jackson's 5th bus-riding birthday party

every tuesday, thursday, and friday, jackson gets to ride the bus to school.  he wakes up every morning and asks if it's a bus day.  he loves it.  he is really going to miss it next year.

so, to celebrate him and his love of the bus, we decided to do a little bus party!  we got the great idea from his teacher, mrs. pope.  a few weeks ahead of time, jeff and the kids did some recon and actually rode the route we were planning.  lucky that we did... turned out to be a total disaster- standing for 30 minutes on busy street corners.  yikes!  we quickly changed routes and landed on a 14 minute bus ride, followed by an In 'n' Out picnic lunch at his favorite fountain in town.  Just a few little kiddos.... all his favorite things!

Here is the invitation.....

mrs. pope gave us the idea of making shirts for all the kids.  love it!  i created a logo and ironed it on to little t-shirts i bought in a pack at target.

the logo i made for the shirts....

i rolled up the shirt and tied it to the invitation, along with a little name tag for the guest.  we drove around and delivered them one evening.  jackson loves running up to the houses and handing them their 'inbitation'

for the favor, i knew it had to be portable and i wanted to keep it useful/things jackson loves.  i found backpacks at the dollar tree (?!?!) that i personalized with each child's name.  

each bag contained a little ziploc with $2.50.  

kids under 6 ride free, but adults cost $1.25 each way.  the kids got to pay for their parent.

i also enclosed a FAX map for them to chart our route.

a 'watch' to tell what time the bus was coming. 

 (it actually was one of those water-ring-toss thingies that jackson loves)

a personalized harmonica- an ode to jackson's love of music

a party blower.  bus drivers love those. 

ice cream shaped bubbles.  

a party hat

a snack for the road

 the day of the party, it was pouring down rain.  umbrellas & rain boots were a must!

we met at the bus stop and crowded into the covered area.

all the kiddos were wearing their bus shirts... they just happened to be covered up by lots raincoats!

jackson with his buzz lightyear umbrella, waiting for the bus.

 the bus is here!

 bella paying for her daddy

riding the bus is so much fun!

while we rode, kids checked out the route on their maps, sang songs, 

and looked at all the exciting fresno scenery.

once we arrived at riverpark, we had a bit of a walk.  

jackson loved wearing his backpack.

 

originally, the plan was to have a picnic at jackson's favorite fountain in riverpark.  we were going to eat in 'n' out.  So fun!

however.... rain necessitated a quick change of plans.

 

chipotle it is!  

they have a great little side patio area, and jackson is crazy for their chips & guac.  

we sent grandparents ahead to stake out our tables and get it all set up.

the simple little table for the kids

i'll give you a little glimpse into my crazy.  

i knew that other people would be setting up the table.  i am a total control freak, and wanted to make sure it was all set up how i envisioned it in my head. 

so..... i made a diagram.  i bet my in-laws think i'm cuckoo.

 

they did good :)

i made placemats for each of the kids. 

i got pictures from their mommies and then added their cute little faces to the window of the bus.  

then i printed them out on large papers and laminated them.  

on the table.....

each child got a small quesadilla, a kid-size bag of chips (so adorable... i love anything miniature), some guacamole, apple slices, a juice box, and (eventually) a cupcake.

 

after lunch was done, it was time for cupcakes!

for the kids, i made funfetti cupcakes and swirled blue icing onto them.  a few sprinkles added some extra fun.  then i made little cupcake toppers to match the theme and taped them to a toothpick.  so easy.

 

of course, jackson had a special cupcake with his '5' candles

time to sing!  jackson played his harmonica while he was serenaded.  so cute.

being celebrated by his friends.

i recently discovered the wilton brand gel food coloring.  pure amazingness.  previously i'd always used the drops that you have to mix together to get the right color.  it always was either too pale, or a gross brown.

but the gel is amazing!  pretty cheap ($2 for a little jar that actually goes pretty far) and so vivid!  

definitely dyed some mouths.... 

that girl loves her cupcakes

family photo... we all tried to wear blue & brown to match the theme.  

i already admitted i'm crazy.  my husband is sweet and patient.

charlotte's matching bus onesie.

after lunch, it was time to head back to the bus stop!  

jackson insisted on holding his new xylophone while he waited.

bus stop activities included a multi-versed 'wheels on the bus' song, some adventurous boys climbing anything around them, and parents making sure no one stepped foot onto blackstone.

bella using her 'spotting scope' to look for the bus

no particular reason for this picture, other than that it is adorable

bus #38!

get on the bus!

we scored sweet seats in the back on the way home.  

the bus is actually way nicer than you would think!

we're back!

 what a fun, simple party!  

the kids all loved riding the bus (most of them for the first time).  

it was super inexpensive and easy to put together, but a few little details made it personal.  

happy birthday, jackson!  we sure love you.