JUMP 3rd Birthday Party

On Saturday we celebrated our spited and sweet Shane turning three! When asked what he wanted to do for his birthday party, Shane wanted to play with his friends which included his BEST friend Daddy, Grandma Buffy, and little toddler buddies. Shane actually did ask for a host of other people to attend but for the first time I had to look at our space and budget and make our party a little smaller this year. By smaller, I mean under 40, which for my home is quite a large amount so we looked around and found a great place to host.

When looking for a venue in the winter months for toddlers we are a bit limited in what we can do. I love the idea of a park but weather is wet this time of year. We looked at the Children's Museum near us but I worried we would not spend as much time with our friends in a large area that open to the public at the same time as our event. I finally found a gymnastics center that offered a 3pm party so we could try and fit nap/quiet time in and there was a party room. The only draw back was that we had to limit our party to 12 participants but parents were not included in the count and could come join the fun. 

We had a wonderful time at Northshore Gymnastics Center! When we arrived there was a little bin to drop gifts off and someone at some point moved that to our party area. Each child had to sign a little waiver form as did the adults and then we could head out on the floor. We had a HUGE area for 30 minutes with trampolines, hula hoops, balls, balance beams, a climbing rope, and some music going on. Most of the kids jumped on trampolines and tossed balls or rolled hoops on a big floor area. It was wonderful to watch the introverted kids be able to play with no expectation to chat and the spirited children who won't sit still could freely run and jump with no expectation other than to be safe. Parents could chat and mingle and everyone enjoyed themselves. After 30 minutes we moved to the other side of the gym and had a giant inflatable slide, foam pit to jump in, slides, bars, and a few other trampolines. The kids were wild!

Look close and you can find me chasing my toddler who ran off and ran fast. This also lets you see the inside of half the gym. 

Foam pit!

The slide and some fun soft blocks to climb on.

After an hour of play time we went upstairs to an open area with some tables for treats and gifts. Seeing as it was so close to dinner we opted for orange slices and mini muffins. I made pumpkin muffins with chocolate chips and some cinnamon raisin muffins. 

For party favors I printed off these little Valentines from Slightly Askew Design and tied them onto an apple pouch. 

I was a little nervous kids would be disappointed with muffins over cake or applesauce over candy and toys but no one seemed to mind and I was so much happier with some healthy choices before dinner time.

We opened gifts and then most of the toddlers, including mine, were starting to get tired. We all said our goodbyes, loaded the cars up, and headed home to have dinner and cake with our out of town guests. 

We had a wonderful time at Shane's third birthday party. I was a little sad to not host this party but after seeing how much fun kids had and how much easier it was for clean up for me I have to say I would do something like this again. Shane absolutely loved spending time with all his friends which is exactly what he asked for. We are so blessed that our little firecracker has so many buddies who love him and wanted to come and celebrate with him.