Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Sail Away For Ryder's 4th Birthday



In early May, with only a few weeks to spare before his birthday, Ryder and I agreed on a sailboat theme for his birthday party.  His party came together rather quickly and the afternoon was a great success!
 

Ryder Richard was named for my Papa, Fred Richard and with our recent loss I wanted to include a piece of Papa into the decor.  Papa owned and operated Kelley's Upholstery & Canvas for 55 years and together he and Ryder shared a love for both boats and Lake Erie.  While doing some yard work one afternoon for Grandma, Ryder and I came across a scrap piece of sideboard from a boat Papa had worked on.  I had envisioned a "SS Ryder" sign for Ryder's party decor and our found piece of wood was perfect.  I snapped the board in half with my bare feet (no joke!) to give it a jagged look, whitewashed it, and painted the name of our vessel upon the wood.  Alert the coast guard...the SS Ryder is shipwrecked!



Mommy and the birthday boy


 

Yummy cupcakes!  These super cute sailboat cupcake toppers were easy to make with a little scrapbook paper, sucker sticks, jute, and a hole punch.  I picked up the life ring and netting at Pat Catan's.  The cake stand and wooden tray (made by the hubby) I had on hand.



 
Ryder is a lover of sweet treats!  These Jell-O boats and chocolate covered Rice Krispie treats were a huge hit with the kids.  Sipping punch is always more fun when it is done through a festive straw!

I love to display photos of the boys at their parties.  With a little jute, ribbon, and tiny clothespins my favorite photos of Ryder from the past year were easy to see.  A piece of Papa's backyard is now in our backyard as well.  For years I have found great delight in his lilac bush out back.  Last fall (unknown to me) Papa transplanted a shoot from his own lilac bush for me.  My mom cared for it over the winter and following his passing we planted it in our yard.  The decorative lighthouse was the last item Ryder purchased for Papa (a few days before he passed).  Indeed, Papa's spirit could be found at Ryder's party!


Daddy and the birthday boy...


Make a wish!

 

 
Happy 'lil dude on his new bike Mammy gave him!  Less than a week later the training wheels were OFF and he was keeping up with his older two brothers!

 


 
Needless to say Ryder was pretty excited about the dune buggy we got him.  He has been busily looking for a trailer so he can tow it to the sand dunes this summer on our vacation;)  Clearly he wants to follow in his Daddy's footsteps in that regard!




 
Here is to hoping #4 is a GREAT year for our little Ryder!

1 comment:

mustangkayla said...

Aww....Happy birthday to Ryder! Great post! You totally rocked the birthday decor and set up!

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