It was so much fun preparing for it!! I got some wonderful ideas off the Internet and then added a few of my own. I think it turned out wonderfully! I'll let the pictures do the talking...
First I made the "Top Secret" invitations. Gabe dressed up in his fatigues and hand delivered them, with a salute, to each house. The kids were given classified information about some "top secret missions" they were to perform. The first was to color "Uncle Sam" and bring him to the party.
I had so much fun trying to figure out how to make a "tank cake". The hardest part was trying to paint in it camouflage! But I had a nifty tool that made it pretty simple. Just add some chocolate covered pretzels for the gun, some Oreos for the wheels and a few Army men, and you've got yourself a cake!
I had an idea that each recruit should get some sort of book that they could track their accomplishments in. I decided to make a page for each activity we were going to do. If they "completed the mission" they got a stamp in their book!
Two of Gabe's friends couldn't attend the party so they delivered a gift earlier in the day. I loved how their mom,Jeni, came dressed up in her husband's Air Force gear (he's currently serving in Iraq, which we are all grateful for). Gabe thought it was wonderful and, of course, I had to take a picture!!
At one of the party stores nearby, there were tons of "Camo decor" so our house was decked out...here are a few of the pics
When the kids arrived they had to check in at this secret location at "Fort Miller" to receive further instructions. They also received a helmet, dog tags, wrist bands, face paint, their missions book, a bucket to keep their prizes in and their first stamp, if they finished their first mission (bringing back Uncle Sam, pictured below).
After everyone was checked in, I took a picture of each of them with Gabe in front of the US flag. You can't have an Army party without honoring the nation we love so dearly!! Each kid got a copy of their picture in Gabe's thank you card.
My handsome soldier, Gabriel! :)
One of the games we played was to save the wounded soldiers. The kids had to wrap up their "soldier" with a roll of toilet paper and be the first team done to win. They had to use their entire roll.
Of course we had to have a pinata! Gabe saw it at the party store and wanted it. I thought it was awesome that they had a "Tank" pinata so I had to get it. The only problem was, it was made like a military foot locker so in the end, I had to rip it open and pour the candy all over the scrambling kids.
Here's Gabe enjoying the food from the "mess hall". The Army Recruiting office gave us the water bottles...one for each kid, along with Tshirts, wristbands, pens, key chains, and pencils. I went in to the recruiting office just looking for some posters to decorate with and came out with a couple of huge bags full of stuff! It was AWESOME!! And they loved Gabe's authentic uniform.
All in all, it was a great evening. The kids seemed to have a great time yelling "Yes Sir!"
and saluting each time they received a stamp in their "secret missions" book.
I hope it was a party that Gabe will always remember! :)
