Last Saturday was a much anticipated day for not only myself, but for several children as well. I had planned a "Fun Day With Aunt Han" at my parent's house for all the nieces and nephews.
I sent out invitations a month ahead of time and the date seemed to work for each of them. It was time to get planning.
I found the idea for these cute little piggy banks, but most of the kids are not quite to this level. We helped a few of the older ones put these together, but it required much support from us older ones.
The boys worked on sand art. There was not enough sand to fill the containers completely full, but I guess that is what happens when you buy craft kits from Dollar Tree.
I would be amazed if any of the containers still look like this. I remember my sand art always getting messed up from accidentally shaking it.
The girls worked on perler beads, which is a more time-consuming craft than I had remembered. These pictures take me back to the day that I did this same craft, on this same table, approximately close to the same age. The fact is, it does not even seem like that long ago. I wish time would quit rushing at this accelerated pace.
I wanted to involve a pinata in the day, but I did not want to pay $15.00 for something that would be torn to shreds. My husband was enthusiastic about helping me create a pinata, but after about the second layer of paper mache we began questioning ourselves as to why we had decided to begin such a monotonous task. It was not all that bad, but we decide that it may be the first and the last pinata that we make together.
Meet Porky.....
Hi there, my name is Porky. I am writing this from pig heaven, because as you may have guessed, I am no longer with you.
My life on earth was not all that it was cracked up to be. Well, actually that is what happened, the cracking I mean.
I had high hopes during my creation. I mean look at me, I am stinking cute. I sure hoped my lifespan would consist of more than two weeks, but that was not the case.
I really enjoyed Ohio. In Ohio they fed me candy, gave my fur a makeover, and they even used pink, bubble gum smelling duct tape to cover my incision when I got an ouchie.
As I traveled to Indiana, I was a little nervous. There were murmurings that we would be meeting some children who like candy. "Would they want my candy?" I wondered. At first they all seemed really nice. They all greeted me with a smile as they walked through the front door. I was just hanging out on the front porch, if you know what I mean.
Later they came out and played with me and we all took a nice picture together.
Things went downhill from there. From the youngest to the oldest, all the children decided to take a whack at me with a baseball bat. The pain intensified with each blow. OUCH!
"What kind of a game is this?" I wondered to myself. I did not find it entertaining in the least. Body parts started flying, and I knew I would be in pig heaven at any time. I could hear some pig friends in the distance, they were telling me to stay strong.
With the final blow, my insides exploded. There was a hustle as the children began to collect my contents.
Unbeknownst to me, I must have signed up to be an organ donor. Corinne got the top half of my head, and....
Lexie got my nose.
All in all, my purpose was accomplished. Deep down, I think those children were sad to see me go, but so is life.
I hope you enjoyed my tale (or tail, or pipe cleaner, whatever you prefer).
Oink Oink,
Porky
Poor Porky=( Next we did some classic fall games.
Nobody was too excited to get their face partially soaked, but we had a few willing kids that tried bobbing for apples.
Rachel was a sport. She showed the kids how it was done.
Next we tied some doughnuts onto a string and had the kids try devouring the doughnuts without using their hands.
Colten tried to concentrate so hard. This was a fun activity with these kids.
We also played some games.
Musical chair involved prizes for anybody who got booted out. Getting a prize seemed to be a good alternative to not getting a chair.
My lovely mother provided lunch for the crew, and then afterwards we went fishing, inside fishing that is.
I do not know if any of you remember this game from family reunions or such, but it holds dear memories in my heart.
One of my favorite parts in preparing for this little party was buying all the prizes and party favors for the kids. I recall how excited I would get after picking a duck out of a duck pond or getting permission from my mom to pick out some candy or chap stick at the grocery store. I definitely want to spoil my nieces and nephews in the prize area.
Basically, I tied a cosmetic bag to a long stick (in my case the paint roller stick), hung up a sheet, drew a name, and stuffed in that particular child's prize. They would pull the so-called fish over the sheet and unveil their prize. It was fun!
I had a blast in preparing for this "fun day," and I hope to make it an annual event.
I asked Nate what he thought about making a bulldozer pinata for our Zollinger nieces and nephews. He agreed that it may just be easier to buy one. Maybe we will buy one and add Zollinger Excavating to the side. After saying goodbye to Porky, we really do not want to get emotionally attached.
Have a great weekend everybody!
