We wanted to make sure Stavros had a fantastic birthday party regardless of the fact that we’re moving in less than two weeks. Stavros’ favorite thing is cooking, so naturally that was the theme! As always, we wanted the party to be meaningful and memorable; so we chose to host the party at All Saints, which is the first restaurant we took Stavros to in Brazil and Tammer’s absolute favorite spot to have dinner with friends and colleagues!

The owner at All Saints was incredibly accommodating and allowed us to take the reins. He shut down the restaurant for a few hours so we could enjoy a private atmosphere. We started things off with the kids reluctantly posing for us with their adorable chef hats, aprons and mustaches for a group shot! The party goers were mainly between the ages of one and four, so this was definitely not exciting for them. Afterward, the kids all got to decorate their chef hats and aprons with fabric paint and fabric markers… Now we were having fun!!! I set up a station that was just for decorating and the kids were good to go! I also set up a pizza station! Here, the kids rolled out their own pizza dough, put on the sauce and their preferred toppings! I absolutely loved this part (even if none of it was actually baked or eaten)… and so did the kids!

Throughout the evening, drinks and calzones were served. Then it was time for our formal dinner. Everyone sat at one, large table for salad and pizza!  I loved that we were all at one table! It created the intimate feel I was hoping for! The kids thought they were eating the pizzas they “made”, but we felt it was best to leave this to the chefs in the kitchen! After dinner, we sang “Happy Birthday” to the birthday boy in both English and in Portuguese! Stavros never has any  interest in eating the cake. He only likes singing the birthday song and blowing out the candles multiple times! So cute!!! There were individually boxed cupcakes for each kid! After eating cake, the kids decorated their cupcakes with Stavros’ favorite candy, M&M’s, which was a perfect decoration for the ages of the kids in attendance. The kids got to wrap up their cupcake to take home to enjoy later! Stav’s favorite part of the evening was decorating his cupcake! He had no interest in taking it home, however. In true Stavros style, he licked off the icing and M&M’s and called it a night! To send the kids off, they were presented with “Certificates of Excellence” to prove their incredible culinary skills!

I am a detail person, so I worked on the details for a couple of months–in between a three week vacation to the U.S., preparing for our move and our China pre-trip. The invitations were hand-delivered on cutting boards with a blank recipe card inside for the kids to bring to the party, filled-out with their favorite recipe to share with Stavros! For the party favors, the kids got cookie cutters which were put in chevron treat bags, theme-coordinated candies inside personalized muslin bags,  milk chocolate lollipop mustaches, white chocolate lollipop chef hats, a chocolate dipped marshmallow pop with a chef holder, a personalized ABC cook book with a personalized book plate inside, coloring pages and a personalized water bottle…. This was only the beginning! The main party favor was the “Kids in the Kitchen Book and Kit” by Micah Pulleyn and  Sarah Bracken (found on Amazon). The kit contained another cookbook, the aprons the kids decorated, their hats, a wire whisk, rolling pin, wooden spoon and measuring cups! A lot of details and a lot of fun! Happy Birthday to our precious three year old!!! We hope you have a fantastic special day!!!

Please click the link to see the photos: http://thejarjouras.shutterfly.com/pictures/229