Ninja Turtles Invaded

Saturday, we had Evan's friends over for a Ninja Turtle birthday party. He was very relaxed about the whole thing:

 Those boxes held a Turtle mask and a roll of crepe paper for each kiddo.

Really, this was the easiest party ever. Evan really just wanted his friends to come play and Ninja Turtles. The only food he wanted was fruit and cake. I did have to at least make fruit kabobs, and I had the best team on the planet to help:

 This might be my favorite cake I've ever done:

 We served Ooze (watermelon juice) and Lime Water to drink:

 And fruit kabobs that looked like each Turtle and Splinter:

 When the boys arrived, they grabbed their boxes, put on their masks, and headed out to decorate their Turtle Lair with the crepe paper:

 It was a great way for the parents to meet and everyone to settle in. Then, we announced the Foot Clan (all those rocks I painted) had invaded and they needed to find them:

 They had a blast, and Issa did a great job hiding them all:

That's where the pictures stop, though. I sat down the camera and quickly got swept away by little boy  energy. They came inside for fruit and cake, and then they all took off upstairs to play. It was actually one of Evan's friends, John, who came back downstairs to ask if they could do presents because he was so excited to give Evan his. (By the way, this little guy steals my heart every time I see him. He is the sweetest, most gentle child you will ever meet.) The herd came running downstairs, and Evan opened nothing but Legos and Nerf guns, and he was in heaven. I loved watching his little friends get so excited about their choices. They know him, and Evan was so kind to share all of his new toys. They opened every one, and the rest of the party was Lego building and chasing.

It was Evan's birthday, but really it was one giant play date, and my boy couldn't have been happier. They are an easy group of kids and parents. The grown-ups took turns checking on kids, but we mostly stayed in the kitchen chatting. The boys all played nicely, and every single one of those children said thank you a million times. Nothing would make me happier than to watch this crew grow up together and parent with these parents.

Happy Birthday, my little Turtle. Cowabunga, Dude!