amazing race birthday party--brookes version

as you know,

my twins had a birthday this  month.

see here

we aren't the 'humungo party every year' kind of fam.

we usually celebrate with a small, intimate, gathering of closest pals.

not this year, i guess.

this year the girls thought we could 

do a simple little neighborhood thing.

well,

that turned into a full fledged,

all-out neighborhood production of

a brookes version

amazing race 

birthday party.

(wow.  that was a mouthful, wasn't it?)

so if any of you are interested in creating your own game.

grab a notepad and pencil.

this is what we did.

and i think it was a hit...

first stop...

the teaser

our invitation

this got their juices flowing

and the talk of the hood as to what was yet to come...

*hint to race organizers:

enlist the help of some solid
 roll-up-your-sleeve helpers.

you'll need them every step of the way.

 

was lucky enough to have the help 

of this little lady 

(and her hubs and #1 son among others)

for  undying assistance at each station

so let's get started.

this is what greeted the racers as they entered
the race zone

peeps began arriving at 3:30

race started at 4:00

sharp

once racers started to arrive and 

race time neared we

gathered the peeps

to officially divide the teams

we had 4 teams
of 2 or 3 racers:

this is how we
grouped each team...

khloe

kim

kourtney

harry

ron

hermione

mary kate 

ashley

gale

peeta

katniss

stickers were placed on each team members back.

yes or  no questions only.

not allowed to ask same racer two questions in a row.

racers  had to figure out who's name was on their back...
ready go!

racers had to not only figure out who was on their back,
but who they were coupled with.

once they did, they got their buff
(bandanas from wallie)

gave racers

quick review of 

race rules:

1.  wear buffs at all times
2.  all racers must be present when
challenge clue is being received or read.
3.  all challenge cards must be turned in at
final race mat to win. 
4.  each team must have one working cell phone with
them them all times.
5.  no team may start a challenge
until all racers are accounted for.
6.  no single racer can complete
 two individual challenges in a row.

we had 6 challenges

 two roadblocks,

one detour and

one fast forward.

 

this is what our challenge cards

 looked like

(i had fun with this part,

guess it's the teacher in me)

let the race begin:

CHALLENGE 1: 

"lap it"

 

racers needed to choose their quickest 

racer to run a .04 miles around neighboring 

cul de sac 

ROADBLOCK:

"text it"

racers had to text birthday girls

one birthday message using 50 characters or more

and include one thing they liked about each girl.

CHALLENGE 2:

"raw or fried?"

teams  had to run to club house,

and one brave racer had to choose between

a raw and fast serving of potatoes

or a slow order of french fries for their next clue.

ROAD BLOCK:

"sing it"

choose a random customer eating in club house,

and sing in their sweetest, softest voice,

a full rendition of 'happy birthday' in honor of the 

birthday girls.

first team to complete 

both tasks was awarded a coveted

FAST FORWARD

 "want a ride?" 

3 bikes with helmets 

available to ride to next pit stop

this brings us to
CHALLENGE 3:
"piece it"

after making their way back to home base,
teams had to put together
a 100 piece puzzle.

perfect for a much needed rest

and a little hydration. 

CHALLENGE 4:
"recite it"
teams had to use their cell phone
and call for one listen 
to a specific robert frost poem.
 the goal was to memorize the poem
and recite by memory at their
next pit stop for their next clue.
no pencils, or pens...
did i mention by memory?
they could call for another listen as many
times as they'd like.

CHALLENGE 5:
"blind leading the blind"

using one caller and one blind folded
teams had to make their way through
 back yard obstacle course listening to
cues from caller
for their next clue.

DETOUR:
"decode it"
after obtaining a bag of beans at the
end of their blindfold challenge,
teams had to find a hidden code written within
the beans.

this code is the combination
to a lock which would open a trunk
that would contain their next clue.

combo code:
2-6-98
(twins birthday!)

finally,
last challenge
CHALLENGE 6:
"party parade"

after reaching pit stop,
racers had to pick one item
from each of two bins:

  "wear it"

 variety of hats, masks, metallic,floral head bands
or hawaiian lei

  "make noise with it"

 noise makers

after donning their new party attire,
the team had to make their way back to
the final pit stop
(btw, we wanted to hear the teams
before we saw them)

they had to be singing
"for she's a jolly good fellow..."
first team to make it back to the winners mat 

claimed first place.

and look who came in first

this is what they walked away with...

that and the title

runners up...

it was great fun had by all

we ended the evening with 

home made pizza, 

gathered around the table and

talked of strategy, clues 

and reflections on the big race.

the piece de resistance,

however, 

was the video montage of the entire event,

thanks to mr. huston, himself.

 that was the biggest hit of all.

we are now going to have a

post-race party 

for another look at the fun.

we might even invite parents for a looksie

it was a group effort 

and one we all won't soon forget.

hope you enjoyed 

the amazing race

brookes style

thanks for checking us out.