I was "this close" to not doing any kind of "party" for Emily this year. After all, she is only two and will likely not remember or hold it against me if I opted out of doing a party this year, I reasoned.
But then, I looked back through old photos of Noah and his 2nd birthday and remembered that not only did we have a party, but we did the "real" kind of party with friends and games and the whole bit!
In an instant, I felt guilty! What if Emily looked at Noah's photo books and saw that he got a big 2nd Birthday party and she only got dinner with the family amidst Christmas decorations and Christmas wrapped birthday gifts?!
So...
Three days before her birthday, I decided to have some kind of a little party for her. The theme? I always thought that a "TuTu" party for turning two would be ideal, but when I thought about it, Emily doesn't really have very many friends and the ones that she does have are all boys! So I decided to save that idea for a later time.
So I sat down and started looking through cookbooks in search of some Christmas recipes. I pulled out my Southern Living Kids Cookbook and saw two things that inspired the perfect Birthday Party theme for Miss Sis. They were these...
Chicken Salad Ice Cream Cones
Milkshakes with Chocolate Candy Rims
And so I had the idea...
A Sweet Party for a Sweet Girl!
One of Emily's favorite things is CANDY! She definitely inherited her Mommy's sweet tooth! Given her love of candy, cake, and anything sweet, this became the perfect party idea for her!
I ordered cupcakes with lollipops and candies to decorate the tops...
I made some oversized lollipops out of styrofoam circles, dowel rods, tissue paper and ribbon...
I made smaller lollipops for table centerpieces...
I bought lots of candy (that was all packed up immediately after the party and put in a plastic bin labeled "candy party props"!)...
I picked up some plastic colored table clothes, cute napkins, and balloons to set the tables with...
And finally, I went to the invitation store and bought just a few invitations... mainly so that I would have one for the memory book!
We invited a few guests, but due to the fact that it was the night before Christmas Eve and we were in a Blizzard, most people were unable to attend. Emily's friend, Mary, was able to make it though! As well as those who love her most... her family, Uncle Brycie, and Grandparents!
I served chicken salad in ice cream cones, flower shaped grilled cheese sandwiches for the little kids, fruit cups, and of course, cupcakes and milkshakes!
Emily was fully aware that it was her birthday and was absolutely delighted by the colorful display of sweets! She kept pointing to the table saying "candy" and "pink"!
Happy 2nd Birthday Emily Kate...
After being sufficiently spoiled with all kinds of girly gifts...
The party was over!
My sweet girl was very, very sweet
and very, very happy!
And so was I!
(until 4 am when I awoke with the stomach flu! Too many sweets?!)
