What do 2-year olds love to do? Make a mess. So that's precisely what Ariella planned for Gwen's second birthday party on Saturday afternoon. The yard was littered with different activities that let Gwen, Morgan and their friends get completely messy -- and for once, it was totally okay.
Canvas painting was the first activity on the Messy Mystery Tour. We hung a giant canvas on the side of our fence in the back yard and left a table full of brushes, paints and fingerpaints for the kids flaunt their artistic sides. By the end of the party, the white canvas was covered with birthday messages for Gwen.
Speaking of fingerpaints, the next messy activity combined 6 tubes of fingerpaint with 8 pounds of spaghetti. The result was a slimy, colorful mess that all the kids (and even some of the adults) found irresistible.
The Squishy Bath (sold in stores as "Squishy Baff") was another thrill for the little ones. Take 16 gallons of water. Add two packages of mystery powder and -- PRESTO! -- you've got 16 gallons of sloppy, jello-like, pink slop to splash around in. When you're done, add two packets of sodium chloride (a.k.a. salt) and it turns back into liquid. It all sounds like a science experiment gone wrong. But for the kids, it was one of the biggest hits of the party. Gwen yelled "Apple Sauce!" when she stepped into the tub, which is exactly what it felt like.
"Goop" was another fun activity for the kids. It's 4 parts corn starch, and one part water. Mix it together and you've got a slimy, rubbery paste that oozes through your fingers. (Bonus: wait for it to dry and you can use it as sidewalk chalk!)
After all that messing around, it was time for food. Keeping with the theme of the party, Ariella and Lindsay cooked up a whole menu of messy goodness: Buffalo Chicken roll-up, sticky barbecue ribs, pulled barbecue chicken, gooey mac n' cheese, and more.
After dinner, we capped off our feast with more messy treats: Frosting-splattered birthday cake (the cake itself was chocolate and strawberry swirled together). And, of course, no messy party would be complete without chocolate fountain.
Soon, everyone was back outside. After a second round of messy fun, Gwen opened up her birthday presents. Gwen cleaned up (figuratively) with a singing Jasmine doll, a new baby doll, a teddy bear that's made to be scribbled on, and much more.
At the end of the party, everyone cleaned up (literally) at the final pit-stop of the day: the Clean-Up Station.
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