Emily turns 5!!

Emily's Fifth birthday!!

Last weekend we had Emily's fifth birthday party...it was awesome!! It was a warrior princess theme...She LOVES anything to do with dressing up (just check out other posts from her blankie dresses!!) and she also LOVES karate, and this ninja warrior show we all watch where they do obstacles to become the next ninja warrior. So, we had the bright idea of creating an obstacle course in our 'backyard' (the hart hall courtyard) and having each kid go through it. Then Ry wrote a story for the kids to interact through...here is the story with photos from the kids doing each activity...enjoy!

Ryan reading the story to the kids (story begins below this photo)

Franklin is the most curious dragon you would ever meet and this has caused its fair share of problems. He always wants to know what’s out there. He always wants to find buried treasure. If you were to tell Franklin you saw a red tree, he would want to see the tree to see how red it is. If you told him your juice was sweet like honey, he would want to taste your juice to see if it really did…taste like Honey. Yes Franklin wanted to see places, do things and he always had questions…He was indeed a very curious dragon.

One day Franklin’s mother told him he needed to stay home while she went to the blue berry meadow to find them berries for their pie she was going to make. Franklin said “Yes mommy” but as soon as she left he pulled out an old map that his friend Bartholomew the dragon gave him (bartholomew is a dragon from another story adventure Ryan wrote for the kids, "The adventures of Ellie Mae and Daley aka emily and dave (will's middle name) ellie mae and daley is a play on their names). On this map was the directions to the secret hideout of yockopo the pirate, and everyone knows that yockopo was famous for finding the lost candy caverns…. Franklin wanted to see if he could find this lost Yockopo the pirate and find the buried treasure. Franklin gathered a tshirt, his pillow, a bottle of water and put them in his white backpack. He put his backpack on and set off on his journey, he left a note for his mom it said: “mom, I went to find Yockopo the famous pirate and to see if he’ll tell me where his famous buried treasure is… Franklin was a little ways from the house when he discovered he forgot the map but he didn’t mind because he remembered it very well.

When Franklin’s mother came home she found the map that Franklin forgot and now you are here and she needs your help to find her poor son and bring him home. Will you help her????

Yea!!!!! (the kids all screamed!)

the map leads over the ocean and we need to get on some boats to follow franklin. Here is the note Franklin left for his mom:



here is the map ry made to show the kids where there adventure would take them:


Here is the adventure:

Now, they need to take the boat through the stormy seas to the bubble forest, then go through the murkey swap which will take them to the pirate yochopo's hideout (aka the bounce house)

we had AWESOME parent involvment...thank you dads and moms (and mel!) for rockin' the sheets to create a stormy sea!

Sweet Haley and my nieces using their swords ($1 at the dollar tree! yeah for 40 swords and gifts for all so they truly could be warrior princes and princesses!)

The bubble forest...
(awesome photography provided by Charity Glaeser!!)

Slay those bubbles!!

Ryan reading the story to the kids on what to do next)

Emily beginning the murky swamp obstacle

Sophia climbing over the swamp to the next challenge (we used benches from our home and climbing rope, sheets and play sponge squares to make our course)

Here is a view of the course...stay on the squares or you'll get all murky muddy from the swamp, go under the tunnel, over the swamp, turn and go under the tunnel again...

Lucy climbing under the tunnel to then go around and climb onto of it to get to the climbing rope which leads them to the pirate's secret hideout...luc, you are super concentrating on your mission..way to go warrior!

my niece Alicia

using the rope to guide them through the swamp (we rolled up old picnic blankets to use as a balance beam in the swap)

Yeah! They made it to the pirate's secret hideout! Now, you need to dance to show you are trustworthy to be in his hideout...

Ah...our son...dancing to the pirate's favorite song 'jungle boogie!'

Sigh...it was a lot of work, but Emily loved every moment of it, and isn't that worth it??! They never knew that the obstacle course only cost $40 in swords and we could even have done without the bounce house (which, btw...the company is AWESOME! use them!!) We ended the time with cake and presents...phew...what a day! THANK YOU parents, friends, family, Ryan, Charity, Mel...we could NOT have done this day without your help

Emily Blowing out her candles with all her friends surrounding her

me and my five year old...my lu lu lamb is no longer my little lamb...i need a new nickname for her, she'll kill me for calling her that in public one day!

before the guests arrived, emmy and will testing out the bounce house