These photos epitomize why I love parties so much. It always amazes me to see my kids, if only for a few hours, not fight with a sibling and make him feel like king of the castle. Our kids have found supportive and fun-loving tribes and it is a total joy to have them here at our house to celebrate such a special occasion. The best part of having home parties is the full interaction of the entire family in the birthday kid’s celebration. Get to the meat, right? The boys had an absolute blast. I just can’t quit fresh flowers at a party. While I arranged it all, John Paul made the “13” out of an incomplete deck. It’s not a Whitaker party without suuuuuuugar. And, yes, those drink cups were turned into dice, John Paul’s idea! The two older girls were just spectacular as bar maids, taking everyone’s drink and dinner orders. They are the cutest newlyweds and we are loving watching their business grow! Louis and Molli, we owe you beer!Īs the boys arrived, Will set up shop in our dining room, turned roulette area. I needed some black tablecloths and they totally had me covered. They just opened this great boutique event rental business and have so many beautiful things. Hold & Fold 7-layer Dip (Pioneer Woman’s, without corn)īets Off Beer (Butterbeer standby from this party)Ī few days before the party, my next door neighbors totally came to the rescue.

We started with some heavy appetizers and finished with dessert and birthday singing: That’s the beauty of them getting older they entertain themselves. Our house became Casino Whitaker and we had an absolute blast transforming it.īesides the stellar poker playing, it’s always about the food with boys, amiright? Because the party activities centered around black jack, poker and roulette, I spent most of my time planning decor and food. At the end of the day, designing it myself turned out to be way more fun. I scoured Pinterest for the perfect one, but by now I should know better. We had such a blast that my 15yo, soon to be 16, was considering doing the same for his big day.

Thus, poker night with the guys was born. So, when we mentioned the possibility of a poker party he was all, YES, before we even finished the sentence. I know. At school lunch, several guys play cards and they’ve got quite the ring going. So much so that he’s up to 85 card tricks he’s mastered and some he’s made up himself. As the kids get older, it’s getting trickier to find “cool” birthday party ideas, especially when teenagers are involved.Īt the end of last summer, John Paul really got into cards and card tricks.

Party city casino theme