This past Sunday was Jaxon’s 3rd birthday! My baby is not only a preschooler, but he’s been on this earth for three years! Three years ago I gave birth to this little guy. So now you understand why I have been a bit MIA. Not only was I planning this Pirate Extravaganza, but I was somewhere in a dark corner, clutching his receiving blanket crying like the rest of you mothers out there. And YES I still have his receiving blanket! Don’t act like you don’t! This year was special because the first two birthdays the kids could really careless about the party, cake and presents. But this year he was actually asking about his birthday. He told me what kind of party he wanted. He picked out some toys he wanted and even asked for a Red Velvet cake! So this past Sunday he hosted family and mates in the park for a few hours.
Now if you’re not careful a party can become extremely expensive. Especially in Los Angeles and when you don’t have 
the time to really plan or find deals. I knew that the time around the month I would need to plan it would be crazy with my last surgery, so I just started early. People were making fun of me for planning a child’s October birthday party in July, but because of it I was able to Jax a truly AARGH-RIFIC birthday party. Almost everything I purchased for this party was at least 15% off, including personalized invitations & thank you cards. I scoured the internet sites like Birthday Express, Party City and Birthday Direct for their Clearance Items. A low and behold I came across items for a mere $1. I got party hats, balloon weights, packages of ID Bracelets (for the parents), cups, etc. all for a $1 each and/or packages. I was able to find a deal for a great pirate theme jumper & kids tables & chair rentals for 20% off. Why? How? Planning early and lots of researching helped keep the party low, but the party moved! The kids were entertained the entire time and Jaxon was on top of the world!
Now because Jax insisted that girls cannot be pirates, it became a Pirate & Princess party. Each pirate mate got a hat, sword, Mardi Gras beads and a goody bag attached to their chairs. The Princesses got Tiaras, Mardi Gras beads and their goody bags were attached to their chairs. On the tables were rolled down bags filled with Pirate’s Gold (Chocolate Gold Coins), Jewels (Ring Pops), Pirate’s Booty (Hershey’s Kisses), Shark Bait (Goldfish) for them to snack on. Each bag had beads hanging from them, and the table was littered with beads and fake gold coins. We served Cannonballs (Grapes), Pirate Swords (Celery & Carrot sticks), Pirate Peg Legs (BBQ Chicken I made myself), Squid Tentacles (Turkey Dogs), Swarmy Muddy Waters (Spinach dip & Onion Dip) w/ Sail Boats (Chips). We had one Crystal Light Sugar Free Drink and regular lemonade, as well as bottled waters. A great friend from Sweet Dreams Cakes & Things created a smash cake for Jax that was the epitome of cuteness! It was also incredibly tasty!
Looking like a Liberace version of a Pirate my son jumped in that bouncer so much and so hard in a 45 minute time span
that he busted all the buttons off his costume. That boy came out of the jumper with his shirt flapping open, hat cocked to the side and rosy red cheeks! We were going to go with the pirate ship rental, but we didn’t think we’d have enough space, so we went with a regular pirate theme with hooks! But if you have the room to set sail on one, reach out to Magic Jump Rentals! Used their pirate ship bouncer before and it’s too cool! He sat with the discipline of a well-trained actor to get his face painted by the great Phoenix The Pirate (provided by Happily Ever After Parties) and then sat ready to participate in her wonderful magic show with his Matey’s & Pirate Officers. A day in the park with food, laughter and love is a wonderful way to celebrate a life. Especially one you gave birth to! I don’t imagine it could have been any more special! Ahh, three! What a great year! A new kind of independence, curiosity, and fun! What a great way to start off three! In a costume as your favorite character surrounded by love, with non stop fun, candy and goldfish! Not to mention a car full of presents on the way home.
Happy Birthday Cap’N Jax!
