We recently celebrated Allie turning 2. We had a birthday party for her in our backyard that was full of all the toddler favorites…
- Sand
- Paint
- Markers
- Slide
- Tunnel
- Water Table
- Chalk
- Bubbles, so many bubbles
And we did something a little out of the norm for her party. We asked for all of her friends to bring their favorite snack or drink to share with everyone instead of a gift.
Initially the idea of throwing a birthday party with all of Allie’s friends over and having to provide food that could accommodate everyone’s dietary needs and preferences was too much. Honestly, the idea of throwing a kid birthday party was too much. I’ve seen all the perfectly themed and organized parties on social media and have even been to a few myself, and I just didn’t have that in me. So I talked to my hubby and we were in agreement, no birthday party.
But then I read an article online about how much birthday parties have changed in recent years. How parties are now these very structured and organized events. A place to take a ton of staged and beautifully laid out photos. Where kiddos have an itinerary and each moment is planned. But that isn’t the birthday parties that I grew up with. My favorite memories from all of my birthday parties were the unplanned moments.
So I went back to my hubby and talked through throwing a party that was in our budget and within my capacity to host. And that’s just what we did. We provided the drinks and a few of Allie’s favorite foods (chicken salad, breakfast sausage, and homemade bread), along with blueberry cobbler. We laid out a large piece of canvas drop cloth with paint markers and chalk paint for the kiddos right down the middle of our yard. Turned Allie’s kiddie pool into a sand box. Spread out all her outside toys along the back of the yard. Fenced off the garden, added decorations, bubbles, and music. It was a toddlers dream land.
What was even better, all the kiddos played great. All the adults from all the seasons of our lives got along and were friendly towards one another. Neither Zach nor I felt any type of stress. It just felt like having a bunch of our friends over and everyone making themselves at home. Which honestly is more than I could’ve asked for.
So though this party wasn’t Pinterest perfect, it was PERFECT! It was all of Allie’s favorite things surrounded by all the people she loves. At the end of the day, isn’t that really what matters? Celebrating and spending quality time with the ones you love?
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