Wishes for Holly — A Party Game for All Ages

I'm not a baby, guys.

Not anymore. Not like before.

That's why I turned Lil Sugar's idea for an heirloom baby shower game into a Big Girl game for my birthday party last month. They had a cute PDF that had swirly letters explaining that the prompts given were wishes for the impending baby.

"I hope you become __________________"
"I hope you learn to __________________"
"I hope you aren't afraid of ____________"

The idea was so sweet, but the portion of the PDF that specifically said "Baby" on them didn't seem to fit the theme for my party. You know, Happy 27th birthday Holly and all that.

So Caleb typed out the questions and printed off several for my party guests to fill out. Funny, meaningful, a mix of both—all answers were accepted in this questionnaire. Many of the kids who attended the party even penned some really great responses.

The instructions on the original idea site say that you should read the answers aloud at the end of the party, but I am selfish and kept them for myself to read when everyone left.

To rectify my rule-breaking, here is a smattering of responses that made my special day even better.

My friend Teri hopes I learn how to fly. She's especially silly with her wish, but I like it.

Teri's little daughter Kate hopes I become a special girl. This one made my heart beam—I really, really like it.

My twenty-something cousin Ben hoped something for me that's a little more career-oriented.

My cousin Cari's response to this prompt reminded me of how much I am going to miss our little Utah clan once everyone disperses. Awwww, family, don't go.

If you look at the first and third responses from Shyla, you'll see that she and I have differing tastes in children's television. I've converted her daughter Eden to the church of Yo Gabba Gabba, and I refuse to be baptized into the boring Kipper religion. See? No Kipper respect from this side of the fence.

My BFF Megan is two months younger than me, so obviously her answer wasn't self-serving.

Julikins, my sister, makes a good point. R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

Little Lia Gibbons, first-grader in a Chinese immersion program, wants me to grow up to be a dancer. Big Holly Flanagan, mother of two and professional pen twirler, also wants me to grow up to be a dancer.

And I just had to share my cousin Trevor's signature. I laughed and laughed, because don't you remember when we would all sign our names with these things after it? Peace, love, and happiness! Any guesses at how old Trevor is? Your clue is that he is not in the eighth grade (which was my prime note-writing age!).


These prompts are fabulously fun and amazingly meaningful to me, even the silly ones. If you're not a link follower, I'm going to post the prompts image below. You can fill out one or more of them in the comments for me as a late birthday present.