We had a very busy year end because of our mum-and-kids cruise, our family trip to Langkawi and our big group outing to Club Med Bintan. The boy's party happened just a couple of days after we came back home but thankfully, despite a drizzle at the start of the day, it all went well and he enjoyed every moment of it. What is the key to the success of our parties? Well, we keep them cosy and simple.
For his 4th birthday, we decided to go for a Batman theme. Our friends were asking me if he really likes Batman but the truth is I chose it because of his hand-me-down Batman swimsuit which he would be wearing for the poolside BBQ party. Haha. The thing is this boy has no preference for now and he is happy with everything I arrange for him - all he wants to do is play, eat and have fun with his friends and blow out candles on his birthday cake. Yup, I hope he stays so easily contented always. Here's sharing more about his Batman party and all the thing we did!
You know how his sisters always get a personalised bunting and their names on our wall when their birthdays are nearing, right? The boy was asking me one day if he was going to get one too so that made me resolute to do it up for him too even though our party was not going to be held at home. His was specially laminated so that we could reuse them at the pool party. Smart, right?
THE SETUP
By now, you should have realised that our parties are different yet similar - meaning we have different themes but the decorations and setup are always not too far off. Haha. That makes my job easier because I have to plan and host three birthday parties within a month and that's not an easy feat for a busy stay-home mom during the year end holiday period, yeah? Check out some of Asher's party decorations and his dessert table below. We have the personalised drink labels, the lightbox with his name, a Batman table cover as well as some Batman paper cups, plates and cutouts.
Instead of giving out party favours, we bought Christmas presents to give out to each of our guests since it was only days away. I think many of the kids were happy to receive their gifts which included books, stationery, toys and handicraft sets.
As for the cake, I got this delicious Valrhona chocolate cake from Bengawan Solo which came with a Batman logo and was perfect for the occasion! We all love this flavor and it was very welcomed by the kids too who said the chocolate balls were super yummy. As for the cake toppers, I printed them out, laminated them and stuck them onto the cake to make it more unique and personalised. Looks not bad, right?
THE FOOD
As with all our BBQs, the hubby is the masterchef and he takes charge of getting the food from the supermarket. Yup, this man doesn't like to order any readily prepared food online but likes to do it from scratch because it is so much fresher and yummier. So despite all the effort that goes into it each time, he still insists on doing it this cumbersome way because it makes a difference to how much our guests will end up enjoying the food.
We usually try to get the live seafood and you can taste a difference in the quality between live and frozen ones, yeah? Check out the huge, juicy oysters he got for our guests to tuck in too. All of them said they were finger-licking good (too bad I don't eat oysters)! The hubby was even so thoughtful as to get some chicken rice in case some of the guests wanted some staple food. Don't we all love the fragrance of chicken rice?
One thing we love about poolside BBQ parties is that while the adults tuck into the food, the kids get to play right after they are done eating and the adults, well, can continue with their feast for nearly the entire party. Haha. Yay! It's always nice to see the huge smiles on the kids and it's not hard to tell that these kids loved the food, loved each other's company and loved all the fun they were having that day.
THE GAMES
While the hubby is always the chef, I am always the game master. Yes, we work quite well as a team when it comes to parties and I'm always grateful to have him around on our kids' special days. For this party, I kept the games simple yet made sure that the youngest (4yo) and the oldest (10yo) could still play together and have a good time.
1) Shoot the Joker
Our first game was to shoot the bad guy - which is Joker! I printed out many pictures of him, laminated them and stuck them onto different places in the pool, which was only 0.2m deep. The kids had to run around with a water gun and shoot them one by one before heading to the final spot which has a round target and shoot it from a distance. The one to do it in the shortest time wins!
Easy but fun, right? In fact, the kids kept wanting to achieve better timings so they requested to go again and again. Phew! It was a relief to know that they all enjoyed such a simple game and I think having Joker's face plastered all over the pool made a huge difference and upped the fun factor.
2) Toss the Bat Darts
In trying to get a perfect aim like Batman, the kids were tasked to toss their bat darts into a bucket. I got these bats in the supermarket during Halloween last year and thought this would be a fun activity to include for the boy's party. Even the big sister thought it was fun too and would challenge herself by standing further away from the bucket. The one who gets the most bats inside wins!
3) PEEK-A-BAT
For this game, I hid all the bats in different corners of the pool and at the count of three, the kids would dash in and run around trying to find them. The one who picked up the most bats would win! As expected, the elder ones could run faster and see further so they usually got most of the bats. Yet it was so sweet of them to always remember to pass one or two to the birthday boy who was the youngest of all - and was sure to cry if he couldn't even get a bat, haha. Awww, thank you dear Jiejies and friends!
4) CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
Our last game was just playing tag where two people would be Batman and Robin, who were the catchers, and the rest would be Jokers who were trying to escape from them. Haha. The fun part was that when a Joker was caught, he had to freeze in place but once another Joker tagged him, he would be 'unfrozen' and could run around freely again. Yup, that makes the job harder for Batman and Robin and well, the pool was not that big and all the kids took turns to be the catchers and succeeded eventually. You know what was the most fun part for this game? They were SO happy that I joined in and got myself all wet as we ran around splashing water at each other. And they were especially excited when I was the Joker because I would chase after them and make them squeal. Haha. Yup, that was indeed very, very fun! Thanks for making me feel like a kid again, my dears.
Time to cut the cake! This boy loves singing the birthday song and blowing out candles and as long as he enjoys it, I'm happy to let him do it on his special day every year. In fact, even on the sisters' or the hubby's or my birthday, he is also the one blowing out the candles. Haha. Yup, I hope you know how much you are loved, dear Asher.
As with every birthday celebration, it is mandatory to take group photos because these are memories that will last for life and will be fond moments to look back on when the kids are older. So, here's one with the siblings, one with the family and one with the friends.
Here's a BIG thank you to everyone who attended Asher's 4th birthday party! We hope you had a blast and enjoyed the food, the games, the company and every moment of it. We sure did.
Last but not least, to our dearest Asher, HAPPY HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY TO YOU! You are our sunshine boy, our bundle of joy and our precious gem who brings so much fun and laughter into our lives. May you stay healthy, happy, cheerful and continue shining the way you are always.
We love you so much!
******
Read more about Asher's parties here:
Asher is 1 - Having a BALL of a time
Asher is 2 - Just Keep Swimming
Asher is 3 - Arcade party in Timezone