Eight....

Our boys turned 8 this week. The years are simply flying by, but I must say I love the boys more and more each year, both because that is the natural thing and also because I love the quirky characters that they are gradually becoming.  Little people that still love to be cuddled, read to and pampered by us like little children, but can also be extremely independent, read to themselves, hold intelligent conversations (that are sometimes a little too smart!) and are simply funny.

For last year's birthday, we invited a hoard of children for a round the world party. It was a huge success and we all enjoyed it, but this year I insisted on a quiet, family party. We held the party on Saturday and while it was a family party, it was far from quiet! We invited the local family, but also family from further afield and some adopted family with children the boys' age. We kept most of the invited guests a secret from the boys who were delightedly surprised as grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and great-grandparents kept arriving. With 22 people all up, it was a great party! We cooked pizzas, ate and drank homemade treats, played pass-the-parcel (adults and kids together) and thoroughly enjoyed being outside in our pretty spring garden in the sunshine. And the boys received a pile of wonderful presents. In fact, their entire birthday wish list was granted by family.

From our 3 month old niece to my Grandad visiting from the UK, everyone had fun with pass-the parcel. 
And my friend, Jayne, was delighted to win the game for the first time in her life.

So when Tuesday came, their actual birthday, I was a bit concerned about how they would receive their homemade gifts from us and each other. I shouldn't have been worried though, they love them.

We set up a treasure hunt ('birthday quest') for them and they scrambled through the clues to find their homemade bow, arrows and quiver with a pillow shield made up to replicate Tom's shield from their favourite book series, Beast Quest. One of the things we, as parents, love about this series is the lack of merchandising. This means less 'I wants', but also opened up the opportunity for some unique, homemade gifts. The boys are really pleased with them, particularly the bow and arrows.

Appliqued tokens on fabric with belt arm loops on the back and stuffed with soft pillow stuffing,
these shields mean the boys can imagine playing Beast Quest, and if they get hit with a sword or arrow, it won't hurt :)

Simple bow made from flexible branches, string and duct tape with a quiver (fabric covered PVC pipe with a strap that velcros around them) of felt tipped arrows.  They really work, but hopefully won't take out any eyes.

And for each other, they made Harry Potter wands with special bags (sewn by me, decorated by them). They think they're pretty special too.

The wands were made using a chopstick, a hot glue gun, beads, paint and imagination.
Glad they don't work though as their favourite spell is Avada Kedavra.......

It can be hard to make for kids in such a materialistic world, where new toys come on the market constantly and advertising (and school friends) make their list of "I wants" extensive. By making gifts that met the boys interests, I was able to tap into their desires, while staying homemade, simple and eco friendly. Happy all round.

Oh, and I made them a birthday cake for the family party too. I'd had always wanted to make a figure 8 racetrack cake for their 8th birthday, and was granted permission. But I made it a bit more modern and special with a surprise Mario Kart theme. It was dubbed 'the best cake ever'!

Now I can't wait to give them their homemade Christmas presents, and hopefully keep this homemade tradition going for many more years.