We held Evie's birthday party the Sunday after her second birthday and it was so much fun! I had my misgivings about hosting a big party for a slightly reticent 2-year-old, but she seemed so excited by the idea that we decided to give it a go. For weeks before the party, it was all Evie could talk about. She walked around the house saying "Happy Birthday to You!" in a singsongy voice, and must have sung "Happy Birthday" to herself 100 times. Anytime anyone would ask her what she wanted at her party, she decisively responded, "cake! balloons! emmies! [m&ms]." She was less sure about whether she wanted friends to be at the party, but we decided that if we included her other essential elements, she might relent and allow them to enjoy it with her (this was a pretty big risk, given that she vowed not to share her cake with anyone).
Here is the happy hostess inviting her guests to her party...
And our little family before the party. The birthday girl had a very hard time posing for photos--she just wanted to play!
Evie's emphasis on cake and emmies and her love of candy made my theme selection pretty clear cut--we ended up with Evie's sweet shoppe. Here, the table is set and ready for her guests.
To fully satisfy her sweet tooth, we ended up with cupcakes AND cake.
Oh, and candy bracelets. A brilliant combination of two of Evie's favorite things! I did learn during the party that these probably aren't the best choice for 2-year-olds. Evie, luckily, couldn't bear to eat hers and lose the chance to wear them (very similar to her mother), but I noticed several of the little ones stuffing the entire bracelet, elastic and all, into their mouths. Oops!
We also had a food spread outside...
The favors were an easy choice--candy jars filled with emmies!
Evie loves coloring and stickers, so the tables were set with coloring pages, crayons, and lots and lots of stickers.
Evie also requested the bounce house, so we pulled that out as well.
Evie's very favorite part of the party was playing in the bounce house with her two favorite boys--Caga and Bobo!
These two were WILD together. I really couldn't get over Walter's toughness. He endured so many tackles and knock downs and never stopped. He had so much fun, and his presence totally made the party for Evie!
See what I mean? This terrified me the first couple of times I saw it, but Bobo came up smiling every time!
The little terrorist happily jumped away...
Can't tell if Bobo is relieved or jealous to be watching this tackling from afar?
Already such a ham!
Soon, Evie's guests arrived! Although she was a bit territorial about the bounce house (we noticed her barring the door and not letting anyone other than Bobo in), she actually loved having all her friends there to celebrate with her. She was surprisingly sweet and excited to see everyone!
Craft break.
Walter was hilarious at the craft table. He tried so hard to color just like the big kids. He loved it!
An enthusiastic party guest. :)
I wasn't sure if the kids would wear the party hats I made, but they actually did! Evie was so pleased. :)
Evie has had trouble enjoying several parties lately because she just worries and worries until the cake arrives. So I decided that at her party, I would let her decide when we cut the cake. Evie looked so surprised when she requested cake and I actually let her have it right then!
Discreetly tasting her cake while everyone sings to her...
Evie got lots of help blowing the candles out.
The girl was SO pleased with her cake (and her stickers, as you'll see on her shirt).
Walter and sweet Aunt Auga. She was such a trooper at 36 weeks pregnant!
Evie and Palmer.
The sweet Henderson girls.
Grayson, trying his hand at the craft table.
Evie is so lucky to have her supportive grandparents, aunts, and uncles to help her celebrate. These were the guests that she most wanted to be there and they really made the party for her.
The Reins were so sweet to drive up for the party. They even helped us get ready and clean up. Amazing!
Post-party, Evie got to open presents with her aunts and uncles. She got such thoughtful gifts!
The balloons were still a hit the next day!
Happy Birthday Miss E!
Note: I also need to give a BIG shout-out to Papa and Ahh for all of their help with the party prep and execution. They were not featured extensively in the photographs, but I am not taking responsibility for that, as I was not in charge of the camera for most of the party (Meg, Auga, I'm looking at y'all :). Mom was amazing. She came up a couple days before the party and spent tons of time helping me run errands, assemble decorations, bake cakes and cupcakes, and get everything cleaned up and looking good for the party (including Miss E herself). Dad was a huge help with the kids during this time, and they both made it so fun for me and Clint and SO fun for the kids. We don't know how we would have done it without them!
Note: I also need to give a BIG shout-out to Papa and Ahh for all of their help with the party prep and execution. They were not featured extensively in the photographs, but I am not taking responsibility for that, as I was not in charge of the camera for most of the party (Meg, Auga, I'm looking at y'all :). Mom was amazing. She came up a couple days before the party and spent tons of time helping me run errands, assemble decorations, bake cakes and cupcakes, and get everything cleaned up and looking good for the party (including Miss E herself). Dad was a huge help with the kids during this time, and they both made it so fun for me and Clint and SO fun for the kids. We don't know how we would have done it without them!
No comments:
Post a Comment