Aiden loves the Percy Jackson series. He read them forever ago and I decided to read them before the movie came out. And I fell in love with them too! The movie is quite different from the books (very disappointing!). Our party was based on the book, and luckily all but one of boys had read them (and he saw the movie, so he had the basics).
The biggest omission from the movie is the orange camp half-blood shirts. Well, OUR camp half blood was complete with the orange shirts! Each boy got one upon arrival.
For food, we had:
Blue m&m's and blue jelly beans (you would have to read the book to get the blue thing)
Strawberries (again...in the book but not the movie...the camp had a strawberry farm and that's how they raised money)
The cake turned out ok. I originally intended to make it in the SHAPE of a trident. Well, let's just say that was a bit lofty. Aiden loved the sparkly trident and Percy figurines. He gave me the biggest hug and thanked me and told me it was the best cake ever. That's what it's all about :)
And of course, the cake was blue
The boys were very surprised when we cut it and saw blue cake! That is definitely what Sally would have done!
We had four activities based on four of the cabins at camp.
Hephaestus' Shield Making
I honestly thought 10 year old boys would spend 5 minutes slopping some paint on and be done. Boy was I wrong! These boys were meticulous. They kept going back to them between every activity. Coat after coat of paint. They certainly weren't dry when their parents came.
I printed off some Greek symbols for them to copy and here they are searching for artwork in Aiden's mythology book. These boys were serious and their shields turned out great!
To make the shields I used cheap pizza pans from Walmart. We drilled four holes and attached straps to the back with bolts. Very easy! And much cooler than toy shields.
Apollo's Archery
Unfortunately, it was raining the day of the party, so archery was a little tricky! I had the kids stand in the doorway and shoot out. It worked pretty well and several of the boys had never shot before. They all loved it!
Hermes' Obstacle Course
The obstacle course didn't really happen with all of the rain. They climbed up the "rock wall" on our swing set, ran through it and down the slide. Then the grabbed a waiting sword and battled with a monster full of candy.
Oh yes, you heard that right! Each boy got their own monster to battle (hit, smash, beat, kick, tackle, shred...they got pretty into it!)
This was they best part of the party (if I do say so myself!). Pinatas just aren't fun. A few kids hit it, one kid busts it, and the kids at the back of the line get squat. So I thought "what if everybody got their own monster pinata to destroy?" So...at the end of the obstacle course, they each had their very own mythical monster wanting for them!
Nobody ever said I was good at keeping things simple.
I spent a good amount of time paper mache-ing, painting, and decorating these monsters. But it was seriously worth every second.
These 10 year old boys had the time of their lives and insisted on taking home the leftover chunks of their monsters! I thought they would be making fun of my designs...but they LOVED them!
Meet the monsters:
Fury
Fury being torn to shreds with candy flying everywhere
Hydra
Hydra being beaten to a pulp!
Aiden and Medusa
Aiden cutting off Medusa's head!
Minotaur
Dead Minotaur. This boy dove on the Minotaur and tackled it to the ground. I don't think the boys will soon forget that memory!
Hellhound about to go down
Cerburus about to lose his heads!
Ares' Sword Fighting
We ended with an all-out battle. Each boy got an inflatable sword and a can of silly string. Luckily there was a break in the rain and they were able to go duke it out. My plan was for the shields to be dry for the fight, but they just kept painting. They weren't missed. They all had a blast duking it out and shooting silly string all of the yard. It was quite a battle!
The whole crew with their spoils of war! They mounted the heads on sticks...such BOYS!
I love this boy! Happy birthday Aiden...I'm so glad you enjoyed your party!
In honor of his 10th birthday...The 10 things I love most about Aiden are:
1. He is so stinkin' smart! This boy helps his classmates with math. He read the entire Harry Potter series in a month. He beats me at chess. He's such a smarty!
2. He is such a good big brother. He really loves his siblings. He's Abbott's best friend and he spoils the girls.
3. He really, really wants to be good. He messes up like any kid, but I love his desire to make me happy and to choose the right. I bet he is the one child that I don't fight with about curfews. An obedient child...what a blessing!
4. It's really easy to make him happy. He is the best at showing appreciation.
5. He is just like his dad (and nothing like me). And I love his dad a lot! It is so fun to see what a clone he is of his dad (right down to the birthmark on his hand!).
6. He is so easy going. He doesn't get worked up about things (see #5) and isn't stubborn at all (and I'm not being sarcastic...he really isn't!).
7. He is so handsome. He has a wide smile and full lips. He can get anything out of me when he flashes that grin!
8. He can be silly. He is so cautious and quiet and laid back...most of the time. But sometimes his silly side pops out. He sings goofy songs he heard on youtube. He says little one-liners that make everybody laugh. I love these silly moments.
9. He's happy with who he is. He isn't interested in being the star of the show. He does the things that he enjoys because he enjoys doing them. He keeps a low profile.
10. He is my sweet firstborn. He will always be infinitely special as the boy who made me a mom.
