Plank might have been a favorite. The kids (and some adults) played throughout the entire party, and miraculously we only had one person fall in the water. Some of the kids also started walking backwards and doing other tricks.
Hook ring toss was also played throughout the party.
Since the party started in the mid-afternoon we didn't need much food, just some snacks. And of course then cake and ice cream.
The bowl in the back has "fish and chips" (potato chips and goldfish crackers) and my favorite was the watermelon pirate ship-fruit bowl. It was surprisingly easy to make, although it did take a little bit of time.
As Bennett would call it, "Pirate Booties".
An overview of the food table. There also were chocolate coins and pixie stix (fairy dust).
Peter, Wendy, John, and Michael were flying above the cake.
Of course the wind picked up right before it was time for cake which made lighting the candles a little challenging.
In addition to the cake, which was yellow cake with strawberry preserves between the layers with buttercream frosting, there were pumpkin spice cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Plus chocolate or vanilla ice cream.
Drinks were in these barrels.
Other miscellaneous pictures
Props at the bow of the ship.
More props, plus this shelf at the bow was perfect for keeping gifts out of the way while the kids were running around.
Wendy greets an Indian Princess
Peter steers the ship.
Eating cake in a tent
The guests were all extremely generous. Bennett is going to have a blast with all of the toys and books. I think Chris and I will also enjoy playing with some of the gifts. :)
Overall, putting this party together was a lot of fun. And yes, we spent more than we should have for a party for a four year old. Our justification? We have fun doing it. We budget for this throughout the year so it isn't a strain on the overall budget. And really, there were only a couple of bigger $ aspects- the pirate ship and the shadow cutting, which together accounted for almost half of the overall budget. Most other things were made with free or inexpensive items.
Most of the inspiration for the party was once again based on other people's parties. I did a mix of searching for Peter Pan parties and also pirate parties. There were lots of other ideas that I liked but I had to keep reminding myself that they were pirate, and not Peter Pan.
Monday was Labor Day. We started off going for his 4 year photos. Unfortunately there was a mix up with the schedule so we had to wait a while for an opening. We spent time at the play area at the mall, getting a snack, etc. I also found some dress shoes for him. This made me happy because I had tried countless stores and even bought a couple of pairs, but hadn't been happy with any of them.
We got home in time for lunch and then we went down to the local parade. We missed the beginning because apparently it started about an hour before we thought it did. There were lots of politicians in the parade, some bagpipers playing US patriotic songs (which sounded odd on pipes), and lots of Shriners. After the parade we went home for nap and then he played in the pool for a while.
On Tuesday (no nap) Bennett fell asleep on the way home- no detour needed. I used my extra free time to get glitter all over the house. (Birthday project.) It also was the first day of school. However, since Bennett's preschool is at the daycare there really isn't much of a difference. Just now they will spend a little more time working on the alphabet, etc.
On Wednesday (no nap) Bennett had his first day of speech for the academic year. After school Bennett watched some construction being done on a house across the street (roofing is extremely interesting when you are almost four) and then he played in the sandbox. After Bennett went to bed I finished up my glitter project. (As I write this two weeks later, I'm still finding glitter all over the house, even though it's been vacuumed numerous times.)
On Thursday (no nap) Bennett once again fell asleep on the way home from school.
On Friday (no nap) I had another day off from work. I finished up a project for the party and started on my costume. Yes, that's right. We'll have costumes. Bennett played outside for a while after school and then he watched The Rescuers.
Saturday (yes nap- 2 hours!) was Drummer's Call at Sturbridge. We started off by watching the Oxford Light Infantry have target practice. Later in the day we watched a number of Fife and Drum groups.
It was extremely hot out so Bennett cooled off at the pump. We did this a few times last summer, but this was the only time this year.
Bennett put on Daddy's backpack and opened up the map.
After his awesome nap, Bennett and I went to visit Mimi while Daddy went to pick up some things that he needed for work.
Sunday the weather changed and it now feels like fall. Daddy spent the day doing yard work. I finished up my costume.
On Monday (yes nap) Bennett played outside with Daddy after school. He found a stick and pretended to go fishing.
On Tuesday (no nap) Bennett fell asleep on the way home. We did have to take a detour to extend our commute since we could tell that he was on the verge of falling asleep and we knew he needed the sleep. If we'd just gone home he wouldn't have been able to go to bed for an hour or two.
On Wednesday (no nap) Bennett must have been hungry. After eating a rather large dinner he asked for more food and ate a banana. He very seldom asks for additional food!
On Thursday (yes nap) he played outside briefly after school. I took the day off from work (I had extra vacation time) to work on his party.
Friday after school we went shoe shopping. He was very well behaved at the mall. When we got home he played in the backyard pretending to go to Kimball's. The swingset was the bumper boats and he also played mini golf and ate icecream.
In the morning I was being sluggish and didn't want to get out of bed.
Daddy: Telly Mummy to get up.
Bennett: Mummy, get up.
Mummy: mumble mumble
Bennett: She doesn't want to get up. She's still tired.
On Saturday at Sturbridge Dave and Rhys were cleaning out the cattle yard. Bennett didn't want to help at all! Daddy tried shoveling some manure, but nope, he still wouldn't try.
During lunch I showed Bennett how to use my camera. This means we now have pictures of the table, his fingers over the lens, and this one of Mummy and Daddy.
In the afternoon (after nap) we went to JoAnn's to get some items for the party, and when we got home Bennett watched Horton Hears a Who. He was just as emotional about it as last time, if not even more so. I think we may have to wait a long time before he tries watching that again.
On Sunday Daddy went in to work to work on the "set" for Bennett's party. Bennett started his morning by watching Fievel and then we went to Uncle Andrew and Aunt Gentry's to get some scrap wood for a project before heading off to do our grocery shopping. We attempted (and failed) a nap after lunch, and when Daddy came home we decided to go to Kimball's. We only did the bumper boats once, as well as one round of mini golf. We had bracelets that would have allowed us to do more, but we just weren't up for it. So after getting ice cream we headed home.
For those keeping track, I think we had naps twice this week.
On Monday (no nap) Bennett and Daddy made pizza for dinner and then Bennett played in my craft room for a while. After Bennett went to bed we started making some teepees for Bennett's party.
On Tuesday (no nap) Bennett discovered the teepee we left in the living room. He loved playing in it and brought lots of toys inside. After he went to bed we finished it up.
Wednesday (yes nap) after school Bennett watched Monster's Inc while I went for a run. He saved his carrot sticks from dinner but said he didn't want them for
lunch for pirate week (next week). Instead asked if he could bring them
to Sturbridge as a snack
On Thursday (no nap) after school he played in the teepee some more and built a "sawmill" with blocks.
Friday (no nap) was another day of Bennett falling asleep on the way home from school. I'd taken the day off from work so I made a second teepee, and worked on some other things for the party.
On Saturday (no nap) we went to Sturbridge. Bennett helped saw a log and we went on the Pasture/Woodland walk (haven't done that one since pre-Bennett). We also learned that there is a problem with the bake oven at the farm. Hope they can get it fixed quickly!
After rest (remember, no nap today) Bennett played in the backyard while I did some cleaning up in the garden.
On Sunday Bennett hung out with Uncle Andrew and Aunt Gentry. He thought he was going to be spending the night so he first said that we had to go to school to get a mat for him (we've borrowed a nap mat in the past that he uses when he spends the night at their house) and then he asked if he needed his suitcase, toothbrush, etc. Finally I think he understood that this would just be a daytime visit. Given his napping pattern lately I suggested that they not even try to have him take a nap, so of course he fell asleep in the car on the way home around 4:00. I transferred him to bed, but he woke up a short time later very disoriented. He seemed tired still but he didn't want to go back to bed, so we let him get up and a few hours later he went to bed without any problems.
While Bennett was away Daddy worked on finishing up our front stairs (he started replacing them a month ago). They aren't quite done yet, but they're getting closer. I ran errands and worked on a few things for Bennett's party.
Bennett did nap on Monday which allowed us to make the decision to go to Uhlmann's (ice cream) for dinner. This was a bit of a switch considering about a half hour before we had decided to have salad. It was an interesting conversation in the car with Bennett on the way there. "This is the way to the ice cream place, right? It's on this side, right? We can't be going there because it's not dinner."
On Tuesday Bennett didn't take a nap. When we got home he watched part of Peter Pan. After he went to bed I made some peach jam. Unfortunately it only used a few peaches, hardly making a dent in what we had picked. I guess I still need to make lots more jams, salsa, peach butter, etc.
After school on Wednesday (no nap) Bennett played with his Duplos before dinner. He "made a place for a dog, a place for a cow, and a house."
No nap again on Thursday. It was camping week at school and Dianne brought in her camper. So exciting! It must have been a busy day because Bennett fell asleep on the way home from school.
On Friday Bennett finally took a nap. This worked out well because Grandpa and Susan came over for dinner. After we ate we were chatting about the Pinewood Derby, playing with LEGO/Duplo, etc. Bennett decided that my stagecoach needed some horses to pull it and some people to drive/ride.
On Saturday Daddy woke up with a fever. Bennett and I left him at home and headed off to Sturbridge for Textile Weekend. We happened to notice that Doc and Blue had broken a fence and were out of their yard so we tracked down an interpreter so that that could be fixed. Bennett helped fill the wood box at the farm but he didn't want to whisk eggs. It was interesting being there with just the two of us.
Bennett napped on the way home and in the afternoon I left him with Chris watching TV while I went out to do some grocery shopping.
Luckily on Sunday Chris was feeling a bit better, but we still stayed at home. I made peach salsa and peach butter (and I still have more peaches!). Bennett and Daddy went to the playground down the street and ran around for a while. Bennett did not nap. But before bed he also made up a song, "I love Farmer Boy. It has oxen and cows, and Star and Bright."
So I'm now over a month behind with my blogging. Time for a little catch-up.
On Monday Daddy and Bennett played a little croquet while I went for a run. I guess Bennett was inspired by all the croquet playing while everyone was visiting. I started reading Farmer Boy at bedtime. It's interesting for me to see how similar many aspects of the story are to how life is presented at OSV. And for those keeping track of these things (maybe that's just us) it was a no nap day.
On Tuesday Bennett did nap (woo hoo). He played outside for a little while after school. And it was a momentous occasion for us, we sold the crib. Ok, not really all that momentous, but a definite sign that Bennett was growing up. It was PJ day at school, so Bennett wore his "Smee" PJs.
"No pictures"
Wednesday was another day without a nap. Another sign that Bennett is growing up- I started working on the invitations for his birthday party.
Thursday was another day without a nap, but this time Bennett fell asleep on the way home from school. I went for a run, and then worked more on the invitations, finalizing the design.
Continuing the no nap trend, Friday was another day without a nap. Bennett played outside after school and then drew a picture in the card for Aunt Suzanne's birthday.
Saturday was a busy day. We started off by meeting Uncle Andrew and Aunt Gentry for breakfast and then we went to the Bolton Fair. We checked out the animals, participated in veggie races, and rode some rides. It was HOT, so we headed home at lunch time so that we could avoid overpriced fair food and also so that Bennett could take a nap.
We were glad that Uncle Andrew and Aunt Gentry were there because Chris and I don't like Ferris Wheels.
After a long nap, Bennett went to Nana's for the evening. What did Chris and I do with our free time? We went grocery shopping and then shampooed carpets. I know, we're lame.
On Sunday I went for a run in the morning and then we picked Bennett up from Nana's house so that we could take our weekly trip to Sturbridge. At the farm Bennett helped Victoria set the table and make a salad. He also helped fill the wood box.
On Monday we got back into our normal routine. And once again Bennett was back to not napping at school. Instead he fell asleep in the car on the way home. He woke up a couple of hours later very disoriented. We put him on the potty, changed him into PJs and he went back to sleep. I took advantage of the extra time and went for a run.
Tuesday was another day without a nap. This time he stayed awake on the way home. Without lots of other people to play with at home I think he might have been a little bored. He asked to watch George. This was the first time we turned the TV on in over a week. After an early bed (remember, no nap) I went for a bike ride.
Since it's "Car week" at school we brought in the Derby track to school on Wednesday so that the kids could have their own race. They enjoyed it so much that we left it set up for a second day for more racing fun.
At home Bennett enjoyed playing with some second hand Legos that we recently got. We also discovered that with a random assortment of bricks like this he does ok using his imagination and building creatively. However, if it comes from a set he is a firm believer that it much only be built in that specific configuration. And for the record, he did nap today.
Thursday was another day with no nap. And I guess he was pretty tired because he was falling asleep at the dinner table.
On Friday Bennett did nap which allowed us to go to Wegmans after school for dinner and food shopping.
Saturday's weather was a little iffy, but ok in the morning. We went to Tougas Farm and picked blueberries and peaches. Yum! Most of the blueberries got frozen to be used in pancakes. The peaches still need to be figured out. Some are being eaten as is, and others will go to jams and who knows what else.
After lunch and nap Bennett watched The Rescuers. He did really well
with it, which surprised me, given that there are a few scary parts.
And then we decided to try a bike ride. He started off doing ok, but was a little hesitant. We didn't make it very far before we decided to try to work on stopping. Bennett wasn't having any of it. We tried bribing with a sticker chart and a promise of new Legos. He seemed ok with that idea, or at least he understood the concept.
On Sunday we went to Sturbridge for their annual Redcoats and Rebels event. It definitely is a very different experience with so many other people there.
Why yes, we did put him in a British shirt for this. :)
Watching the skirmish
Dan as the potter. He is great with all of the kids!
Fifes!
After nap I took Bennett out to try his bike again. This was an even bigger failure than the day before. I couldn't even get him to sit on the bike. He managed to get his helmet off and then wouldn't let me put it back on. There were lots of tears.
I wish I knew how to get him to try again, but for now we're not pushing it. I know that in the great scheme of things it's not that important. A month prior he was pedaling just fine. I imagine the issue is that we stressed learning to stop too much, and there were some raised voices. I do wish though that he could/would express what the issue is (to confirm our suspicions) so that we could work through it.
