G3's Birthday Party - What an Occasion!

A few years ago we were at Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO during Worldfest (one of the festivals that Silver Dollar City has each year.) Many countries are represented and there are various booths where you can purchase products/souvenirs from the different countries.

A few years before that, Son had made a business trip to China. While looking at the various items in one of the Chinese booths at Worldfest I came across this dog marionette. Having had a marionette from another country when I was a little girl I thought G3 might like this one from China so I got it for him.



Fast forward to this year. Son always asks the boys what kind of birthday cake they would like. For the past couple of years or so it's always been one of the cars out of Pixar's Cars movie.

Not this year. G3 decided he'd like his cake to look like his Chinese dog marionette. Son called me to say "Gee, thanks, Mom!" My response was, "Not my fault!"

NOTE: When Son was 6 or 7 I asked him what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday like I did every year and that year his answer was "A R2D2 that really stands up. I don't want it to lay down." Being a good mom I came up with a reasonably good R2D2 cake baked in a 3-pound coffee can and a half-ball cake pan. But R2D2 wasn't nearly as intricate as the marionette - NOT by a long, long way!

Son is incredibly talented in the area of art whether it's drawing, painting, designing, etc. You name it - he can figure out a way to do it. Plus he has tremendous small muscle coordination/dexterity. He gets that from AD. I do ok with my large muscles but tiny stuff - NOT AT ALL!!!

You know how tiny gold chains can get tangled? AD and Son, even with their big man fingers, can get those chains untangles lickety split. If it was up to me, I'd just have to toss the chain and buy another one. NO KIDDING!

But back to the Chinese dog marionnette cake. You might want to scroll back up to take another look at the real marionnette. Now take a look at the cake Son made. Incredible isn't it!

I've done my fair share of cake decorating but there is no way I could do anything as intricate as this. Son is so talented and G3 is one lucky kid!

G3 really likes the Pirates of the Caribbean movies so the party theme revolved around the cake and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.

Chinese type food was served - lettuce wraps, chicken egg rolls, fried rice, sticky rice, sesame seed meatballs, fortune cookies and a couple of different kinds of Chinese candy. Son bought all the kids chop sticks to use but had forks and spoons available. It was fun watching the kids trying to master the chop sticks.

Son also had everything for the kids to use to construct ping pong ball slinging catapults. Each one was made out of a block of wood, a mouse trap (with some parts removed), a nail, a plastic spoon and duct tape. It was fun seeing whose ping pong ball would go the furthest. (Later a spontaneous ping pong ball fight broke out among the adults. That was fun to watch too.)

There were a couple of games to play - pass the Pirate's gold earring (lifesaver) using chopsticks and a game played with Pirate goblets and water.

There was also a Pirate's chest pinata filled with gold (chocolate) coins and various other candies. A pirates sword was used to break the pinata.

A lot of work went into the party but I think it was well worth it. It was really a lot of fun and I think G3 will remember it as one of his best birthdays ever.

Oh, and the rain I was worried about the other day - it sprinkled some but no one melted.