Its.... arrested development.

Now the story of a wealthy family who lost everything.. and the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together. It's arrested development.

It's here! It's really here! Arrested Development's triumphant return has arrived!

Did you know that Jason and I actually watched Arrested Development when it was on the air? Yep. We are two of the few who did. If more of you superfans had been around back then it never would have been canceled in the first place :)

We had a pretty low key party with my brother Josh and my sister Kelsey last night. Everyone brought food for different characters and after dinner and bedtime for the kids, we sat down for a marathon.

Martinis for Lucille (sparkling grape juice and grapes)

Juice for Buster and a dead dove (rotisserie chicken) for Gob.

Cornballs for Michael....

Teamocil (coconut M&Ms for Tobias) and we also had hot ham water (ham and potato soup) for Lindsay and pigs in a blanket for the the cousins (like they are wrapped up cuddling in a blanket)

Family love cheers!

Frozen bananas for George Michael and after we put the kids to bed, we ate homemade ice cream sandwiches for George (double dark chocolate cookies + vanilla bean ice cream = yum)

I listed a bunch of decorating ideas and games in this post, but we settled for a banner that said "Family love banner" and our marathon :)

Wow, I never thought this day would come. It was kind of surreal. So far we've watched five episodes and while the show definitely feels different, three of the episodes we watched made us laugh. Season four may not be the same as the first three seasons, but at least it's giving us a chance to really celebrate the genius that is Arrested Development.

What a fun and sexy time for you.

Arrested Development fans have had a long, long wait since it was canceled in 2005... and I'm not ashamed to admit that I NEVER expected the rumored "new episodes" or movie to actually happen. But when I discovered that the rumors were, indeed, true, wow. I'm excited. Jason and I have watched and rewatched all the AD episodes so often that we have all of them memorized.

So, with new episodes just around the corner, I've started thinking about my AD party. I was planning on having an all-out PARTY, like my LOST party in 2010, but the new episodes are released on a Sunday, so I think I will just have my siblings over for an Arrested Development themed dinner party instead.

I'm sharing my party plans early in case anyone out there is looking for ideas!

Menu

Uh, easy. Cornballs (I have a cake pop maker, so this will be easy, but you could just make cornbread in a mini muffin tin, not filling the tins all the way to make them more round), hot ham water (maybe you should just serve some sort of ham chowder instead of actual hot ham water) or stew (Baby, you got a stew going!), deviled eggs, anything with club sauce, and juice boxes or lots of booze. We don't drink, but I might make some mocktails. For dessert, frozen bananas or ice cream sandwiches (or you could make an ice cream sandwich cake with chocolate covered banana slices to combine the two)

Decorations

Bluth Company sign on the front door. You gotta have a banner. I think mine will say "Family love Arrested Development" since it is going to be a family party, but you could come up with anything, really. Bowls of candy beans scattered around, with fake facial hair in them (mustaches are super easy to find nowadays, thanks trendy). Blue handprints on everything (cut handprints out of blue construction paper). Suitcoat hung over the back of a chair with suckers stuck to it. A hook. Notes to your guests ("And that's why you always take off your shoes" by the front door, "And that's why you always close the refrigerator" on the fridge, etc). Buster's awards from Army (stuffed animals). A hand chair (I know I've seen one at DI, hoping I'll see another in the next month!) A paper bag that says "Dead Dove DO NOT EAT!!!" on it. Red evidence cooler to put the drinks in.

Activities

Chicken impression contest--see who can match which impression to the right character. No themed party is complete without costumes. And for those who drink, there are lots of AD drinking games out there. But mostly, just enjoy those new episodes.

Invitations

I made these with some of my favorite quotes. Feel free to print and use them for your own party--but please link to this post AND post about your party and share it with me! I can't wait to see what everyone does to celebrate!!

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Look at Blog, Michael!

My favorite episode of Arrested Development is also the first one I ever saw.

It was way back in 2004, when Jason and I were still engaged. The show was currently in it's second season and we just stumbled across it one night while burning our brains out on tv. We couldn't stop laughing and after that, we were hooked. We've been devoted AD fans ever since.

So are you wondering what episode is my #1?

Good Grief (2.4)

It's got it all... Annabelle/Bland/Egg/Her? and George Michael's break up and his subsequent Charlie Brown-esque depression, flashbacks to Buster as a child freaking out over his missing parakeet (he blamed the housekeeper so he threw her favorite "toy" at her "car"), the "Army" uniform that Gob procured for Buster, and best of all, George Michael's Pop-pop in the attic line.

And with May and hopefully new episodes looming ever closer, I'm combining two of my favorite things: party planning and Arrested Development. After all, the Bluths know how to throw a party.

What's your favorite episode?