Hudson turned seven last week, so we threw a little pool party with a bunch of his classmates to celebrate! He and I came up with the “jawsome” concept before school ended, and sent out the invitations ages ago, so he’d actually forgotten all about it until a day or so before—which made it kind of like a fun surprise! (By the way, I wish I’d been clever enough to come up with that cute Jaws pun—someone else said it to me after I shared some photos on Instagram.)
We kept things super simple—just swimming followed by some pizza and cake. I don’t know if it was because the kids had been in class together all year or because of their age, but we basically just sat back and watched them play. They were so great!
As for the prep, I made a poster the night before (close to midnight, as per routine) and we got some balloons.
Aron and the kids got a little assembly-line going, and put together some favors: fossilized shark teeth, gummies, a toy shark, and a yoyo.
For the past few birthday parties we’ve hosted, we’ve rented child-sized tables and chairs from the party rental shop. They never cost very much, but it’s nice to put out a just-right-sized spread. We had pizza delivered, and then set out watermelon, veggies with hummus, and a bowl of cheese puffs (per Hudson’s request). For any adults who stuck around, we made a cheese tray.
And we decided, for the first time ever, to order a cake. (Remember this question?) I went to Nugget Markets, our local grocery that I’m always raving about, and looked through their designs. We asked them to make the Finding Nemo cake without the characters (Nemo, Dory, and Mr. Ray) and instead took apart a shark-squirt toy and stuck its head on top!
Finally, the easiest decorations came in the form of inflatable pool toys. I love the giant shark head. One could use it for a photo-booth prop even without the pool! And then there were two ride-on great whites (we’d gotten one of them last summer) and a whole lot of squirters thrown in.
It all came together just right!
Here are a few more photos from his actual birthday…
We’ve been taking photos of him on this couch since he was an infant. First, monthly, and eventually at each six months. I wish I could say I’ve been as good at keeping up with entries about him as I once was. Now we take a video and ask him a few questions to get a fuller portrait.
That day, we gave him a skateboard as our gift to him, and we also fit in some practice-time. Afterward, he requested dinner at a Thai restaurant where we would all sit on the floor. And then, that evening, for a little family party with both sets of grandparents, Aron’s mom made him the most delicious banana cake with chocolate frosting, and decorated it with an image of Hudson swimming! It was so creative!
Every year, we watch with amazement as Hudson takes on new skills—like reading!—and shows us more of his personality. He’s clever, energetic, thoughtful, loving… and so dynamic! Of course, what never changes is how much we love him. Happy birthday, Hudson!
P.S. Previous birthdays: Astronaut and kitty pool parties, a bug-themed one at three, last year’s tree theme, and the very first—on the Hudson River.
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