When Jai Bird has her birthday, I generally find it difficult to figure out a theme for the party🤔 She wants to be just like her big sister so she goes for the things Buzzy Bee enjoys, like Barbie dolls and Disney Princesses. This year, however, Jai Bird began to lean into things that appealed to her unique character. While she would never turn down a Barbie, I’ve noticed her confidence solidifying once she finds something that suits her personality. This year, I’m glad we saw more of her individuality so that party planning wasn’t nearly as challenging compared to past years 😅

When me and hubby came in singing happy birthday to Jai Bird, she immediately sat up with an ear to ear grin and proclaimed, “I feel five!”. She hopped right out of bed floating to the breakfast table as if on cloud nine. Even though this would be her first year celebrating at school, I was excited for her to experience a special birthday lunch along with sharing goodie bags with her classmates.

I’m not a huge fan of Disney original movies, but this year Jai Bird really connected with *Descendants: The Rise of Red*. The movie follows the Queen of Hearts’ daughter, Red, as she struggles between being good and evil. I tried to find themed lunch ideas online to reflect this, but when I couldn’t find any, I decided to create my own version.

I chose colors that represented Red’s outfit: black and red. For the lunch, I included pepperoni, lightning bolt-shaped white cheddar cheese, red and black toasted heart-shaped snacks (the black ones are colored with food dye, not burnt 😂), red bell peppers, blackberries, and Oreo Cakesters.

As soon as the girls left for school, I got to work building a Rainbow High Dollhouse, which I knew would be the perfect surprise for Jai Bird. Her old dollhouse was long overdue for an upgrade, and even though we don’t typically let her watch Rainbow High, I found the new Little Sister dolls appropriate for her age.

The dollhouse was just the first part of her birthday surprises. The following day, unbeknownst to her, we planned a surprise Glow-in-the-Dark Park Party at our neighborhood park.

In addition to food and music, I organized three main games: Glow Bowling, using mini LED light-up water bottles as pins; Glow Soccer, featuring a battery-powered LED-lit soccer ball; and Hopper Racing for all the kids wearing their fun glowing gear.

Needless to say the party was a hit! People out walking the evening trail stopped to ask where we got the glow items from and compliment the creativity of it all. All of Jai’s little friends truly enjoy celebrating along side her. The kiddos wore themselves out on all the outdoor activities and got to take some glow up home with them to keep the party going.

I’m thrilled not only to have presented a unique party idea for Jai but also to see her continue to develop her own identity. With year after year of successful parties under our belts, I’m excited to see what future celebrations will bring in years to come.