Valorous knights

We're so blessed to have such sweet community in our lives who love our kids well. We had a blast celebrating Valor with them last Saturday. When I started brainstorming for Valor's first birthday party, I leaned towards a knight theme, primarily because Valor's name draws from the phrase "mighty men of valor" in the Bible, which often evokes the image of courageous knights. We pray he'd grow up to be a man of valor who loves and defends the one true King, Jesus Christ. Because Valor was born on Star Wars Day and Alex affectionately calls him Darth Valor, Alex also pined for a Star Wars party.

We ultimately decided on a general knight theme, encouraging guests to dress up as a knight of their choice, whether it's a medieval knight, a jedi knight, or the Dark Knight (Batman). We decorated in black and white, with silver and green accents. The dessert table featured black and white colored desserts accompanied by wooden knight figurines Valor got for Christmas. The sweet treats included stacked Oreo cookies for a makeshift cake that is simple and stress-free, chocolate vanilla and chocolate mint mini cupcakes from a local bakery, and a huge batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies. We feasted on Asian-inspired medieval fare: fried dragon (fried chicken), swords (egg rolls), dragon sandwiches (banh mi sandwiches from a nearby shop), dragon brains (homemade chow mein), and rubies (watermelon cubes). All the kids who attended the party became valorous knights who received light saber bubble favors, with which they battled one another.

We held the party at a fondly regarded park Alex and I each frequented during our childhood (we grew up in neighboring cities though we did not meet and become friends until the beginning of college). I went to elementary school nearby, and teachers often took my class on field trips there. It is a concrete playground built in the 1960s that features monstrous creatures for sliding, climbing, and more. The most prominent slide is a dragon upon a hill; all the valorous knights conquered the dragon with their light sabers that afternoon.

We dressed Valor in a Darth Vader shirt and black cape to incorporate medieval and jedi knight garb. He couldn't quite use a light saber yet, but his daddy enthusiastically wielded light sabers and a Kylo Ren mask on his behalf the entire time. Valor had a blast in the company of so many who love him. Thank you, Lord!

P.S. Serene's first birthday party