3rd Birthday Party :: Donut Thief Theme

Well, hello! It’s been awhile, huh? I still have SO many other parties to blog about from this fall… a cute cowboy shindig, a girly dino party, and a few other get-togethers but  I guess this whole “3 kid” thing takes a little more time than I thought! Ha! Anyway… today I present to you my son’s 3rd birthday party! The theme? Donut Thief. I was actually really excited about this theme since I saw a cool graphic for a thief at a restaurant in Boston about 4 years ago and I knew it would be perfect for the party. Along with the invite, we sent a donut that said “Have you seen me?” on the back and a robber mask. The goal of the party was to solve the mysterious caper of the disappearing donuts. It was a strange theme to work with but ended up being really fun to crank on. I should mention that both of my boys are obsessed with thieves. The reason? My sister had them at the beach when I was in the hospital having my daughter and her car was broken into. A policeman came and met them at the car and I think that they were entralled. From that point on, they cannot stop talking about thieves! Obsessed, I tell you!
So when asking him what kind of party he wanted this year, he said: “A thief birthday. And sprinkle donuts.” Okay. So onto the party… Crime scene tape, chains, gold bars, and money bags, along with a red flashing light took over the mantle. Crafty Jan helped gussy up the door sign, of course! Here’s an overview of the living room. I was hellbent on making a jail. I honestly went to Lowe’s 4 times before I finally pulled the trigger and just did it. I was trying to “keep it simple” and not go overboard so I would go in, get all the PVC pipes, decide against it, then leave. Finally I knew I wouldn’t be able to deal if I didn’t make the jail so I did it. It was actually a really fun project! I now am the proud owner of a pipe cutter if anyone around town is in need. The kids all had fun putting each other in “The Slammer” and by the end of the night it turned into a GoGo dancing cage so it was sooo worth building! Donuts were hung above the windows:
And you know me and food… Not my strong suit. For the kids, we had a “Parolee Pizza Parlor” and veggies. The police guarded the table quite nicely for us.For the adults, we made “Crimefighter Chili”      And since all he wanted were donuts on his birthday, that’s all he got! 100 donuts to be exact! And ALL of them were eaten! That should tell you the level of craziness at the party. The “Bandit Bar” was fully stocked of course! (I think the adults may have had more fun than the kiddos!)  And as favors we gave handcuffs and robber masks that they could take right away to play with. Mugshot time! Um… how hilarious are my parents? A policeman and a jailbird! Love these crazies! The grandpas guarded the birthday boy! “You look so good it’s criminal”… something positive for the bathroom. Who doesn’t like a compliment?Onto the games! Using leftover PVC pipe, I made a frame so that we could play the Donut Chomp game. We tied them up about an hour or so before the party and then put them in bags to keep the birds away. Well… if you leave a donut hanging for an hour or so, it will fall of the string. I guess this is one of those last minute prep things. By the time the party started, about half of these donuts were on the ground… This is what I like to call: “Let’s all get the flu!” Because most of the donuts were falling, we played this game super early, before most of the kids got there. It was a hit! 
When most of the kids had arrived, we decided it was time to catch that pesky Donut Thief.
I nerded out and told the kids that in order to find the thief, we had to do the “Criminal Claps” which is where they followed my clapping patterns, the “Robber Run” which is where we would run slow, then fast, then slow. Then we had to do the “Swindler Shimmy” which was super cute to see 3-5 year olds shimmy! And finally we had to do the “Hooligan Hoedown” which is where Nicki Minaj took over for me and we all dance to “Starships.” After that, my husband peeked out from the side yard decked out at a thief with a donut box and all the kids had to grab him and put him in the slammer!I have to say, I was stoked when this part was over! If only I could have hired a thief impersonator to entertain the kids! Ha! I don’t think I have a future with the Wiggles!My huz made quite the cute thief though! I also set up a craft… which I have to admit, I did not have high hopes that anyone would do based on other parties we’ve thrown, but I was surprised! All the kids dove right in! We did “Thumbprint Art” and I just made up sheets to give them some ideas of what they could create. I wish I took a photo of the end products! There were so many cute pieces of art. And finally, we set up an outdoor movie on a sheet in hopes that at least SOME of the kids would chill! They did! I wish I took photos of all of them cuddled up but I honestly didn’t know where my camera was most of the night and I was having too much fun to care. The movie? Robin Hood of course! Only the best kid’s thief movie ever! And if you didn’t catch it before… yes we dorked out and all dressed like thieves. One day this family of mine will revolt! I just know it! Until then… we’re a big bunch of party lunatics. This sweet boy of mine had a great night… which is all that really matters. I just loved the theme he chose. And I have to say, parties are only as fun as the people who come to them and we are truly blessed with the people who come to ours. Super grateful for our amazing friends and family.  The last detail? I snuck out and put “Partying Violations” on everyone’s car before they left the party. Apparently it almost gave a few people heart attacks at first, but I think it was pretty funny!
Wiley is 3! The party is done! And this mama’s got her house back after having it decorated for something or another since October! Whoo! Happy New Year everyone! Hope to write more posts soon!