Luke and Zoey's Second Birthday
Hi Everyone! Happy Tuesday!
Luke and Zo turned two on March 15th, which just happened to be a Saturday, and was also exactly one year since we moved into our house.
Last year, the moving truck was here and we didn't know anyone, so it was a super low-key one-year-old birthday for the twins. This year, I wanted to do something...nothing too crazy...but a little party for them. I promised my husband I'd keep it small...small ended up being about 25 parents and kids, which was perfect.
My parents were down, which was so wonderful. We did a 4-6 PM BBQ and a few decorations, including balloons, which my dad helped me with:
The kids opened presents from Grammy and Papa early in the day, so they could start the day with something special:
The other decoration thing I did...I have all these dreams of being crafty but almost no spare time in which to execute...but still, I wanted to do something for the kids and this was perfect because it was quick and easy and totally customizable. I got this idea from A Beautiful Mess Photo Idea Book, (really cool book, by the way) and it's essentially picking fabrics, tearing strips, and tying those strips to a length of clothesline. Added bonus: the kids asked for a "Trucks and Foxes"-themed birthday, and not only is it impossible to find both trucks AND foxes together (which I expected), but also unless you want to do some licensed character (eg, Hello Kitty, Spider Man, etc.) there are not a lot of decorative options out there was my experience (which surprised me).
Anyway, my "Trucks and Foxes" banner:
My mom and dad and I took the dogs for a hike while the kids napped. Last snow of the season (I'm pretty sure) on the peaks:
After naps, we changed the kids into new clean clothes and got ready to welcome guests. My husband did all the cooking (green chile cheesburgers for the adults, mac and cheese, per the kids' request, for the kids.) Which meant I was free to hang out with the kids...so nice...
A nice little mix of friends from the mom's group I'm part of, the library story hour we go to every week, a friend of my husband's from work and his wife and young son...I'm sensitive about posting pics of other people's kids on the internet, so no party guest pictures here...
And then, after dinner, the cake, which my mother-in-law made...she was bummed it wasn't perfect (it's the first thing like this she's done) but I think it's amazing and I LOVE that they got a home-made cake, and how cute is the little fox in the fire engine ladder bucket?!?
Love these pictures of our little family...
A couple of weeks before the party, we started talking with the kids about their birthday. Once we'd given them the run-down, we'd ask what was going to happen and they'd say, "Cake!" "And ice cream!" "And Grammy and Papa!" "And friends!" (All said at loud volume with great enthusiasm.) The cake and ice cream and grandparents and friends did not disappoint.
We opened presents at the end, which turned into total chaos with two two-year-olds...but what a lot of sweet and cool presents they got.
And I'm going to do a whole post on this playhouse that the kid's Me-Ma (Grandma) custom-made to fit over our dining room table...it's amazing...but for now, here's a little sneak peek:
So, great birthday all around. Took some energy and effort, but I had a ton of help as always, and it was really important to me to make it special. (And it was.)
XOXO
P.S. Special thanks to my mom for most of these photos...
