a lego police party

luca turned seven in march and we were finally to celebrate with friends over the weekend.  while i am not sure i can break last year's record of planning a party in a day, this one came pretty close.  we had about 5 days notice to pull it off.  party planning ideas and execution come pretty naturally to me, so this was not a huge deal.  and this helps me keep a healthier balance between making it special for my kiddo and not going overboard with details.  plus i just have limited time.

the invitation was simply a photo taken on luca's birthday, edited in picasa with text, and emailed out to friends. 

all of the physical prep was done the day of, because my weekdays have very little extra room.  i did make a detailed list on friday night, but saturday morning was go time.

no better decorations for a lego police party than lego police mini figs, right?  we added  some yellow crime scene tape here and there, with a remnant of navy and white polka dot fabric for the refreshment and gift table.

when the boys arrived, the table full of craft supplies was totally ignored.  the plan was for them to decorate their favor bags with police stamps and colored pencils.  i also printed out some coloring pages from lego.com to keep them busy while waiting for guests to arrive.  the backyard and unfinished tree fort were too enticing, however.  we brought them back to the patio after some of the wiggles were expended.

luca was pretty adamant on what games were allowed.  "guess the legos" was acceptable.  barely.

next up was a police investigation (aka scavenger hunt).   party city sold a lego police mega favor pack for $10 that included 6 different items in quantities of 8.  great deal, right?  each of the boys was given one type of item - police pad, eraser, marker, crayon, sticker sheet, or mini book -  and told to run an investigation in search of the hidden stolen goods.  i liked that this was a team activity, but also gave each boy a chance to take the lead.  they searched the backyard and filled their favor bags upon finding.

after the investigation was complete, they were tasked with the rescue of lego citizens on the front porch.  (the individual bagged mini figs were only $1.50 at meijer last week!)  these were added to the bags and the games were complete. :)

then the big surprise!  i had this crazy brilliant idea on friday night. . .

call the local police station and ask if an officer could stop by!
turns out they thought it was an acceptable use of time.  i whole heartedly agree.

luca was SO surprised and this was his fave part of the day.
i love finding these special ways to love my kiddos.

the officer was super patient with the rambunctious boys and answered lots of questions.
many of the "have you ever been in a car chase?" and "have you caught lots of robbers?" sort.

we also asked why he went into law enforcement, what would be important skills for kids who want to be police officers, and what could they do now to help the police.  this was a great discussion with good advice.  he made a point to tell them that they should be good observers and reporters of their surroundings.  he also said to keep their brains and bodies strong.

then they checked out the cruiser and luca was able to run the lights + sirens.  oh the excitement.  and noise.  surprisingly luca was kay with it.

what else do you serve at a police themed party?  coffee and donuts, of course.  no, we did not give these boys coffee, but hot chocolate made a good substitute.

luca did not want candles or singing.  his party, his choice.

if luca had to pick, he would prefer a position in the forest police force (aka park ranger. but in lego-ese they are called forest police).  so we brought our refreshments fireside and opened gifts around the firepit.  it seemed forest police like.  this is much more luca's style than playing extra games and it was a neat ending to the afternoon.

a party truly catered to luca and celebrates all that makes him him.
and that, my friends, is a successful party.

i love this boy.

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