Gingerbread Man

Run, run as fast as you can.

You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread man!

I love to have a birthday party with a theme but detest the overcomercialized brand name parties in a box.  A theme can be inspired by something as simple as a balloon or as involved as a story.  Last year it was the Bremen Town Musicians. 
This year the theme was taken from one of our favorite books - the Gingerbread Man, also known as しょうがパンぼうや or Der Lebkuchenmann.  We started out with reading the story.

After the book we decorated gingerbread people.  A few of them were tasted right away just to make sure they were good.

This homemade pillow was a gift for the birthday boy.  He loves making it run when we read the book!

Of course no party would be complete without a birthday cake.  I made this gingerbread man and served him on an oven tray just like the one in the story.  This one didn't have a chance to run away though!