As most of you know I LOVE to plan a birthday party! Having Caden be just as excited about his fourth birthday party as I was just made my year. He couldn't wait to have his friends over to celebrate and he let me know in June that he would love to look for bugs and do a craft. So even thought I had other themes in mind I had to go with his idea and his excitement and I just love the way it turned out. I think he has a little party planner in him too!
I will dress my boys in theme clothing until they fight me :) Caden and Blake got cool bug shirts courtesy of Grandma Peterson. She knew I was on the hunt and she found them both on sale at Gap Kids and picked them up a few months ago. There are benefits to picking your theme early!
Grandma Peterson and I took Caden decoration shopping the week before his party. It was great because the dollar store, the party store and all the craft stores had a lot of Halloween stuff out already. We didn't want it to look too much like a Halloween party, but some cute spider stuff never hurt anyone. Caden's favortie color is green, so I knew that would be one of his colors and then he let me know that yellow and orange would be great.
I made the infamous Martha Stewart tissue puff balls in orange and yellow and we hung them with some green spider lanterns and some furry, funny spiders to give the craft table to honor it deserved. We also got orange, yellow and green balloons -- including some with a 4 on it!
I love the plastic tablecloth we found. How perfect was that?!? It was at the party store and we cleaned them off and folded them up to reuse at Halloween!
Caden was insistent on doing a craft. So I found these plastic buckets for a quarter and decided that the kids could decorate their very own bug bucket to then take on a bug hunt. Thanks to fun craft supplies in the target dollar bin and from the dollar store we had so many options to use! I also found this great A Bug's Life font that made for perfect personalized labels (plus I used it everywhere).
Kids also had the option of making their own antenna's. All you need is some cheap headbands and some pipe cleaners. So easy, but so cute!
For a favor we put together buggy bags and decorated the table with bugs from our Cootie game. The bags had Build a Bug fruit snacks, a glittery spider ring, a wind-up bug, a bug tattoo, a glow stick bracelet, a silly straw, bubbles and a magnifying glass.
Since the party was at 3:00pm we just had some snacks, but we had a lot of fun with them. Caden told me that he didn't want any cupcakes...he wanted a real cake. So that threw out some of my plans, but everything still turned out great. We had dirt cups, fruit and veggies, ants on a log, insect sticks (pretzel sticks), caterpillar puffs (cheese puffs), Nature Valley granola bars, chocolate covered ants (raisins), and gummy worms and butterflies. We had the water, pop and juice in a bright green tub and we called them "sweet nectar".
The kids got to go on a bug hunt later...for plastic insects. Everyone got to find 10 bugs that we had hidden around our backyard. Caden had so much fun and he kept saying, "this is exactly what I wanted!" It can't get much better than that!
Before we started the party Caden got to open two presents. He got green light-up sketchers from Grandma and Papa G. He had been asking for them and I was NOT going to buy those crazy things. But they make him so happy...so we will go with it :) And he got a skateboard from Pat, Blake and I. He loves it! And is getting more comfortable on it the more he practices.
The day before his birthday he kept saying that I needed to make sure he had a party hat to wear. Well I didn't have one and couldn't find one at the few places we have here in town. So Grandma and Papa came through. They picked one up on their way to our house and he loved it.
Our family before the big party!
Me and my birthday boy! I can't believe that this baby is 4!!!! He is so independent and stubborn and sensitive and smart and handsome and silly and creative. The list could go on and on. He amazes me everyday with the way his mind works and the things he can do without me. He will always be my little man and I love him more and more. 
We love having our family around so that Blake has someone to bond with while we are busy keeping the party going. Blake spent a lot of time with his Papa G that day. He loved the balloons so much...funny, cause he hated them at his party only 2 months ago.
Papa G and his boys
Auntie Meagan drove home from the Gorge in time to make it to the party! Thanks for coming and spending time with us on Caden's big day.
As the kids came to the party they started working on their bug buckets. Caden got a head start cause he couldn't wait to start crafting!
Then after antenna's were made and buckets were decorated they all went on a plastic insect hunt!
Blake got to watch it all happen and eat LOTs of snacks!
Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to Caden, Happy Birthday to you! Make a wish! Now dive in and eat some cake!
Papa Mike with Emerson and Blake
A backyard party at our house wouldn't be complete without the bouncy house...
the swingset....
and the sand table!
Finally Caden had waited long enough and got to open his presents. He was spoiled and he got so many things that he just loves and needs. Thanks to all his wonderful friends and our amazing family who are such important pieces of his life and growth!
Finally he enjoyed a dirtcup and some gummy worms!
And he gave his best girl Emerson a kiss goodbye!
