There's a Pirate Party Shakin' on the Ship

Captain Max Salty of the Pirate Ship Scallywagg

"This pirate party's only just begun,
We're just a bunch of pirates having fun!"

-Captain Bogg and Salty

There's no such thing as too much celebrating, right? The problem with having three of our four family birthdays within a month of Christmas is that we run the risk of getting a little partied-out. We've been eating sweets and opening presents for an entire month. MORE celebrating?

YES. Emphatically, yes.

Ready to mail his very first birthday party invitations

We picked a date for Max's birthday party between his actual birthday (December 25) and his baptism (January 19), and sent out the invitations to a PIRATE PARTY! As if you could possibly not know this, Max has been pirate-obsessed for quite awhile. I thought the obsession was starting to abate when he got into Bob the Builder, but it came back with a vengeance when he received a real pirate hat and a stuffed parrot from Grandma and Grandpa Yantes. He talks of little else, and even when the subject is something other than "Pirate", he speaks in a pirate voice (more on that another day...)

So on Sunday morning, we decorated the house with pirate flags, gold, jewels and treasure maps, and we put out all kids of pirate-y snacks. As each party guest arrived, they chose a pirate name from among an assortment waiting for them at the front door. We had Mad Annie, Barnacle Bernice and Crazy Vinny Bonny, but one pirate came prepared with his own name: Captain Nobeard of the Red Sienna. (Any guesses as to who that was?)

After choosing names and snacking on hard tack (chips), root beer, ginger ale, Rold Gold pretzels and pistachios, it was time for the real piracy to begin. On long voyages, pirates were known to eat limes to avoid scurvy, a vitamin C deficiency. Our pirates got to taste test lime slices, which resulted in some pretty funny faces!



Next was the treasure hunt! Simple clues and pictures led the four "big kids" around the house to find their very own treasure chest filled with goodies. Each pirate got to take home a little sack of "booty"- gold coin candy, chocolate treats, plastic jewelry and plastic coins.


Then we brought out the cake and sang happy birthday to Max Salty. The cake was frosted by Yours Truly, and while it didn't turn out how I envisioned (at all), I'm proud of my first real attempt at cake decorating! (Man, it's harder than it looks...) All the little pirates enjoyed chocolate cake and ice cream- yes, I did choose the messiest combination of sweets to offer, didn't I? Oh, well, birthdays come but once a year. And I was only in charge of cleaning up one of the children!



Max was itching to open his gifts the moment I wiped the stickiness off of his fingers, so we gathered for presents. His loot included, but was not limited to, a box of 64 crayons, coloring books, a cool "flippy" car that was a hit with the adults as well as the kids, a Three Little Pigs Play-Doh set, a Twins T-shirt, and a set of reusable Pirate stickers that Max has played with pretty much constantly since Sunday! Thanks, everyone, for your gifts and your presence! Max (and I) could not have wished for a better day.

The Party Guests in Action

Well, me hearties, that's the last of my pirate tale for today. So hoist the mainsail and weigh anchor, time to set sail for calmer waters. Time for Pirate McGraw to swallow the anchor.*

*Retire from the life of a pirate (learned from one of Max's many pirate books)