A cold, icy day much like the one three years ago... exactly what we woke up to on February 2nd - the day of Ivey's birthday party. We celebrated at daycare on her actual birthday but party day was the following Saturday.
As many of you know, I hate throwing parties... HA! It is one of my favorite things! I think all year - already planning birthday 4 & 5! So with a little work on Friday night and a little more Saturday morning, things were ready to go! One advantage of planning so far ahead... you kind find and buy things for a little bit of nothing! Most of the decorations were less than a $1 from shopping Dollar General at the end of summer and Walmart after Christmas. That makes it ten times better when I know I got a deal!
I always love having a great display of food, but when feeding a crowd, sometimes cost efficiency and flavor can seem to go separate ways. However, we still came up with a good menu... guests were able to make their own "submarine" sandwiches, we had spinach dip with an octopus standing guard, fruit kabobs of strawberries, grapes, and pineapples, sea floor chunks (chocolate with sprinkles), and oyster crackers (with dill and spices). All of that was placed under and around a pineapple tree (my mom's specialty). The cakes did it, though!
Momma is the most talented cake makers I know - not only does it look good but you know it is going to be delicious! This was a 16" bottom on a cake platter I bought a year ago knowing that I would use it some day. Momma made all of the shells with chocolate and handmade the flowers with icing and letting them dry. She left the sides of the cake wavy like the ocean and the blue icing just set it off! The mermaid was just a doll covered with Fruit Roll Ups but so creative! Ivey loved it - thanks MawMaw!
Now, a true MawMaw gives into every whim of the grandchild.... so when my kid told her MawMaw that she wanted chocolate cake (even though I insisted that we didn't need anymore cake) guess what showed up???? Chocolate cake...
The kids seem to have fun - coloring, crafting, playing ball, fishing, and eating. They each had ham sandwiches on fish-shaped bread with goldfish crackers and fruit. I love birthday parties because of the joy I see on my little one's face, but also for the chance just to get together with people that we know and love and enjoy some time together!
I love to have something for the kiddos to do. So this year we did crab hand prints and bedazzled fish. Mrs. Patsy at church had the fish cut out for a past Bible school and didn't use them. She let us use them for the party - a huge time saver that turned out so cute! We hung them all on the fish nets to dry while the kids partied.
While we enjoyed everyone coming and the kids playing... we didn't think about the presents that would come, too! While we are so thankful for everyone's thoughtfulness, next year we may have to do some donations to a charity or something... our house is overrun with gifts!
It seems like yesterday we were taking this picture at the first birthday party... look how big she is now!
Singing birthday to our little mermaid...
Blowing out the candle... (she practiced for weeks)
Mrs. Patsy (who gave us the fish craft) also made Ivey a personal gift. A beautiful Tennessee blanket with an "ugly" side... =) It has officially become Ivey's morning blanket for the couch...
Time to make a wish and send the balloons into the air...
Thanks to everyone who was able to come... Ivey has talked about it for weeks! I hope you all had a great time!
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