Black-and-white-Michael-Jackson-cat Party! (Super mega lots of photos!)

 Okay, so I did think about trying to split this into multiple posts.. but meh. I will post all but Mol's costume in one post - it's just easier for both of us! Will just take a little longer to load..

Our sweet Otto turned 4 on Sunday!

Hi day was filled with lovely presents and lots of special treats, including a bit of a shindig with some friends and whanau.

Otto is such a creative wee soul, so when we talked about what kind of party he might like, I shouldn't really have been so surprised when he declared that he would like a 'Black-and-white-Michael-Jackson-cat' party. Those things all go together, right?!

Actually, it turns out they DO.
Who knew there were so many pictures of Michael Jackson holding cats!? While preparing for this party, I found 6 pictures, at different stages of his life, featuring felines!
(Otto was born 4 days after MJ passed away... kindred spirits?)
I, naturally, printed out all of these pictures, and made them into a fabulous bunting. I think it will need to be hung in the boys room when I take it down from the lounge wall.

We kept the other decorations fairly basic, too. Black table cloth, white plates, $2 shop lanterns, black+white balloons. We got out all the Michael Jackson records we have, and they provided the soundtrack for the party.

 I thought about trying to have black and white themed food, but I realised this was just not going to work. And, honestly, (my) kids prefer good old kiwi party food. Sausage rolls, cheerios, lollies, hundreds and thousands biscuits, chips etc. We had cheese and crackers, mandarins and mini sandwiches, too.
I printed out pictures of MJ, and popped them on kebab skewers, to decorate the table.

Otto chose his cake from the cake book - a cat.
(More specifically, a cat that looks like our cat, Porridge.)
I must say, it wasn't what I expected him to choose (the cat part of the birthday party theme came post-cake choosing..), but I was really pleased he didn't pick out something really difficult! Cake making is really not my strength! I had a bit of fun putting it all together, but it is certainly no prize-winning cake. Heh.

Our guests donned their black and white gear, and we dressed in costumes.
Abraham was an All Black (named Meow'a Nonu! Haha), I was a cat, Mollie a raccoon (a post about her outfit coming soon) and Otto and Aesop were Michael Jackson himself.

My dear boy looked so ridiculously sweet (albeit quite serious) in his little tux.
We had a bit of a scare, when the courier delivered his suit to the wrong house on Thursday morning. Luckily, with the help of a mutual friend, the woman in the house where it was delivered, tracked me down and got it to me on Friday. Phew! Small towns do pay off sometimes!
Otto was so pleased with how he looked - quite certain him and MJ were twins.
All his friends at the party decided to call him 'Little Michael' : )

We had such a great time!
Happy birthday, Otto Schnotto! We love you so much x

Aesop's Movie Night Party.

Aesop turned 8 the day we moved into our new house - not the greatest timing, but these things are not always within our control. Being the sweet boy that he is, Aesop didn't complain at all - rather, he said that a new house was a perfect birthday present.
(Don't worry, we also got him Ipod acessories and sugary treats!)

We decided we would still have a party to celebrate, just that it would need to be delayed until things settled down. Settling in have taken a wee while.. but now, two months later, things are calm enough - so we had a wee 'Movie Night' party in the weekend.

Setting up for this party was all pretty straight forward. We decided this year, in keeping with our 'low-stress-party' theme, that we'd opt for more kids and less fuss.
Initially we planned for around 4 friends to come, but we ditched a few details and allowed Aesop to invite 8 kids ( a bit of a compromise to make up for the super late party..)
I ordered some sweet chevron bags, plastic takeout cups and popcorn boxes from Pop Roc Parties, dug out from red streamers and went to briscoes for a red sheet/table cloth.
We put lollies in the bags, and we filled some clear bags with jaffas. I topped those bags off with some card from an old Lone Ranger annual, for a bit of fun.

Food was good ole pizza (from Dominos! Shock horror!), mini spring rolls and sausage rolls. Eight-year-old boy food. The kids downed Lift and banana milk for refreshments.

Dessert was fun - ice cream sundaes. Easy, and super well- received.

The boys chose 'Wreck-it Ralph' as the main feature. It's a bit of a fave in our household.
I couldn't convince Aesop to take a risk on a movie he hadn't seen - but none of the other kids seemed to mind (they had all seen it, too!).
The highlight of the evening, for me, was the short stop-motion film that Abraham made to play at the beginning. It was a Larsen version of 'The Three Billy Goats', with a cheeky ending and got a great chuckle from the kids.
We're so lucky to have such a clever Dad in this house!
(I might see if he will let me share it with you..)

Only one more kiddo party left this year - phew..

Presents from brubbas.

For Mol's birthday, I had an idea that it would be really cool for Aesop to make her a present. Normally, on siblings birthdays, a card is made and the present is bought. I am really keen to change this norm, and introduce more of the handmade into our gift giving.
I asked Aesop what he might like to make, and he said a teddy bear. I asked him to draw a, relatively simple, outline of the shape he would like it to be - and the picture above is what he came up with. I love the little stumpy leg.



Aesop carefully chose out the fabric, and the felt for the details. I had planned for Aesop to do the sewing himself, but we ran out of time a little so I sewed it up, and then he stuffed it with the polyfil. He was so incredibly proud of himself!

Meanwhile, Otto decided that he also needed to make Mollie a soft toy. Unfortunately for me, he didn't want to make a simple creature - he wanted to make a puppy and it had to look 'JUST like the picture, Mum!' I had just an hour up my sleeve, and things were going to be a little tight, but who could refuse a boy who made such an AWESOME puppy picture?

(Otto told me, after I had started, the black bit at the bottom of his face is a beard. Silly me, I thought it was his tongue!)



The boys were so stoked with how they turned out, they were almost bursting at the seams for Mollie to unwrap them - and as soon as she did, they grabbed them off her to show them to Abraham (and then to Mum and Dad and anyone else who would look the next day..) and they even insisted on taking them to bed that night! Haha Guess it's the thought that counts, right?





You can't see him in these pictures but, just off to the left, Otto is waiting for me to take the picture.. then he is going to swoop in and snatch the puppy back off Mollie. Poor girl! Haha.
Luckily it won't be too long before she'll be able to design a gift for Otto, which she can then refuse to actually part with!

Cheap and Cheerful First Birthday Arvo Tea.

In celebration of our new little one-year-old, we had a wee afternoon tea with some family and friends.

We wanted to keep the budget, and the fuss, down on this one (seeing as this birthday is one where Mol didn't really know what was going on..) and just spend some time with people we love.

I decorated with bunting (already had it), hanging lanterns ($2 shop), beautiful flowers (Ruby Dunes) and lots and lots of pompoms ($2 shop). I kept the food simple, too. We had the must-have kiwi party foods (red sausages, kiwi dip with crackers/carrot/celery and animal biscuits), mini spring rolls, spinach and feta rolls and little lemon curd tarts.

Generally, at our parties, people bring things along and we end up with LOTS of food. We opted for an afternoon tea, and told people they really didn't need to bring anything - and it was the perfect amount of snacks. It wasn't a big meal, afterall! Must remind myself of this next time.

We mentioned in the invites that Mollie really didn't need much in the way of gifts. She truly is a third child - toys coming out her ears and still she would rather play with a plastic ladle/empty margarine container/the rocks in the garden. Such an easily pleased child.
Mol did receive a few presents, though, and they were lovely. I especially loved the wooden Mary-Lou doll and the boys were stoked that Nana bought her some 'girl Lego' for later!

The cake was a bit of a flop. There's always something that doesn't go to plan, huh?
I had planned a two layer chocolate and vanilla cake, with white icing and the string of bunting from the baby shower. What we ended up with was just one thin layer of choc cake, with chocolate icing. The bunting was there though.. and it tasted good. That's the main thing.

It was so nice not to put on a big stressful production - it made our day far more pleasant and Mollie was the first of our kids who actually managed a sleep on her party day, because there was not a huge amount of tension in the air. Really must remind myself of this. Cheap and cheerful parties might be slightly less 'pin-worthy' but they really are a lot more fun (and tiny people really aren't paying attention to whether the plastic cups match the table cloth...)

Otto turns three - a photo essay.

 Opening cards in the morning.

 (Squinty Abraham wishes he also had new ASOS sunglasses of awesomeness)

A picnic lunch in the backyard. Aesop in his tent, Mollie asleep, and all of us enjoying the sunshine while eating ham sandwiches, roast nuts and pieces of doughnut.

A spot of present opening.

Some family to celebrate with.

The blowing out of candles on a chocolate lion cake.

And plenty of new goodies to play with.

I think it is save to say, that Otto had a lovely third birthday.
It is so hard to fathom that it has been three years since he arrived. But, of course, it also feels like he has been here forever. He has been the perfect addition to our household the past few years, he is such a funny wee guy and a also such a cruiser.
I love the way Otto pronounces things (or shings, he would say), the way he treats the cat like another sibling, the way he smooches up to Mollie, the way he is so concerned when someone is sad or hurt, the way he walks with such swagger, the way he spends most of playcentre at the kai table, the way his face lights up when he is on the swings, the way he loves to snuggle, the jokes he makes.. pretty much everything about this guy is awesome. He is one cool little fellow, and I feel very blessed to hang out with him so often, and to be his Mum.

Happy birthday, Otto!