may the force be with you

Whew! This afternoon was Maddox's 3rd birthday party! Months ago, Maddox decided he wanted his birthday to be Star Wars themed and so we took the theme and ran with it! Brandon and I put together (okay, mostly Brandon put together!) some classic party games turned Star Wars party games for the backyard. First we had "Feed Jabba" where the kids had to throw multi-colored balls through Jabba the Hutt's mouth. It went over well, especially with the younger party goers.


We also had "Pin the Lightsaber on Yoda"...

and, finally, we had several stand-ups of different Star Wars characters with their faces cut out so that the kids could put their own faces on the bodies of their favorite Star Wars heroes!

The party decorations were up and we were ready for our guests to arrive!

Maddox woke from his nap about 15 minutes before the party began and was eager for his friends to arrive! He had picked out this new Star Wars shirt yesterday specifically for his party today! He couldn't wait to wear it!

As the guests were arriving, the kids started celebrating Maddox's birthday in the backyard!! Ashtyn kicked things off by getting blind folded and trying out the "Pin the Lightsaber on Yoda" game! It took a few tries but he was finally able to get the lightsaber in the right spot.

Maddox tried out the character cut outs by transforming into a Storm Trooper and C3PO! Daddy even got in on the fun!

Our friend's son, Gray, had alot of fun with the "Feed the Jabba" game and giggled and squealed as he threw the balls through Jabba's mouth!

Maddox liked the "Jabba" game too!

The temperatures this afternoon were the highest we have had this summer so far, reaching 103 degrees, and so the swimming pool became a hit during Maddox's party!

When we found out that one of Noni and Papa's presents was a Slip-N-Slide we allowed Maddox to open it a bit before his other presents and went ahead and set it up so the kids could stay cool!

Finally, it was time to get back into the air conditioning and have some cake and open presents! Maddox really wanted a cake that looked like the Millinium Falcon (VERY complicated) but I not-so-subtedly convinced him that a R2D2 cake would be REALLY COOL!!! He finally agreed and my mom and I spent the morning putting together a yummy R2D2 cake! We even put a layer of chocolate frosting and strawberries in the body of the cake...Maddox's favorite!

After cutting the cake, Maddox was eager (to say the least!) to open his presents! Here we go...

Maddox received pretty much everything he asked for and then some! He got everything from a plug-n-play guitar video game, a Star Wars control center pop up tent, new lightsabers, a sword and shield, a really cool remote control car that transforms into a boat, and of course the one thing he had been asking for for months...an Anikan Skywalker dress-up costume!! It looks so real...

almost creepy...huh!?!? He LOVES it, though, and played outside (in the heat) for the rest of the afternoon wearing it! Everyone at the party was joking that he would fall asleep in it tonight!!

After presents, we headed back outside for more playtime before everyone had to go home.

We had a face painting station at the party but toward the beginning of the party no one wanted to have their face done. After presents, though, the kids were lining up and so Brandon let them pick which Star Wars character they wanted to be and then started painting! Seth wanted to be Darth Maul...

Ashtyn chose General Grievous...

and Elia wanted to be Princess Amidalah!

Even though I can't believe Maddox is 3, his party was definitely a hit! I teased Maddox all day that I was SO excited he was turning "2"!! He kept correcting me and laughing at my "mistake". Maddox is fast asleep now...but he is VERY anxious to wake up tomorrow morning and re-discover his new toys all over again...and I'm sure that "waking up" will come quite early tomorrow too!