Another year, another birthday!  Since Maggie cherishes the time she spends at the barn with Rosie, we weren’t surprised when she asked for a horse themed party.  We told her Rosie could be part of the party plan if she kept it small, and she was thrilled.  She invited one friend and the neighbor kids to play on Saturday, and on Sunday morning we stopped at the stable for a Rosie visit.

We may have kept a tight reign on the guest, but Maggie still wanted to let loose with the party planning.

As always, it started with the invitations:

The cake was decorated to look like Rosie.  I used Wilton’s Party Pony pan.  Side note:  It was by far the best tasting cake I have ever baked.  I used my mother-in-law’s cupcake recipe, and vow to never buy a boxed cake mix again!

The menu was easy, and everyone helped pull it together.  Maggie put together a fruit and veggie tray, Clark made “hay bales” (rice krispie treats wrapped with a piece of licorice), and I made “walking tacos.”  Usually a camp food, these are basically tacos that you eat out of a small chip bag.  The kids loved them, and it makes cleanup a breeze.

From there it was free play:  basketball, bikes, and monkeyville (the kids’ pretend society in the alders).  We wrapped up the evening with the movie Dreamer – it’s about a horse, of course!

Did I mention how easy this was?!

The next morning the kids devoured a pan of Clark’s “World Famous Cinnamon Rolls” and played horseshoes.

After lunch it was time for the grand finale:  a Rosie visit!  Maggie was ecstatic when she introduced Rosie to her friend Lia, and she proudly gave a tour of the entire stable.

It was a smaller celebration than usual, but every bit as special!  Happy 10th birthday to our horse loving girl!