The BIGGEST and BEST SUMMER EVER!!

Well, Uncle Miles and Aunt Brittney sold their house in Ocean Springs and had a gap between the sale and moving to Los Angeles.... sooooo, they came to stay with us for a little over a month!! EEEEK! We had the very best time! Oh my goodness! Jonathan actually was the most excited about the idea saying, "this will be a summer the kids remember forever!" And boy, we all had fun!!! We are fortunate to have a garage apartment completely off our house with a bathroom, etc. So it truly was the perfect arrangement. I will say that we bothered them WAY more than they bothered us.;) The kids had to be reeled in from waking them up with the sun every day. It made my heart swell, and the bond that was strengthened will forever exist. It was THE BEST SUMMER!! Uncle Jules and Aunt Britt also came up for some fun nights!! Baking fun!!

He turned 31 while here, and Brittney hosted a sweet party!

 

Les turns SIX!! May the Force be with you!

We had a BIG TIME fighting the Dark Side this birthday! Les had an amazing time, and I really think we (Dad) had a great time too!! I even hired actors to come in for the kill! Darth Vader and Kylo Ren!!

Mississippi Magazine Q&A below...;)

- Did Maurie help with the planning of this party? Absolutely! Not only are we best friends but perfect compliments to personalities in contributing to ideas, etc. We thrive off of each other’s strengths and continually encourage one another to be our very best in all we do. I never do parties without her!!

- How did the Star Wars theme come about? What was your overall vision? Were there specific elements that you wanted to include? My husband is very fond of Star Wars, and I believe that trickled down to my 6 year old who requested a Star Wars themed birthday. Maurie was quick to envision the overall atmosphere while I was hiring actors to play our roles of Jedi Master, Darth Vader and Kylo Ren.

- About how many guests were in attendance? Approx 50 children plus parent(s)

- Tell me about each of these elements: the invitations, your kids' costumes, the cake, the iced cookies, and the giant storm troopers (and their release into the air)? Anything else important that I'm not seeing? (I'd like to know some details about each of these as well as the vendors if you want to share their names.)

Maurie found the perfect-fitting themed invitations from Fabled Designs out of Sydney, Australia via Etsy, and we edited the wording to fit our theme.

The costumes were quite the challenge. We searched for hours to find costumes for the characters, as we wanted them to “come to life” in Jedi Training and fighting the Dark Side thereafter. The Jedi Training Master, Darth Vader and Kylo Ren were outfitted in their entirety including any voice changing features. The children absolutely loved it. The birthday boy, Les, dressed as a Padawan (Jedi apprentice) who was training to become a Jedi Knight. Big sister Ceci was outfitted as Princess Leia while little brother Joseph was Yoda.

Our cake, cookies, dipped pretzels and goodies were done by Monkey Kisses in Hattiesburg, MS (Beth Robinson and Rebekah Saucier Robinson of Monkey Kisses).

Maurie and I were having a girls night when she envisioned the very best element of the entire party… the life-sized entry-way Storm Troopers! Well, we both realized quickly that even with built-in weights, the wind would be an issue, so we lined the inside entry with 20 large foil balloon Storm Troopers (33”x70”). Those balloons were a challenge to keep lined just right, but in the end, they proved to be a fan favorite with kids and parents. We purchased these from Oriental Trading online, had them inflated locally then had to transport via trailer to the party. Oh my! It was work but worth it. We didn’t realize the balloons’ weights were attached to the bottom of their feet, so when the Jedi Training and fighting the Dark Side (Darth Vader and Kylo Ren) ended, we let party attendees fight the Storm Trooper balloons outside. Shockingly enough, the very tall Storm Troopers began floating off above the golfers and residents of our neighborhood. I later found out our little rascal attendee boys were pulling the weights off the bottom of the Storm Troopers’ feet, smacking them with their light sabers, then letting them off into the blue sky. It was quite the sight… the “Dark Side” floating all above the golfers and neighborhood. I do believe that was the most hysterical and fun aspect of the day! Little ones seem to always figure out ways to be mischievous, don’t they!?

- If you didn't already mention it above, can you tell me all of the foods that were served? We had such an accommodating event planner at Canebrake Country Club in Hattiesburg assist us throughout the process, Emmalee Bolton. She even housed the 20 life-sized Storm Troopers in her office the evening prior to the party… and had quite the surprise when she arrived. Emmalee created the menu – Mini Hamburger Sliders “Han Solo Sliders,” Chicken Tenders “Chewbacca Bites,” Teddy Grahams “Edible Ewoks,” Potato Chips “Princess Lays” and Cheese Balls “Capri Suns “Jedi Juice,” Thermal Detonators.”

- What activities did the guests participate in? I see that there was some Jedi training! :) We had our invitees enter, grab a pre-lit green or blue light saber (party favors), then linger about… bad idea! Do not give 6 year old boys light sabers before Jedi Training commences!;) Training eventually convened, and the party goers learned how to fight with a light saber and use “The Force.” When training was completed, Darth Vader and Kylo Ren made their grand appearance with background themed sound/music and were eventually defeated by the newly trained Jedis. We borrowed a large sound system and played the “Star Wars Main Title and Ambush on Coruscant” theme music on repeat as guests arrived then switched to “The Imperial March” for the appearance of Darth Vader and Kylo Ren.

- What was the birthday boy's overall impression of the party? Les absolutely loved it!! He and his pals were in heaven during training, fighting the Dark Side!! They especially enjoyed fighting (or shall I say manipulating) the Storm Troopers to fly off!

- Can you share one or two especially memorable moments from the party? Above! Entry of Darth Vader and Kylo Ren upon completion of training and the Storm Trooper grand departure into the clouds.

- Were there favors for the guests to take home? Aside from the light sabers, we had precious masks made by Caped Mommy from Austin, TX via Etsy at the chairs in addition to Jedi Training lanyards and Jedi Training Certificates.

- What was your favorite element of the party? I didn't ask? I learned a lot more about Star Wars during this party planning than I ever have!!;);)

Add’l info:

-      Marble, black and star balloons floated over the party table with silver stars garlands hanging down

-      Marble balloons tied in with the marble and star themed two tier sweet potato birthday cake

-      Charcoal grey sequined runners

-      Darth Vader candy jars served as centerpieces

-      Hung a 112”x40” Star Wars Panoramic Wall Mural as backdrop for photos