The party theme was Dora the Explorer, as you can see from the invite above. Guests were told that Swiper, a sneaky fox, swiped the key to Joni's birthday cake box. We asked them to come help Joni, Dora and friends find the key so they could open the cake.

Upon arrival, guests were asked to sign Joni's birthday sign while the kids took pictures by the Dora poster. The kids colored large Dora and friends pictures (later hung in the gallery), while the adults mingled and ate chips and dip. Meanwhile, the Isbell family was busy finishing up the food, setting up for the games, and helping the kids to not destroy our house.

After everyone ate (well the guests ate) it was time to split the kids up into two groups: older kids and younger kids. The older kids sat at the table and colored Dora baseball caps while the younger kids started the adventure to find Dora's cake box key.

Following traditional Dora format, there were 3 stops to go to before we would find the key.

• The first stop was alphabet bridge. The kids had to put letters into a bridge made out of letter puzzles before they could walk across it.
• The second stop was bubble garden. The kids went out outside through a gate and amongst a plants, but the only way they could get bubbles to start was to dance to the music. That was a big hit. Dancing and Bubbles?!? Oh yeah.
• The third stop was the long blue tunnel leading to Tico's Tree. Under Tico's Tree were the keys. Attached to each key was the individual picture of one of the kids.

The older kids then went through the challenges while the younger kinds (kind of) colored hats. Once everyone had their keys, it was time for cake and ice cream!!

Before leaving, each child got a goodie bag in the shape of Dora's friend, the Backpack as well as the Dora hat and keychain with picture. the backpack was full with crayons, play-doh, Dora-stickered water bottles, and Dora fruit snacks.

Towards the end of the day, Joni opened her presents. She was not only blessed in the gifts of toys but also in being surrounded by the many dedicated and loving people in her life. We had a fantastic time and some fantastic help from friends and family! Though exhausting, it was one of the best times we've had. Can't wait until next year!

As it has become tradition to celebrate Joni's day on Labor Day weekend, we still had to do something on her actual birthday, September 11th, so we stopped by her daycare and gave all of the kids in her class little cupcakes and cups of ice cream. It was a cute little mess... and this time we didn't have to clean it up.