This GIANT bounce house obstacle course was the centerpiece for the party, but far from the only entertainment. Max's yard is like PeeWee's Playhouse with front & backyard treehouses, a trampoline, swimming pool, swing set, rope & tire swings, a roller coaster...
Yes, I said roller coaster, and Baylor LOVED it! He rode that mini coaster at least 100 times. Oh, and for the record, that's Baylor you hear in the video not me providing sound effects!As if all of that isn't enough, Max's family has a miniature horse named Scooter that lives in the backyard, and he was saddled and ready to entertain the kids with rides. Just don't call Scooter a pony. It offends him! He's a miniature horse.
Jaxon wasn't the slightest bit interested in anything except the bounce house though. Eventually, we had to insist on a wardrobe change because he was a big sweaty mess and nothing ruins a party faster than heat stroke!
After an hour or so of watching the kids sprint from activity to activity, our hosts decided they needed to step things up a notch and whipped out the pinata. Yay! Sugar! Exactly what the kids needed to keep their energy levels up. Wouldn't want them to calm down or anything.
The birthday boy took the first couple of swings and was followed by a half-hearted effort from 5 or 6 other toddlers. Then, Baylor stepped up to the plate. I'm not sure he understood why we were trying to smack the pinata, but he boy oh boy did he give it a beating!
Sadly, Baylor didn't get to bask in the glory of pinata destruction. The older kid that followed him landed the fatal blow, and then, the kids went into a feeding frenzy. All of the adults just stood back afraid to risk life and limb by intervening in the chaos.
Next, cake and ice cream were served. Yay! More sugar!!! I could hardly believe that Max's mom made the cake herself. I now know who to hit up for favors when planning parties for Jaxon & Baylor.
As far as kids' parties go, this one was pure delight for young & old alike. It's hard to believe that we'll be celebrating this same milestone in Baylor's life VERY soon. We may have to do without the bounce house and mini horse, but that won't make the event any less special or memorable. Let the countdown begin!
While I would have preferred to waste away the afternoon on Fernandina's beautiful beaches, 
Thankfully, the resort has a lovely lagoon pool overlooking the ocean. That was sort of a compromise. The boys never seem to tire of swimming. They really are little fish. 
Baylor, on the other hand, still needs to use his 
Ice cream at the resort village completed our ideal day. Seriously, life really doesn't get much better than shrimp, swimming, and ice cream. Ha!
The boys were giddy with excitement prior to the hunt. I'm not sure they realized that the Easter Bunny was stuffing the eggs with candy that morning rather than the cold, hard cash that he uses on the official holiday egg hunt. Sorry, boys, the bunny has to abide by an annual budget.
The club divided the children into an older and a younger group as an attempt to level the playing field. Baylor's group went first, and it was clear there were a few rookies in the group. I had already confirmed that Baylor remembered the strategy from last year...skip the close eggs. Let the rookies fight for those. Instead, take off for the ones in the distance and fill your bucket.
Very quickly, Baylor revised the plan. He had Jaxon's buddy, Sean, working for him. Baylor simply carried the bucket while Sean filled it. That Baylor...always thinking!
We heard a rumor about a buried golden egg for the grand prize, but I'm not sure it was ever located. Toddlers don't grasp the concept of searching for the hidden egg when there's hundreds of other candy-filled eggs out in the open. Oh well!
Next, the older kids took a turn. They were a little more motivated in the quest for gold.
Jaxon and Sean were simply happy to fill their buckets and then head for the pool! The morning egg hunt was simply a necessary prerequisite.
Not wanting to leave the adults out of the fun, the beach club organized an adult bottle hunt. Airline-sized bottles of liqueur were hidden in the landscaping outside of the club's main entrance. The only problem is that unlike the egg hunts that were held in the morning, the bottle hunt took place at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. So how do you think the adults that would be interested in bottle hunting passed the hours? You got it! When you combine the high number of alcoholic beverages consumed by the club members with the grand entry staircase and flip-flops, you're just asking for trouble! Somehow, (truly a miracle!) there were no injuries this year. Unfortunately, we were near the rear of the pack and the bottles weren't as plentiful as the eggs. Aunt Nguyen was the only member of our team to find a bottle. At least the laughs were more plentiful!
Fast forward to Easter Sunday, and we all once again set out with our baskets hoping to score. Only this time, we were in search of the annual bragging rights associated with finding the silver and/or gold egg. Oh, and the green stuff inside.
The boys proved to be stiff competition for the adults. The Easter Bunny really stepped things up a notch this year. Not only were there more cash eggs, the Bunny hid a few toys around the yard, but the boys weren't distracted. They simply came back for the toys after snatching up as many of the eggs as they could get their grubby little hands on!
2011 turned out to be Anh's year. He FINALLY enjoyed the thrill of a successful egg hunt! In 
My favorite spot has to be the new chaise lounges. They are perfection and lead to hours of pure shameful laziness.
Now that we have a true outdoor dining set, we enjoy 
The boys and I even made a second attempt at purchasing flowers, and this time, the trip was drama-free. Whew! Now, we just have to keep the plants alive. I'm always up for a challenge.
