FOR OUR SON'S 5TH BIRTHDAY WE TOILED OVER WHAT TO DO THAT HAD NOT BEEN DONE A MILLION TIMES ALREADY, BUT WHEN HE SAID HE WANTED A PIRATE PARTY, WE CAME TO THE CONCLUSION TO PUT A NEW TWIST ON IT. THE INVITATIONS READ "AAARG!!! HAVE YOU HEARD OF A PIRATE WITH A SNARL AND A BEARD? CAPTAIN PEG LEG RAYLEE IS A PIRATE SAILORS HAVE FEARED.  HE'S ARMED WITH A SHINY PISTOL AND A BIG SWORD ,HIS LEG HELPS HIM FLOAT IF HE FALLS OVERBOARD.  THIS GRUFF PIRATE WEARS A BIRD ON HIS SHOULDER, HE HAS A PATCH ON HIS EYE TO LOOK EVEN BOLDER.  AND BILLOWY SAILS ON 2 GIANT MASTS MAKE SURE THAT HIS SHIP CAN SAIL REALLY FAST.  WORD HAS TRAVELED OVER THE SEAS, HE'S TURNING 5 AND HAS BOOTY TO PLEASE.  BAGS OF GOLD AND JEWELS MAKE UP HIS TREASURE CHEST , SO WEAR A WHITE SHIRT AND WE WILL DO THE REST!" THEN THE DATE AND TIME.  I ALSO DREW A SHIP WITH A TRAIL TO A RED "X" IN BEHIND THE WORDING. THEY WERE HAND WRITTEN IN BLACK INK ON WATERCOLOR PAPER THAT HAD BEEN SOAKED IN TEA TO GIVE IT AN OLD LEATHER LOOK AND BURNED AROUND THE EDGES.  THEN WE ROLLED THEM UP AND TIED THEM WITH A RED AND WHITE STRIPED RIBBON AND ATTACHED A SMALL BAG OF CHOCOLATE COINS AND A SMALL CUT OUT OF A SKULL AND CROSSBONES WITH EACH CHILDS PIRATE NAME ON IT.  I TRIED TO INCLUDE A CHARACTERISTIC OF THE CHILD IN EACH NAME:BIG BLUE EYE CHRISTIAN, BIG LIPS JEWEL, LONG LEG CAROLINE, LITTLE CALICO RILEY, LONG JOHN MORGAN, LONG BEARD ANDREW, BIG BANDIT ALEX, PARROT HEAD PETER, BLUE BOOT TYLER, ONE PATCH GARRET AND SO ON FOR ABOUT 30 KIDS!  WE DECORATED OUR FRONT AND SIDE YARDS WITH POSTER BOARD CUT OUT SWORDS, SKULL AND CROSSBONES AND ANCHORS.  AND THANK GOODNESS MY HUSBAND IS CRAFTY BECAUSE I HAD HIM FIND SOME OLD BOARDS TO PUT ON STAKES AND PUT AROUND THE YARD.I THEN PAINTED IN RED, BLACK AND WHITE PAINT, SIGNS THAT SAID THINGS LIKE: "PIRATES THIS WAY TO CUMBIE COVE", "BEWARE: ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK, PIRATES ABOUT" & "SHARKS BLOOD PUNCH". I THEN HAD HIM CUT A HOLE IN A SHEET OF PLYWOOD ABOUT THE SIZE OF A HEAD AND I PAINTED A LIFE SIZE PIRATE CAPTAIN THAT LOOKED LIKE BLACKBEARD STANDING ON HIS SHIP WITH A SWORD AND A CANNON WITH CANNON BALLS IN THE BACKGROUND. I HAD HIM MAKE A STAND FOR IT AND WE PUT A CHAIR IN BEHIND SO THAT THE KIDS COULD STAND ON THAT TO PUT THEIR FACES IN THE HOLE. WE ALSO DECORATED WITH RED, WHITE AND BLACK BALLOONS AND STREAMERS, AND AN OLD BLACK TREASURE CHEST THAT WE HAVE HAD FOR AGES. AS GIFTS FOR THE KIDS TO WEAR AT THE PARTY AND TO TAKE HOME WITH THEM , WE PLACED IN THE CHEST ,PARROT MATERIAL BANDANNAS FOR THE GIRLS AND RED BANDANNAS FOR THE BOYS, SWORDS, EYE PATCHES, BEEDS ,SASHES IN RED AND WHITE STRIPE TO PUT AROUND THEIR WAISTS AND PARROTS TO PUT ON THEIR SHOULDERS. AS EACH CHILD ARRIVED AT THE PARTY WE HAD THEM DIG THROUGH THE TREASURE CHEST FOR THEIR LOOT AND PUT EVERYTHING ON, THEN WE TOOK THEIR PICTURE WITH A POLAROID CAMERA.THEY ALL GOT A KICK OUT OF THAT AND IT GOT THE PARTY OFF TO A GOOD START. THEN WE HAD THEM GET IN BEHIND THE PIRATE CUT OUT AND TOOK A POLAROID OF THAT ALSO. WE USED MY SON'S TREE HOUSE AS THE PIRATE SHIP WITH A JOLLY ROGER FLAG ON IT AND WE ALSO RENTED AN AIR JUMP AND THAT KEPT THEM OCCUPIED FOR A WHILE. THE GOOD GUYS WERE IN THE AIRJUMP AND THE PIRATES WERE IN THE TREE HOUSE ALL PLAYING THEIR PARTS AND THEN SWITCHING BETWEEN THE TWO MAKING SURE NOT TO GET BIT BY SHARKS ON THE WAY! THE DADS AT THE PARTY WERE ALL HUDDLED AROUND THE GRILL AS MY HUSBAND COOKED HOTDOGS AND HAMBERGERS FOR EVERYONE.  WE ALSO HAD CHICKEN WINGS, CHIPS, FRUIT AND SHARKS BLOOD PUNCH ( RED HAWAIIAN PUNCH WITH PLASTIC SHARKS FROZEN IN A MOLD THE NIGHT BEFORE TO KEEP IT COLD). AFTER EVERYONE ATE, WE HAD A TREASURE HUNT. I HID IN THE FRONT YARD ,JEWELS, COINS, NECLACES , BRACELETS, STICKERS AND RINGS FOR THEM TO FIND. THEN WE PLAYED PIN THE "X" ON THE MAP.  WE HAD A LARGE MAP THAT WE PUT BETWEEN TWO POLES AND THE GAME WAS WHOEVER GOT THE "X" CLOSEST TO ALABAMA(WHERE WE ARE FROM)WON, AND THEY ALSO HAD TO BE BLINDFOLDED. IT WAS ALOT OF FUN. NEXT WE HAD A TREASURE CHEST PINATA THAT WE HUNG FROM A TREE AND THEY ALL TOOK TURNS HITTING AT THAT UNTIL THE LOOT ,FINALLY, SPILLED TO THE GROUND. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST , THE CAKE. I HAD A LOCAL CAKE MAKER, WHO DOES A FABULOUS JOB, MAKE A STANDING TREASURE CHEST WITH REAL BEADS AND CHOCOLATE COINS COMING OUT OF IT .  THE KIDS LOVED IT AND SO DID THE PARENTS! THE TABLES WHERE THE KIDS HAD THEIR CAKE WERE COVERED WITH BURLAP TABLECLOTHS AND A RED AND WHITE STRIPED RUNNER , THEN WE HAD THE PLATES CUPS AND NAPKINS THAT HAD PIRATES ON THEM, AND DIRECTIONS FOR SECRET PIRATE KNOTS.  WHEN EVERYONE WAS READY TO GO HOME THEY LEFT IN THEIR OUTFITS AND WITH A GOODY BAG FILLED WITH THEIR POLAROID PICTURES, PIRATE STICKERS AND TATTOOS AND CHOCOLATE COINS. WHEN IT WAS ALL OVER WE WERE EXHAUSTED BUT IT WAS COMPLETELY WORTH IT BECAUSE HE WILL NEVER FORGET IT, I KNOW BECAUSE AS WE HAVE STARTED TALKING ABOUT HIS NEXT PARTY , HE WANTS ANOTHER PIRATE PARTY.  AND EVERYONE IS ASKING HOW WE ARE GOING TO TOP IT.