Jay and Andy's Mario Birthday Party

Whoah. That was a good party. A lot of people...but super fun. Happy 6th Birthday (in May) Andy. Happy 8th birthday (in less than a week) Jay

The Cake:

The Decorations:

The Food:

The Games:

So I forgot to take good pictures of our finished product with our golden coins, safety glasses and everything... but our setup was a backdrop with plastic cups with Mario symbols on them that we stacked and kids had to knock down with nerf guns. Kids had a blast with it, and it ended up in an epic nerf war (where the basement got rearranged for proper hideouts). Thanks Uncle Chad for making it awesome!

Mario Gaming Face-Off:

I must not have taken any pictures of the games, but we had original Nintendo (Mario 2), Mario Kart (3 player), and the Game Cube with Mario Party. Everyone had a great time without being too engrossed in video games during a party. I thought this picture of Ezra was so cute...mostly because he was having a blast pushing buttons without having any clue what was happening:) Mario Kart Racing: Mountain View Highway:

Here was the big hit: We made one of the cars (and we repaired all the rest). I got all the cars, and a bunch of cool decorations from a lady for $15 last year. The only problem was...we stored them for almost a year! When the weather turned sour, John was most frustrated that he might have stored and moved around a bunch of cardboard cars and then wouldn't be able to use them. I had big plans for the track, but it was still raining when the party started, so the setup happened DURING the party. They started by having 2 people line up, and when we say go... go around the corner and over the first jump.

After that, there were turtles and King Boo's to dodge.

Next was another jump and the Banana's (who scared you and pushed you off the track or spun you around)

After that you rounded two (fairly dangerous) corners (because the grass was so wet) and had to get under the parachute...occasionally people got caught:)

Then you rounded two more very dangerous corners (I wish I had a video because it was hilarious and everyone was laughing and cheering) and you had to grab a question mark box from Jay that had a picture in it and that represented a specific prize you would get after the game.

Question mark boxes with mario symbols:

Of course, after everyone got a prize they were allowed to exchange it for something else if they wanted. Bowser Balloon Battle:

The balloon battle did not end up happening. Things were already crazy, it wasn't super hot out, and the backyard already had enough water for the day. 3 hours before the party the weather was looking dim:

2 Hours before the party there was a hail storm and the backyard was half-flooded:

But an hour into the party it cleared up and soaked out a bit. More costume cuteness:

Party Favors:

Invite: We had a photo shoot a month before the party to get ready for the invitation:

Happy Birthday Guys!