MENU

For the menu, I wanted options appropriate for both adults and children. I decided to serve a light lunch, along with snacks and birthday cake since her party was held close to lunch time. I tried to keep the food prep simple so I could also enjoy the day! Here are the menu items I served, along with the fun "under the sea" names I chose for each.

Shellwiches - Uncrustables cut out with a seashell cookie cutter

Crab Croissants - Stuffed with chicken salad and pimento cheese. I used a hot glue gun to attach eyes to toothpicks!

Seashells - Ruffles potato chips

Shrimp - Shrimp on ice with cocktail sauce

Shark Teeth - White cheddar cut into triangles

Coral Reef - Cheetos

Driftwood - Pretzel sticks

Mermaid Food - a fruit medley

Star Fish Pops - Rice Krispie treats cut out with a cookie cutter

Birthday Cake

Fresh Water - Iced water

Ocean Water - Blue Kool Aid

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PARTY FUN

Since the weather took a turn for the worst, I had to be creative with fun things for the kids to do inside. We decided to get Meriwether a blow up pool because she had been asking to go swimming in the weeks leading up to the party. Instead of water, we filled it with balloons. It was a bigger success than I could have ever imagined. We couldn't get them away from the pool! They had a blast, and it was a nice soft surface for the smaller children.

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I ordered a bubble machine for the front porch because I thought it would be fun to have bubbles blowing by the front door as guests arrived. The kids loved it so much we could hardly get them inside to enjoy the actual party!

We also had a sand station with seashells for them to dig and discover. We used kinetic sand to keep the mess at bay and it worked like a charm! I was expecting a little bit of sand around the table, but to my surprise, there wasn't a trace! We put the sand in a water table and they were so excited to find the different shells in all shapes and sizes.

To end the party, I set up a path of seashells to the treasure chest. I used an old wooden box my mom found at an estate sale decades ago, and draped some netting on it. Carson read the message in the bottle we had made and it instructed the children to follow the path. They found the chest on the front porch with their goodie bags inside! In the bags I put a small bag of goldfish, bubbles, yogurt raisins, sea stickers and chocolate coins!

We were so grateful to be able to celebrate with a handful of our friends this year! Last year, with everyone in lockdown, we had an intimate celebration with just Carson, Meriwether and I. It was nice to be with family and friends again!