Birthday Party

 The Saturday before Reese turns 4, we had a birthday party!

Invite says "It's COOKIE - I mean PARTY time!"

Invites to Reese's "Cookie Party"

We started out by watching Cookie Monster's Best Bites as the guests arrived.
Then we played "Who took the cookies from the cookie jar" (No Pics).
Then we read "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" (also no pics).  The book had "puzzle pieces" taped inside that the kids had to find as we read, which were drawings I did of things in the book.  By the end everyone had a puzzle piece.

Passing out the cups

Then we brought our puzzle pieces to a display of gift bags.  Each gift bag had a shape taped to it and the kids had to find the shape that matched their puzzle piece.  Inside the right bag was a treasure!
The pictures on each puzzle piece also indicated what was inside the bag.

finding the bottles of icing

The pieces were: Glass of milk (cups in the bag), straw (bendy straws in the bag), bottle (bottles of icing in the bag), apron (child-size aprons in the bag), pile of dust (bag of small caramel balls in the bag,  the kids didn't know what they were, so I got away with calling it "dust") , jar with colored pieces in it (jar of sprinkles in the bag) , and a cookie (cookies in the bag).

watching what comes out of the next bag!

  

PS: I made the aprons from inexpensive towels.  I got five aprons out of one towel.  That's less than a dollar apiece.

Then we took our treasures to the table, decorated cookies with some refreshing milk.  What kid doesn't like drinking from a straw?

 

Decorating Cookies. Clockwise from Reese on the left: Reese, Mia, Shayne, Liam, Nathan, Steve, Katie, Tessa, Lillie.

And then, birthday cake!

Cookie Monster Cake

I don't know what was up with the camera.  So here are two snippits of it.

Then we played with balloons:

We lined up and played a game like Bocce Ball, but with the balloons instead of balls.

Then Presents

Then we ran out of activities before it was time for the party to be over so we played with toys.

And read more stories.

And then watched more Cookie Monster on TV as the kids' parents came to pick them up. Obviously planned that so the parents would think all we did was watch TV for two hours. (Hah!)

Happy Cookie Party, Reese!