let the party begin...

We just wrapped up a successful birthday party to celebrate Ethan turning 8. He really wanted to have a friends party and we thought, what better way to bring everyone together than a splash park. Plus, it's been 90 degrees here the past week so it was a necessity. Thanks Willis Tucker park and the easy rental system.

This year, Ethan chose the theme Super Mario. Mostly for his love of video games but he is very fond of their stuffed animal options. Plus, that boy plays a mean Mario Kart.

There are not that many Mario themed items out on the market so thankfully google was my friend in this one. I purchased some gold star streamers and used fabric paint to create the star eyes.

For the cake pops, I used marshmallows and brownie bites dipped in colored chocolate to make the toads. To make the stars, I used rice crispy treats cut into a star shape dipped in yellow colored candy coating. This was by far the kids favorite.

Next came the Piranha fruit kabob's which by far were the easiest to make. You have to have a few healthy items available for the parents right??

Then came the fire flower veggie tray. This one was not so much of a hit with the kids but the parents enjoyed it again.

We had gone to another friends birthday party a few weeks ago and that mom had candy on the tables. This was a major request of Ethan and it had to be Princess Peach Rings (Jeff's favorite) and Yoshi Eggs. We also ordered way too much pizza, so a few larpers at the park enjoyed Jeff's offering. 

Every party needs balloons as well and of course, no Super Mario one's were available at the party store so we had to improvise. Again, black fabric paint is now my new best friend for this. Sharpies DO NOT work.

Of course we had to have a singing birthday candle!

Unfortunately due to the heat wave we have been having, the cupcake frosting turned into liquefied sugar, which turned into shove it as fast as you can into your mouth and cover your face with it. It was a pretty messy ordeal. Luckily, we were at a Splash park so one quick jump in the water took care of that.

Can't have a Mario themed party without mustache straws and cups.

And everyone went home with a bag of goodies. It was a great party and Ethan and his friends had such a great time. Even though it was a lot of work and I thought I wouldn't make it through, everyone had a blast, especially the birthday boy!