Gavin's 4th Birthday: Flying Off To Neverland

When asked what theme Gavin wanted for his birthday party, he promptly replied a Peter Pan one.  This green and tight wearing bloke is not too popular these days which made invitations and decorations a creative test for me.  After some dead-end online searching, I decided to create the invitation with the Peter Pan character set Gavin received for his birthday last year.  We kept the party on the shorter side since those invited are still pretty young and we were heading south the next morning for a Memorial Day trip.

After a couple of rounds of Duck Duck Goose until everyone arrived, the birthday boy and his friends put on their Peter Pan hats for a treasure hunt around Neverland.

Logan is going through a monster phase where sneaks up behind people and growls.  It is hilarious to watch.

Our first stop on the treasure hunt was through the Lost Boys' Hideout.  Fashioned out of moving boxes, the box tunnel had kids crawling through the vines on one side and escaping on the other.
  

The next stop was Captain Hook's the Jolly Roger.  This stair and slide activity climber that we already had was perfect since it had a ship's wheel included.  A quick sail was made to resemble a pirate's flag too.  Notice the creeping Logan monster following the guests around.
 

Next up was Crocodile Creek where guests had to hop on the pavers to ensure the stuffed animal crocodiles did not bite their ankles.  There was even a plank to walk at the end to ensure safety.
 

And all these stops eventually led them to the treasure (a.k.a. treasure chest pinata).  There were shovels placed around the sandbox for everyone to dig for all the lost coins.
 

It was then pinata time!  Everyone got a swing with the birthday boy going first and last to break it open.
 

We then all shared some cookie cake and ice cream picnic style.
 

Gavin made out like a skunk since his guests were very gracious and giving.
 

And then finally it was time to hand out his goody bags as a thank you to all his friends.  We wrapped some special green gumballs into favor bags where Gavin hand wrote 'thanks' on each one.  It took the span of three days for his little hand to write it on each bag.
 

About an hour after the party ended and only a few friends remained, Gavin uncovered his gift from the whole family (grandparents included).  It's what his heart had wanted for a while so it felt right that it came from us all.  He conveniently already had his helmet on actually from riding another toy in the driveway.  We have to be the meanest parents though because he had about 30 minutes to play with it before bed and then we were gone for five days.
 

Gavin still talks about his birthday and that time when all his friends came over for a treasure hunt.  The whole night worked out perfectly and flowed just like we planned.  There was happiness all around!
 

Here are a few instagram photos compliments of my phone.  The top right photo shows the box tunnel from inside the garage and third left photo shows us setting up inside hours before the party.