Parties in the Time of Corona (Cricket’s 6th LOL Starbucks Birthday Party)

One week before Cricket’s March birthday party, quarantine began and seemingly everything was cancelled in an instant — including birthday parties. We were happy to celebrate our six year old’s actual birthday just as a family, but I couldn’t actually cancel her party for good…for both our sakes, haha! (The supplies had been purchased, the crafts were complete, and hopes were wayyyy too high to call it quits.) So we declared the party just postponed — indefinitely.

Then we packed up Cricket’s party supplies and put our plans on hold…for three months.

By June, we were ready to party (cautiously). It was a calculated risk, but after three months of homeschooling and isolation, we decided to move forward with our previous plans. (We truly were desperate for some CELEBRATING around here!) Thankfully everything was pretty much ready to go; we just adjusted expectations (and the guest list, which changed our closest friends and neighbors), nixed some of our games (racing to eat donuts on strings no longer seemed like the wisest activity for 2020, haha!), and stocked up on hand sanitizer.

And it was…a blast!

Seriously, our babysitter-turned-barista, old school minute-to-win-it games, totally random theme (LOL Splashqueen + Starbucks? Yeah, I can do that!) and lots of treats (of course) made Cricket’s birthday dreams come true — just a little later than expected this year.

(Oh, and in case you were worried, it’s been two full months and I can confidently say that no one got Covid from our little party. ;) )

It’s party time! The “cafe” is set!

Cricket requested to be surprised, haha!

Miss Stephanie made the best barista!

Everyone got to order their own drinks + food.

(A true barista, haha!)

Time for games!

First up, bouncing pingpong balls out of tissue boxes…

Next up, passing a gift that’s been wrapped a million(ish) times.

(Cricket won. It wasn’t rigged, I swear!)

Then Cricket opened up her (real) LOL doll while everyone else opened their “LOL dolls” (haha).

I used old LOL doll capsules for the fake ones. (Although it didn’t fool those girls. ;) )

Of course there was cake!

We replaced our usual “attack the cake” tradition with “scoop the cake” this year. #coronavirus

Different method, same result. (Fun!)

We had our usual piñata, but Cricket pulled the string before I could get set. Sigh. Typical, eager birthday girl!

And, a new-to-us thing, Cricket insisted on opening her gifts with her friends.

That’s a wrap!