FIVE on the farm!

How is it August already??  According to the calendar we are halfway through summer vacation; boy its going fast.

I had still been hoping that our girls would use this blog as well - especially to keep up writing but it hasn't happened and although Krista has a lot to share, she lacks the ability to sit and type it all out on her own.  So I'm helping her out.  Last weekend Krista and her friends celebrated her turning FIVE with a "down on the farm" themed party!

Here is where I really wished I had delegated photo taking to someone because I had loads of prep work and then activity leading to do and I didn't get a lot of photos.  :(

As the guests arrived they were invited to do any number of activities while waiting for the others to arrive.  They could choose from:

The Pig Pen where we had the guinea pigs out in their cages and a picnic table with craft supplies to make a paper plate mask of their favourite farm animals or colour a picture of a horse!

The Bunny Bounce - our trampoline.  :)

Pony rides - I had found the idea of placing saddles on straw bales on Pinterest but decided I needed heads for the full effect.  In four days I crocheted up a "Tye" pony head and a "Cricket" pony head and mounted them on wooden poles.  And now after the party we are using them as hobby horses!  :) I didn't have a pattern and should have written down what I did - basically a large crocheted sock, stuffed and embellished!

Once everyone had arrived and had had a chance to play, we took a tour of the barnyard.  Kittens, ducks, chickens, ponies and Jessie the lamb all got tons of cuddles and treats!

A farmer's lunch was served on the back deck.  The tables were covered with red plaid tablecloths with burlap accents.  Here's where I really wish I had taken pictures.  We had a veggie patch vegetable tray with veggies from our garden, a fruit orchard tray, tractor wheel treats (two bite brownies, cinnamon rolls and cookies) and straw bales (rice krispie treats).

I fashioned "the watering hole" from a kid friendly lemonade jug with spigot and there was an array of tea sandwiches and pinwheels.  The most popular seemed to be the cream cheese and gherkin pinwheels and the ham and cheese rolls.  :)

After lunch we had sack races with some of the empty feed sacks I had collected, a blindfold duck catching game that we played using the small kiddie pool and a chicken egg hatch game where we had to cluck like chickens and pop prized filled balloons using our bottoms.  :)  My favourite!

Happy Birthday was sung while Krista blew out five candles on ice cream cake!

I had spent the previous couple of weeks begging, borrowing and stealing berry baskets from friends and neighbours to make up the favours.  Each basket held crayons, bubbles, candy, a note pad and the rubber ducky that each guest caught during the duck pond game.

It was a successful party and a wonderful birthday!  Happy Birthday to our little chicken.  xo

Jeanette