Whew!!! We made it! Our 4th Annual Birthday Bash was this past Wednesday and it went off without a hitch. I can only say that because of all the help we had from family (thanks Grandma and Grandpa!) and a host of friends and neighbors. We were just under 200 guests and had 9 families drive and hour or more to get here! We collected almost 700 pounds of food for the local food shelf and $95 in cash donations. We have hundreds of photos, but I've chosen a few to give you a look at our event.
The Carnival
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| Face painting, tattoos and sucker pull - huge favorite! |
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| Trampoline, bounce house and duck pond |
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| Fishing pond, bucket ball toss and putt-putt |
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| The magician was great! The kids (of all ages) really enjoyed the walking magic during the carnival |
Food and Cake
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| Guests finding some shade to enjoy their supper (hot dog or sloppy joe, watermelon and chips) and cake |
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| All the Krafts with the birthday cake - yum! |
Magic Show
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| Everyone getting settled for the magic show to begin |
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| Family friend Mr. Alzen led the group in "Happy Birthday" |
Food Shelf Delivery
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| Big Blue was all loaded up and ready to head to the food shelf - notice the little heads poking out above the bags of food! |
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| Bringing all of the donations into the food shelf |
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| Family photo (minus dad - someone had to take the shot!) with our birthday bash shirts on outside the food shelf |
This was, by far, our best bash yet. We are making notes about what went well, amount of food/prizes/supplies purchased, and things to change for next year. It is a lot of work, but it is so worth it. It is a great memory for us all filled with family, friends and fun. I would really encourage you to give it a try - especially those of you with larger families. Think of it...one party to plan...no gifts or "stuff" to find homes for (everyone brings something for charity of your choice)...sounds appealing, doesn't it?!
God Bless!
Heather :-)
What a blessed day! We're so sorry to have missed it. :( The behavior around here has improved and the van is fixed (cha-ching!). Looking forward to seeing you next week! Happy birthday to ALL of you!
ReplyDeleteMolly-
ReplyDeleteWe missed you and your family, but am happy that you didn't end up on the roadside somewhere with a broken down vehicle.
See you this next week!
Wow! What an awesome idea. Love it! It looks like so much fun and a great way to help someone else and avoid all the clutter at your own house. Will def. file this idea away for possible future use!
ReplyDeleteHeather~This is amazing! Is it 1 birthday party for everyone in the family? What a wonderful idea and witness to living out your faith. God bless you for glorifying HIM:)
ReplyDeleteTiffany-
ReplyDeleteYes, one party for the whole family. It has been such a blessing to us and others to celebrate like this. :-)
Hi Heather, I'm stopping over from Tiffany's blog. you're on her sidebar. what a lovely family you have. Happy 4th birthday to your family. I love this idea. are you celebrating the birth of your family (your wedding day?) this is very creative. how great you gather items for charity. Nice to meet you.
ReplyDeleteGardenia-
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by!
We are celebrating all of our birthdays. There is no actual birthday in July, so it's a good month as nobody feels like it is "their" celebration. Also, in MN we are limited to the summer months, so we just chose July.