Although we decorate for Christmas before Reese's birthday is celebrated, we try and stop all holiday activities to spotlight the birthday girl and ensure that the holiday festivities don't merge too much with her birthday wishes. However one tradition which is pretty cool is that our elf Sam always kicks off the party with birthday greetings from the tree.
It doesn't mean that we ignore our decorations of course, and when it is fitting we are more than willing to incorporate them into the birthday scene. This year Reese chose to have a glow-themed party filled with a variety of activities. Each glowing ball ornament had a specified activity for a specific time of night. It was fun throughout the night to open a glowing orb to find out what was next.
We don't like to reinvent the wheel if we don't have to, so first up was a series of Minute to Win It challenges, which you might recall from Callie's 9th birthday party. The first challenge was getting an oreo from your forehead to your mouth without using your hands. Needless to say we had no one complete the task, but everyone did enjoy the cookie in the end.
Next on the list was a task where the contestant used a small plastic spoon to move ping pong balls from a small bowl to a cup. This task took a little time for the players to get used to, but most did quite well. Since we only did half the group at a time we also appreciated the cheerleading and support provided by those not engaged in the challenge. It is a sweet group of girls.
The ping pong balls continued to be the focus of another challenge. This time the girls had to bounce ping pong balls so that they would settle into the square contraption you see pictured here. They had to see how many they could get in a minute. Easier said then done, that's for sure.
Perhaps the most entertaining challenge of the evening was the good old Junk in the Trunk. A tissue box filled with ping pong balls was strapped around the waist and when the music started each contestant had to shake those balls out of the box without using her hands. There was a whole lot of shaking and a lot of creative contortions involved.
And no contest worth its salt ends without an awards ceremony. We had candy bar medals for all who participated and fortunately everyone was happy with the tasty treat they ended up with. The games were over but the party was just getting started.
It's pretty amazing how many different glowing things you can buy when you start looking. Here the girls got to create everything from glowing bounce balls to headbands to bracelets to glasses. They had a blast putting it all together.
And once the lights went out it was quite a sight to see. But it didn't end there. With the assistance of Callie and her friend Maddie, the girls learned a dance routine designed to show off their glow gloves in a lights out performance. All night long Callie and Maddie were fantastic assistants, and they definitely helped ease the anxiety of hosting six 9-year-olds for a sleepover.
Of course the star of the show was Reese, who we still cannot believe is 9 years old. We used to write full on evaluations of the girls when they were younger, but their lives now are so crammed full of activities that we are just trying to keep up with them these days. Let's just say that Reese is an energetic, enthusiastic, loving, smart, bundle of sweetness who makes our lives better every single day. We are so fortunate to be her parents.
And Reese is fortunate to have a good group of friends like these. At the end of the evening they grabbed a whole bunch of popcorn and candy and settled in to watch the movie Elf. It was a great night and the girls were all wonderful guests. Another fun birthday in the books!
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