The Pirate & Avenger Party

We celebrated Sam's birthday early this year, partially because we had some family visiting from out-of-town. Sam wanted to have a birthday party with his cousins, so we decided that an early party would also be a great excuse for a small family reunion. J and I have never thrown a large birthday party for Sam before, so this party was especially exciting.

Several weeks ago, Sam said that he wanted to have a pirate treasure hunt for his birthday party. But a few weeks ago, things changed when Sam saw a Captain America costume at the mall. He became obsessed with the Avengers, and as a result we ended up having both pirate and Avengers party themes. Here's some pictures from the event:

J made a treasure map for the kids. We stained the map with tea and burned the edges of the paper (to make it look like old parchment). We took this shot while the map was soaking in some tea. Afterward we split the map into different pieces, so the treasure hunt involved a search for pieces of the map.

The treasure chest with booty! (This chest is made by Melissa & Doug. It's absolutely darling and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a treasure chest for kids!)

Sam wanted to have an plastic party tablecloth with the Avengers depicted on it. The adults actually ended up eating at the table with this tablecloth. I thought it was a little disconcerting to eat food under the constant gaze/grimace of Thor and the Incredible Hulk, but Sam was happy about his decoration.

A Batman costume from Gram!

A Superman costume from the California cousins!

A Captain America costume! (This costume was the highlight of Sam's party. He desperately has been wanting this costume ever since he saw it at the mall a few weeks ago.)

Sam with our extended family, before the treasure hunt

The cake! (The star shape is like the one on Captain America's shield.)

N, Sam, and O

Sam has worn his Captain America costume multiple times per day. Although it is a pain for J and I to help him take the suit on and off, Sam looks so cute that we don't complain too much.

Here are some fun video clips from the day. The first one is of the treasure hunt itself. The second clip is of "Captain America" looking at himself in the mirror. Whenever Sam wears his Captain America costume, he ends up spending half of the time looking at himself in the mirror. It's both endearing and hilarious.