Oliver's 2nd Birthday Petting Zoo Party

All last week I was stressing and prepping for Oliver’s 2nd birthday party and it all came to fruition yesterday. It ended up being a beautiful day and even if there were a few hiccups, no one seemed to notice, and we all had a great day.
When I was trying to figure what I wanted to do for Oliver's party I knew it had to be something he would enjoy and since he is such an animal lover having a farm/ petting zoo party would be perfect for him.

I get such a thrill out of planning everything. For the food and games, I searched Pinterest for inspiration and found so many great ideas. Now it’s time for picture overload. I enjoy the planning that goes into the party but the best part is seeing everyone’s faces (especially the birthday boy) as they take it all in. It makes all the hard work worthwhile.

My friend, Amy, made this fantastic cake

I love little details... like the forks and knives wrapped to look like corn... 

... and place cards for food with a farm theme...

... there was the chicken coop, potato field, feed & seed, orchard, pig pen, and a watering hole

Favors for the guests included homemade candy apples...

... cheddar & caramel "corn-on-the-cob"

Oliver liked riding the pony...

...but not the tortoise

There was also a pig...

... rabbits, a sheep, and...

... a horse for the bigger kids

For games I had Feed the Pig & Feed the Cow bean bag toss...

... Tractor Races...

... and Pin the Tire on the Tractor

Apparently Oliver thought he was supposed to bite the candle out... don't worry I blew it out before he got too close

Party Ponies and Farm Friends provided the ponies and petting zoo animals. Brandie did a great job and I would definitely recommend them if you want to have ponies or a petting zoo at your next party.

I hope you enjoyed Oliver's party. I found so much inspiration online that I wanted to share how it turned out. This was definitely one for the books!

Oliver's 1st Birthday Flashback

Oliver's Lumberjack Party

It's hard to fathom that my baby will be two in just a few short weeks. It seems like yesterday that we were bringing him home from the hospital. He came into this world like a whirlwind and has stopped since. 

The past few days I've been all caught in planning his upcoming party, writing lists (I love making a good list) of everything I need to make and buy, and making a few games and goodies. 
With birthday parties on the brain, I thought I'd share Oliver's first birthday with you. In my opinion, every party needs a theme, and last year I went with lumberjack. He's always been a big boy, or plump as Emmett calls him, so I felt Oliver would be the perfect little lumberjack, and of course, he was!

Trail Mix Bar

Beard Making Station

Ax Toss

Roasted Hotdogs

Lumberjack Log Cake made using this tutorial here.

Buffalo plaid inside the cake. This took some time to make but I love how it turned out. 

My friend, Amy, made the smash cake

Oliver loved the cake. He was a mess and I knew he would be hence, no shirt. 

1st Year Facts

I had plaid shirt for each of us but it was so hot that Pierce and Emmett protested and ended up in short sleeves.

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Here's a sneak peak of ideas for Oliver's 2nd birthday. 

I'm going with the barnyard/ petting zoo theme.

Favor idea

How cute is this cake?

Stay tuned for all the fun. I have lots of ideas for food and games that I'll be sharing after next week's party. 

Life Lately and Birthday Invites

The past month has such a busy time for me. Emmett is a full blown kindergartener and it's taking a little getting used to for me to get everything together when we've got soccer, homework, scheduling not to mention making time for Oliver. It doesn't help that the past few weeks the boys have been alternating getting sick and when they're both feeling well along comes hurricane Irma. I realized just this past week that I've got to get on the ball to get Oliver's 2nd birthday party planned. I love a good party and planning it is so much fun for me. Since Irma caused the schools to close we were able to get in a little photo shoot for Oliver's invitations. I just love photo invitations for my boys and I wanted to share Oliver's for this year and well as a look back at some of the prior years.
It's so cute to look back at old ones and see how much they've grown.

The design is from CandiceCards on Etsy. You can find it here. 

How cute are these boys!?! I love looking back and remembering how cute they were and how much fun their parties were. Stayed tuned because I'll be sharing pictures from this years party as well as a few from Oliver's 1st birthday because he was such a handsome little lumberjack. 

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. 

Gifts for Your Guy

If you asked me who is the most difficult person to shop for, I would have two... Pierce and my dad. It seems like they never "need" anything and if they want something they usually go out and buy it for themselves. Why do they have to make shopping for them for darn difficult?!? 

I've gotten pretty good about taking notes when I'm with them and see them show interest in things just because of how difficult it is to buy them thoughtful gifts that they will want and use. I keep a list in my phone to jot down ideas so that the next time a birthday or holiday rolls around I won't be left with no clue on what to get them. Pierce's birthday is today... Happy Birthday, honey!... and Father's Day is less than a month away so I've compiled a list of gifts that are unique but practical that I think those hard to shop for guys would love to have. 

Kindle Paperwhite E-reader- both my dad and Pierce love to read. The paperweight doesn't have a glare and has a adjustable backlight so you can use it in sunlight or at night.
Grande Safety Razor- Pierce has really gotten into fancy shaving gear. He swears he's never had a closer shave.
Art of Shaving- Shaving Cream- If you get the fancy razor you'll want a good shaving cream for a smooth shave and soft skin afterwards.
Luminous Sea Anu 4200 Nylon Men's Watch- Splurge alert! I actually found this watch for a super steal a month back and couldn't pass it up. I hope Pierce enjoys his birthday present!
Brackish Feather Bow Tie- This one is also a bit pricey but these locally made feather bowties are perfection. I love a man in a bowtie.
Amazon Echo- This one is for the gadget lovers. It's pretty cool to just ask Alexa a question or play a song.
Jameson Caskmates- This is one of those items I made note of because whenever we were at the store Pierce would always show interest in this whiskey aged in craft beer barrels.
Col. Littleton Leather Portfolio- Polished leather portfolio made in the USA plus they make a leftie version! Get it monogrammed for a quality piece that's sure to impress. 

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Happy birthday Pierce! You're my rock and best friend. You're strong, thoughtful, caring, smart, and like to clean. I cook, you clean. Together we've built a beautiful little family. I love you to the moon and back.

Emmett's Birthday Party

I just realized I didn't post any pictures from Emmett's birthday party and since I have this blog in order to document life, especially my boys(who are growing up way too fast), along with sharing with you all, I figured I better get to it.
I love planning a good party and for Emmett's first four birthdays I planned all the details. I coordinated games, decor, and food; but this year I took the easy way out. I kind of hate that I didn't plan and go all out but I also kind of love how easy it ended up being. We chose to have it at the local rec center where the kids could swim, play basketball, and jump on the jump castle. They provided the cake and decor, so all I had to do was bring a few snacks. Even though I love a theme party with cute food and tasteful decor, kids could care less. They just want fun activities and cake. This party covered those bases and Emmett had a blast which is all that really matters.

Emmett enjoying a swim with his besties.

Cake, snacks, and gift bags. 

They spelling his name wrong, ugh 😠...

... but he didn't mind

I can't believe my sweet boy is five. He loves Pokemon, so that was the "theme" we went with on what I added in addition to the rec center decor which I couldn't control. I made these cute favor bags and thought I'd share the how-to with you in case you have a child who is as Pokemon obsessed as mine. It super easy and cheap.

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Pikachu Party Bags

You will need the following:

• yellow paper bags
• black sharpie
• red sharpie
• scissors

Leave the bag folded and cut out the ear shape as indicated on the photo above. You don't have mark each bag but I drew it on this one to show where you will need to cut.

Leaving them folded, draw on the face. I started with the mouth which should be in the center. Next add the nose, then eyes, and lastly the cheeks. I drew a simple tail (just the outline) on the back but forgot to take a picture. Just google "Pikachu" to see images of his tail for reference. 

Once decorated, just open up and add you party favors. I taped each one shut across the middle of the head with transparent tape. 

I ended up creating three expressions which you can see above (closed-mouth smile, open-mouth smile, and squint smile). Emmett helped out. Can you figure out which one he did? 💕

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Another birthday cake. Isn't it crazy how a birth"day" turns into a four day affair?