Normally we go on a short vacation for Jared's birthday at a local resort and meet up with friends. This year that was going to be a bit too difficult with Amber being so mobile. We decided to throw Jared a surprise party and chose the Orlando Museum of Art to host it. They offered several themes and the "Pirate" one seemed to be the best fit.
Everything worked our perfectly, which was the biggest surprise of all. Aunt Susie (Chris' sister) was in Clearwater for a short get-a-away and she managed to arrive in time for the party. Jared had no idea what was happening, and we were able to keep it a surprise until he arrived at the museum. All his friends were able to come, including Miss Mae, Miss Christina and Mr. Eric. The party was a blast and the staff was terrific!
They started out having all the kids make treasure maps.
The party then went into the museum for a treasure hunt through the exhibits. Pictures were not allowed inside the galleries. The museum is fantastic and the displays are incredible. All the kids thoroughly enjoyed viewing and discussing the different pieces of art and searching for the clues. Titus even found two clues; he has sharp eyes. The hunt was also incredibly educational. They had to find a clue from art work representing all continents and at each piece the guide would ask questions and give information about the piece, artist and place of origin.
After the treasure hunt, they returned to the education room to decorate their treasure boxes and eat cake.
Our family is blessed to have a great group of families with awesome kids. One of the staff members made an effort to take Chris aside and compliment how well behaved and how interactive the kids were, not just with each other, but with the guide also.
Jared loves people and really likes to build relationships with people. Matthew's birthday was this past Tuesday and Jared made the effort to write "Matthew's Birthday" on the calendar at the barn where he takes horseback riding lessons. This caused some humorous confusion amongst the staff there, but just shows how Jared makes the effort to think of others.
If the treasure hunt wasn't enough fun for one birthday, we still had the family celebration on his actual birthday. Grandpa Bob, Grandma Sherry, Grandpa Harvey and Aunt Susie were all there to celebrate and it was an equally special time.
It was great having Sue visit, especially to celebrate Jared's birthday. We all wish she lived closer and could visit more often.
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