Mermaids and Sharks and Bounce Houses, Oh My!

We had a shared birthday party for Leyton and Callan this year at Pump it Up, and it was super fun! Two boys with very different personalities calls for some creativity when planning a theme, so we ended up going with sharks and mermaids, and it turned out great!

The birthday boys...

i bought these shirts before we settled on a theme. leyton really wanted a mermaid shirt, so we just added a mermaid riding on the motorcycle!

and sharks splashing around on callan's shirt!

They were very insistent that Leyton was having a mermaid party and Callan was having a shark party. To ensure that both felt content, we decorated as such--one table was designated the "mermaid table," and the other was the "shark table," clearly marked by their giant balloon decorations. The boys did compromise on tableware when they found the under the sea themed plates that they both liked :)

For the first part of the party, the guests entered the first of two rooms filled with giant inflatable bouncy fun. They slid and jumped and played with balls and had a blast.

Next, the kids were ushered into the second room of inflatables, but this time the lights were off and the black lights were on. Glow bracelets were passed out and highlighters shared to design fun "tattoos" that glowed in the dark!

Then we all headed into the party room for some cupcakes, ice cream, and presents!

the birthday boy on his throne!

mermaid table

shark table

We found the idea for the cupcakes one day after we picked out the invitations. The boys thought the shark fins and mermaid tails coming out of the cupcakes were really fun, and I liked that they went with the theme perfectly! I found a place where you could buy fondant fins and tails on etsy, but I decided to tackle that project myself using candy clay, which I discovered last year while making cookies for Callan's party. I wasn't sure if they would get hard enough, but they didn't let me down! Target made the actual cupcakes with frosting based on two pictures I gave them, and I thought they did a great job!

Time to blow out the candles! Leyton picked out sparkler candles to go on top. They did sparkle a little bit, but what we didn't anticipate was that they would end up being trick candles as well and keep re-igniting after they were blown out. A surprise hit all around!

For treat bags, we found a few really cute things to include. First, I found someone on etsy who custom made bottle cap necklaces with different shark and mermaid designs. They were super cute and very inexpensive. We also found shark tooth candy necklaces on oriental trading that were a big hit. Mermaid scratch art, glitter sea stickers, and gummy sharks rounded out the fun.

Our boys had such a fun time seeing their good friends and celebrating. They are very thankful that so many friends could attend! It was an awesome birthday party for our awesome little guys!