Maya's 4th Birthday Party

So our baby girl is still three for a few more days, but we had her party today! And I have to say-- it was a very small party, and was one of my favorite parties I have ever hosted. The size was a big factor in that. And the weather cooperated, giving us perfect weather to have the entire thing outside. It was very low-key, the kids had fun, and everything just went how it was supposed to. In other words, it was awesome!

The theme was "art." We started out by painting flower pots. Every kiddo got an apron and had a little setup with a brush, a sponge, a paper towel, and pots of paint. They were so quiet while they worked-- painting is very serious business!
Once they finished painting their pots, we whisked them away to dry. I had blank white bags for each kid with their names on them, and they got to color on them while the other kids finished painting. I was back in "teacher mode"-- it was totally a task for my early finishers, haha! After that, the kids ran around for a bit in the yard while the adults sat around and talked. It was lovely! We finally gathered them back when it was time for cake. Behold the final product-- with the sides decorated by Nikos and Maya. Those frosting markers are really difficult to work with! The cake itself was AWESOME. Seriously. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I think it was the best cake I have ever made. The pudding filling between the layers really pushed it over the edge. So. Good!!! So then the kids ran around some more, until we gathered them back together to do the pinata. Maya had chosen this unicorn pinata at the party store months ago. I was pleased to learn that it was a pull-string pinata as opposed to the whack-it-with-a-stick kind. Not because I don't enjoy the random violence (ha!), but because it inevitably leads to someone crying because they didn't get a turn or whatever. This way, everyone just grabbed a ribbon, pulled at the same time, and candy rained down. No tears! Easy!
Meanwhile... Gus had scooped some dirt into each of the flower pots, and planted a pretty yellow marigold I bought at the nursery down the street. The pots fit very nicely into the goody bags, along with the candy. I was seriously pleased with how the goody bags worked out this year. The main activity WAS the goody. And it's something people can actually use/enjoy! We also opened presents in there somewhere, which was quick because it was such a small group. Then the kids ran free for a bit! And that was it! All the mess was in the back yard, not in the house. We cleaned it all up in about 15 minutes. Both kids had a blast. Best. Party. EVER! :)