Happy 3rd Birthday Ava Finnli

Ahoy there, Matey!

The time has come

To hunt for treasure

And have some fun.

Capn' Ava is turnin' 3

So we're raising our flags and going to sea.

Avast me harties come sail the ocean blue.

Grub and grog provided to all the crew.

All the kids had there pirate costumes on. They were all so busy playing, I didn't get a picture of all of them together. But the aunts didn't want to be left out. They came dressed in their scarves and eye patches. Arrrr! Yes, all of my family is a little nutty.

Then everyone painted and decorated pirate chests.

And here's the cake. I have to admit, I was sooo nervous. I have never made a cake before. It doesn't look all that bad.

I used Rolos for cannons, swedish fish, malt balls for cannon balls, and of course some wonder pet pirates.

It took a small pirate crew to keep the capn' away from the cake all morning :)

A special thanks to my cousin, Joy, who took all of the pics so I could just enjoy the day.

You can't really tell, but my mom made Ava a "pirate birthday dress".

And next comes the food. My whole family loves to eat.

Sea slugs anyone?

Sorry, couldn't figure out how to erase the second one :)

On to the treasure hunt. We separated the kids into big kids and little kids. The little kids had picture clues, and the big kids had rhyming pirate clues ( I was pretty impressed with my pirate lingo)

I was surprised none of the kids found any of the clues before it was time.
Each buccaneer got a goody bag with their pirate names on it ( Dirty feet Ava/ Still Roastin' Rowan- she hasn't arrived yet :) )

Overall, the party turned out great. I have to admit, I hardly spent any money on this party. I get a lot of questions about the cost. Well this year, I tried to be a little green and use things that I had around the house. I also give Ava some party theme ideas that she gets to pick. I start planning about 10 months in advance (yes, months). I love planning parties. I have always told my friend, Julie, once she stops being a mom and I stop being a nurse- we would open up our own business :). She's even better at planning parties. I've already started thinking of next year's theme. If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them :)

Happy Birthday, Tootsie!!