This year was Daniel's first year of Band Camp. I was a bit unsure about him spending the night over at camp. Fortunately due to Covid, they weren't able to have the kids sleep over the night and instead had to be dropped off and picked up both days. Thursday morning he was packed and ready to head to the Scout Hall for camp. A very excited little boy.
At camp they enjoyed hot lunches, lots of band practice, running around together, more band practice. On the Friday afternoon they got to go on an inflatable obstacle course and also did some rock climbing up a wall. He had a great time!
To end the camp we were able to go and watch a band performance. It was great that we could see their first performance and see it all coming together. It was a huge improvement from the first week.
He did well with looking up at Mr Hamblin conducting
And looking back at his sheet music
We were so proud of Daniel and his performance. There were moments where we thought he lost his place in the performance but he was sitting there counting the rests and waiting to start again.
Overall he had a blast at his first band camp and he can't wait to go back again next year and hopefully sleep over with his friends.
For a Tuesday Fun Night the kids were curious about what was inside a coconut, so James and I decided that we would find out as a family. We told them about how we found one on the beach when we were in Fiji on our honeymoon and cracked it open and the kids were curious if it would be the same.
James tried cracking it open with a knife - not successful. Then he tried with a hammer. The kids were keen to have a go too.
When it was cracked the kids were very excited to see the white flesh inside it and found it tasty. They weren't so keen on the coconut milk though.
Eliza found it so exciting that she decided to write a recount about it. I love her creativity. And her writing was great!
On Tuesday night I had a coconut. The water tasted gross but the inside yummmmm! The inside was white and extremely yum.
Daddy had to do the cracking outside because it was making a dent in the floor. Alexander didn't like it.
The coconut didn't taste the same as the grated coconut but it was still the same. Mum and Dad liked the water inside.
Mummy and Daddy went to a beach and found a coconut and Dad threw it against the rocks.
I had a lovely night. I read Dogman with Dad. It was filled with excitement at first and jumping around. I felt excited because I hadn't tried a coconut.
For Alexander's 5th Birthday Party, he wanted it to be a Bluey theme which was perfect for his age. As I started to look into it, there were lots of fun little Bluey themed activities that I could set up - a lot of creative play, and also a lot of Bluey themed food. Even the party bags could have a Bluey theme.
Alexander helped me with decorating the party bags. He drew trees, his friends, different pictures. He wanted me to decorate his bag though so I made his one Bluey.
Inside the party bags we had Bluey themed treats - balloons for Keepy Uppy, Hamburger for BBQ, Feather for Magic Wand, Lollypop for the song Lollypop, lolly gecko for Sticky Gecko.
What cake does one make for a Bluey themed party? Well, Duck Cake of course. The episode of Duck Cake is very true to making Woman's Weekly cakes. Some are easy, others are tricky, often something doesn't go right. This cake is often known to be the hardest cake in the book and it was pretty tricky. I found a video of someone making duck cake that I watched to help visualise how to make it too as some instructions were a bit confusing. At one point it did break me. The head just wasn't working with cutting it how they said. James came and explained how he would cut it which sort of made sense, but also didn't. I went out into the lounge room, stomped my feet, jumped up and down, had a cry and then went back in to try and finish the job. It was very similar to Bandit who slumped down on the kitchen floor upset that Duck Cake didn't work out. At least my duck's head didn't fall off.
Trying to work out the next steps of the instructions
It sort of looks like a duck shape (James helped with explaining parts of it)
Just waiting for the popcorn and chips in the morning
It got there in the end fortunately and it looked like duck cake. Alexander was really happy with it and said it looked like Duck Cake so yay!
The other fun thing that I made were Bluey and Bingo biscuits. They looked really cute and weren't too hard to make. Scotch finger biscuit, coloured white chocolate for icing, cut chocolate, jelly beans, lolly eyes and a chocolate bit to make them.
Whilst we got everything organised to get going, James put on Bluey, of course it was Duck Cake.
We then packed the cars and headed to Hawkins Hall for the party. I set up the food table with food and labels - Duck Cake, Movies Popcorn, Fruit Bat Skewers, Bluey and Bingo Biscuits, magic vegetables, cheese and crackers, bluey and bingo jelly. It was fun coming up with Bluey food themes.
I also had fun coming up with different activities for the kids to do during the party. I was aiming for it to be a creative play time with just a couple of set activities.
Some of the creative play were:
-BBQ (the plastic bbqs were perfect!)
-Colouring in table (colour in a variety of Bluey pictures)
-Beach (sandpit toys were a hit)
-Tea Party (teapot, teabags, coffee machine, cups, plates)
-Taxi
And of course they enjoyed the play equipment too.
There was also Pin the hat on Chilly which Nana was awesome at organising so doing. Parker got the closest, saw the prize of painting Bluey. He said 'I have already done this'. I told him that he could do it again. He said no thank you. Poppy came 2nd closest so she was happy to take it.
James had a blast making coffees for the parents who came. He is so good at doing it!
The food was a hit and was enjoyed by all.
We played a game of Keepy Uppy in the hall - so many balloons. I loved that the big kids got into it too. We mixed it up by hitting the balloons with our hands, with our heads, with our feet.
After doing some fun dancing to Bluey music, the kids then did a Bluey scavenger hunt. I made a sheet of things that they needed to find and they had to go around Hawkins Hall to find them. The best one to try and find was Bingo who was hiding up above the door. A lot of kids couldn't find it but Alexander found it and then pointed it out to everyone.
Uncle Howie stole Oscar's answer sheet so he got a lolly prize
The kids did a bit more playing with the different activities.
Bubbles
Taxi
Lots of chalk drawings
Lani drew Dylan's Bluey and Bingo
Lachie worked hard to draw Bandit
We then had cake time - Duck cake! I was pleased that the cake stayed together the whole time. I had also made gluten free cupcakes for the kids too so they got to decide what they wanted to have. He was a very happy boy as we sang Happy Birthday to him.
The candles kept getting blown out so we just pretended that they were lit as we sang Happy Birthday
My gorgeous boy!
Surrounded (and photographed) by many who love him
After cake was enjoyed some people kept playing for a little bit and then everyone headed home. I tried to get a photo of Alexander with each of his little friends who came to celebrate with him.
I love how James' family come to the birthday celebrations too. It is so special and even more so when Alexander included Aunty Julie and Uncle Pete on the invite list
Oscar (and the Howies)
Flynnie, Lachie and Ems
George
Edward
Parker, Poppy and Ivy
Mikey (with the Grannie glasses from the scavenger hunt) and Emma
Clara and Dylan
As we packed up, the adults got to enjoy the last of the Bluey biscuits and they were tasty!
The food was a hit with everyone, including the rainbow lorikeets which came to eat the crumbs at the end.
Auntie Sue headed off and then Nana and Poppy gave Alexander his birthday present so they could see his reaction when he opened it up.
A Red Bull t-shirt
I am so grateful for Mum and Dad being here for Alexander's party. They were such a big help with setting up, getting things that I had forgotten, doing the pin the hat on Chilli, packing up, helping clean, loading the cars, bringing the cake (so it didn't fall apart in the car). They are just such an amazing and helpful couple and I hope that I can do the same for my kids and their families as they grow up.
What a successful 5th Birthday Party for my gorgeous little man! I love that he enjoyed it, I love that he is surrounded by so many people who love and care for him. I love that the Bluey things worked out and that the kids enjoyed playing the different Bluey activities and I love that he had an awesome time! I'm a little bit sad that it's my last 5th birthday party to organise but I'm also happy that it's the last one because they are so very stressful! Happy birthday party Alexander!
