"You Have a Mystery to Solve!"

It is time for Tanner and Tyler's birthday. I had been thinking about this for awhile trying to come up with ideas for their party. When the first one didn't pan out, I started looking for something else. The boys have really been into Scooby Doo lately, so I googled Scooby Doo party ideas and found a wonderful site with many great party ideas...taking a little here and little there, we have a mystery birthday party!

My parents kept the boys Friday night so that we could get the house ready and Thomas' parents kept Tapanga. When the boys were coming down the driveway, mom said Tyler noticed the decorations and was very upset that our house was going to be torn down! Then he said "We have a mystery to solve!" How amazing that having no idea about what the birthday party was about, he comes up with that!


It was funny watching some of the kids arrive, because many of them stopped at the bottom of the stairs because of the decorations!


Tyler is a very good observer, he noticed the cupcake stand and said, "Oh we have a spooky house too!"

The boys are getting so big! Its amazing that they are 5!
Once all the kids arrived, we sent them all upstairs where they got their Scooby Doo name tag and Scooby tattoo. For each kids name, I added Doo on the end, so Tanner was Tanner-Doo and Tyler was Tyler-Doo.

After the name tags and tattoos were handed out, I suggested we go downstairs to open the gifts...that's when the mystery began! The gifts were missing! On the table was a ghost clue...

"You have a mystery to solve, because I the ghost of Lafayette have taken the birthday boys presents! If you find me, you find the gifts! Go to the room of the Princess of the house, make yourself a ghost and look for the next clue."

In Tapangas room was a table set up with a ghost craft on it, where each child made a ghost...the kids didn't find the clue right away, but then found it on the floor...

The next clue was found on the floor...as I started reading it, one of the little boys suggested we needed to look in the closet...

nothing was in there!

The clue in Tapangas room read...

"Now you know what I look like...a ghost! A friend of mine is hanging out where cars should park, knock him down and he'll show you the show you the next clue."

This lead to the garage, where we had set up a pinata.




Each kid was able to take 4 swings at the pinata and it still didn't come down...while the moms took their swings the ghost finally fell!

Tanner found the next clue during the mad dash for goodies...

"In the room that's the color of grass you will find some of our favorite things, hunt and seek to find the next clue!"

At Tylers room we found this poster..."Under covers and in drawers, hunt and seek the items to find the next clue."


On each item was written words to the clues, so we had to assemble them...

"You are getting closer...to find the way to me, go to the room where meals are eaten, design your place mats and maybe you won't be beaten!"

In the dining room were Scooby-Doo place mats with mazes and a word search, the kids colored and designed until Leila turned her place mat over and there was the next clue!


"Wow, you kids are good! Hurry, hurry to the room of blue...if your quick you will have solved the mystery, no trick!"

Oh, no, whats in the closet?!

THE GHOST!!

Hey, kids...what does Scooby and friends do with all their masked characters...unmask them!

Its Grandpa!!! (Can you see Tanners face...he was super excited!)

After discovering who the ghost was, each of the kids helped to bring the gifts downstairs, where the boys took no time at all tearing into them!

Then, it was time for cake and ice cream!

While talking with my friends after the party, Tyler comes to me saying someone colored on our wall! WHAT! I was half way up the stairs before I thought to ask, which wall! Turns out it was downstairs in the dining room. With purple marker, luckily, washable purple marker. It came right off, thanks Melissa for thinking calmly!

After a great party and good time with friends it was time to go to dinner. As a family tradition, each birthday person gets to choose a restaurant of choice to go to for dinner. Since we can't go to two different restaurants on the boys actual birthday, we let Tanner choose his tonight...of course, Hananoki!

What a great end, to a great day! I had a lot of fun, planning and preparing for the birthday party this year and I know the kids all had a great time! Well except for poor Leila and Tapanga who were a tad frightened by the ghost, but even then they had a good time! Thanks to all our friends who came out and helped celebrate the boys birthday this year, we had a great time with you!