I am a year late a year late with this post, because I'm literally at the cusp of doing her 10th birthday, but I can't let this opportunity to document her birthday go away. I always imagine than in the years to come, we can read these posts and watch the pictures together of all the parties we have done together. Since her tenth birthday is up, we should have 10 parties to reminisce on, but alas we "lost" one during the pandemic. It wasn't a complete loss because we were able to do a co-birthday with her and her sister, but Emmalee got the date of the celebration, but Kaylee got the theme: Carnival.
This Jurassic party was the first big one after Covid. We were able to invite 15 friends. We did it in a park that cost me $0 and gave us total privacy and space. Best deal ever. All I had to do was go to the municipality and sign a request for a birthday party at the requested park and boom! It was such a hit, many moms used the same park for their parties. We had actually picked a different park initially because it had so much space and variety of games, but it was raining during those days. So at the last day, we had to change parks because this one had a large gazebo in the center for rain coverage and many trees to hang more rain coverage. It was a great birthday. The best thing about was that Abuelo Rodolfo and Abuela Martha had come from Honduras and were present!!!!
Decorations and main table
Welcome to Jurassic Park (Can you hear the music playing in the background while going through the gates? Use your imagination)
Cutie explorers are welcomed!
An so are wannabe velociraptors
Loving these covid memories
How amazing is this pic with Abuelo and Abuela in the center. Abuela Linda of course is also here.
Mom was supposedly dressed like Ellie Sattler from the first movie.
I made this backdrop 10 minutes before setting up. I opened the paint I took to realize it was almost empty. I watered it down and prayed it would be enough as I was already behind. But the paint
I called Tia Lilly crying for help. I had never been so behind for a party ever. I hadn't finished the Jeep favor boxes. Hadn't blown the balloons, hadn't finished the fire in the entrance gate. She came over early and saved the day.
Definitely the dino balloons save the decor and the day. But I really loved the Jeep favor boxes because I designed them.
Muddy chocolate and oreo cups
Erupting volcanoes with dino eggs inside and some binoculars for exploring
The cake is so boyish, but Emmalee absolutely loved it. Shoutout to Diego for lending me all his dino figurines and the jurassic park jeep.
Easiest cookies in the planet!
Those dino figurines really make it what it is!
Party of four together by the grace of God
Tia Lilly added the vines and the top Emmalee banner completed our table.
Love my explorers.
Games
Fossil print hunt: We started with a fossil print scavenger hunt. Each kid was given this page with the names removed and had to go around the park finding the print, matching it, and filling in the name. First to finish gets a price.
Adri made good use of her binoculars for the scavenger hunt.
Dino knowledge test. Each page had pictures of dinosaurs and dino names. Match the name to the right dino. First one to finish wins. This was one of the hardest tasks. I thought they'd get it super fast, but it took them a while to get all of the names right.
I even stepped in to help.
Games 3 and 4 where simultaneous.
Dino foot race: We had a dino foot race and and dino fossil race.
I made the dino shoes with three ball holders. It was a minute-to-win-it game. The one who could take more balls to the bucket at the end of the track in one minute won.
Fossil puzzle race: The second game was a sort of relay race and whoever could do it faster won. I made some bones out of flour and salt on the oven in the shape of the fossil puzzle. The kids had to run back and forth the track placing one bone at a time. The fastest time won.
Here is Xavi looking concentrated walking in the dino feet. It was harder than it seemed.
The best entertainment was my husband dressed as a T-rex. The kids went bananas for it.
Don't get eaten by the T-rex. Our last game was my favorite. It was a mix between Squid game's red light and green light and jurassic park's myth that a T-rex won't eat you if you don't move. I stood at the end of the race. If I was turning back, the kids could move. If I turned to face them, they had to stop and stray frozen. If I saw any movement, I would instruct the T-rex to eat you.
Some kids got eaten on purpose because it was so much fun to get eaten by the T-rex, but some were really focused on getting to the end first. Santi is about to have his limbs bitten off for the second time!
Emmalee almost made it to the end first when she was brutally gobbled by her T-rex dad.
Best picture. Ellie Sattler and the T-rex!
I worked on this cardboard jeep for 2 weeks!
But getting to recreate this scene was too much fun. Each kid got a chance to take a pic with the T-rex in the jeep.
Diego is the other biggest Jurassic park fan, so I was excited to see him enjoy himself.
And of course, you close the fun time with a dino piñata masacre!
Dear Emmalee,
I'm writing this letter almost a year late, but I will write this letter to 9 year old Emmalee. My sweetest girl, you are in third grade at this point. You have been doing homeschool with mommy for almost 5 years. You don't know it yet, but you'll be in a school in fourth grade. And you don't know how you'll test higher than all your class, except in Spanish. That is because you are impressive in everything you do. I love to see you continue to work hard in your drawing skills, your reading skills, your writing skills. You still send letters to me whenever you want to say anything hard or deep to me. I love that I live in a modern era, but get letters on the regular because of you. I love how you earnestly pour your heart in your writing and become vulnerable like you can't while talking. I love that you are still such a present big sister. You are always making sure your sister does her work well, does her ballet class well, and does not get her way when she is not being obedient. Mom still tells you to be only a sister and not a "mommy", but you can't help it. But you care that Kaylee gets good things, to share your food and toys, to take turns on the nintendo or watching TV. You do piano lessons and computer lessons with your sister and you encourage each other. You love trying new things. I just love watching you grow into a lovely lady that loves her friends deeply. You are such a good friend to all your friends. You don't care about status o age. You'll befriend anyone willing to be kind to you back.
You have had the most amazing time reconnecting with Abuelo and Abuela Zelaya. You and your grandpa still have the strongest connection. Watching you two talk and walk hand in hand, and just cuddle watching TV has brought so much joy to my heart. Your grandma Martha has been longing to be with you. You wasted no time to catch up with all the things you wanted to do with her and show her. You even made a fort to cuddle her under it. You sleep with your Lyla every weekend. It's still your favorite time to be with her and take a bath with her. You don't lose the kid in you, which I can't say for your tenth year. You take the greatest care of me! If you see mommy feeling sick, you'll caress my forehead until I stomp groaning and fall asleep. You help me in the kitchen and want a cooking lesson daily. I just love how daring and brave you are to try new things. You are fearless my little one. You love the Lord deeply and love your church dearly. This brings me so much joy. You are understanding, great listener, filled with compassion, and filled with wonder to learn. You continue to amaze me and fill my life with so much love and joy. I thank God for every year He has given you by my side.
I love you,
Mom
