Juicy Bits: April 2012

April 15, 2012

205: puppy party part 2: the day

So here's how it all went down:

First, kids arrived and they just played around a bit. The cardboard doghouse my dad made rocked!

Next it was time to adopt your own puppy (sorry, I don't have a good picture of them all doing it). They got to choose from a big bin of cute stuffed puppies of lots of different breeds. And they got to fill out an adoption certificate and name it.

Next, we headed outside. I had set up an obstacle course (which I also have no good pictures of) for them to run through like at a dog show. I didn't make them do it on all fours, but they had the option. It had things to jump over, tunnels to go through, planks to walk across, and hoops to jump through. We even asked them to puppy tricks like "sit", "speak", "roll over" and gave them treats if they did so. It was great fun and they all got a "Best in Show" ribbon.

Then the real fun began. The puppies arrived. Actually it was 1 puppy and 2 small dogs. They loved playing around with them and giving them treats.

They even took some of them through the obstacle course.

After we had to say goodbye to the puppies we headed inside to do a quick craft. They each got their own wooden doghouse, just right for their new puppy, and they got to paint it however they liked. I made the dog houses by cutting a larger door into pre-made birdhouses and gluing a bone above it. It was a bit tricky to get the jigsaw into the tight space but they came out great.

Next up: food. We had sandwiches and goldfish all bagged up and ready to grab. There were healthy additions like fruit at each place and cups of veggies and ranch. And the yummy, buttery, dog bone pretzels are to die for. In dog bowls we had Scooby Snacks and Cocoa Puffs to look like real food.

The kids ate (where else?) on the floor doggie-style. I laid out a runner on the deck and they even had dog bowls to eat from. Many of them gave the "no hands" approach a try!

Last we sang to the birthday boy and had cupcakes.

It turned to be a wonderful day and I know Theo had a great time. However, it did nothing to help satisfy his desire for his very own puppy. :)

Posted on April 15, 2012 at 08:00 AM in Birthday Parties, Family, Party Planning | Permalink | Comments (10) | TrackBack (0)

April 12, 2012

204: puppy party part 1: the details

In my usual delayed fashion, I finally have the details of Theo's puppy party from last summer. The theme selection was pretty easy as he is just crazy about puppies.

Let me answer your first question right away, no we did no surprise him with his very own puppy at the party. Or any time after for that matter. I was VERY tempted though. All that focus of puppies had me looking in non-allergenic breeds and all that. But, at least for now, a puppy just doesn't fit into our hectic lives. Maybe when he's a bit older and can share some of the responsibilities.

Anyway, back to the party. It was a great day. The puppies themselves were the main activity. I mean what more entertainment does a group of 4-year-olds need but a couple of cute doggies to play with.

If you're wondering where we got the puppies/dogs to come to the party, they were from an animal rescue organization. They had brought some dogs into Theo's pre-school to share with the kids and I thought, why not see if they could bring them to a party? Although they were quite generous and really just did it for the love of children and dogs, I did give a donation to the organization as well as asking the guests to bring food or toy donations.