We began by creating a guest list. Since the party would be in our backyard (fingers were crossed for good weather!), inviting her entire class wasn't an option. She did a good job of narrowing her list to five school friends and five non-school friends. I did a quick Google search of 'Garden Party Ideas' just to get my creative juices flowing, and the week before the big day included trips to Ikea, Party City, Home Depot, Sugarlicious, and Target.
I wish I could say that all the prepping and planning went off stress-free, but a house-full of sickies and a migraine attack for Mommy took away a bit of my available prep time. The party was scheduled to begin at 1:30 on Saturday, and I was a bit
A sweet girlfriend of mine checked in with me throughout the morning asking if she could do anything to help or come a bit early to help set up. I had the brilliant idea to ask her to be our event photographer. I knew I would be too busy playing hostess to capture all the day's special moments and little details, and I'd noticed that she takes fantastic pictures of her own family events.
The Birthday Girl.
She's worn this birthday crown, for a few minutes at least,
at every birthday she's celebrated!
The Butterfly Bounce House.
The bounce house was a last minute addition to the party,
but was perfect to keep the kids happy between activities.
The Planting Station.
There's potting soil in the big planters
on the ground with kid-sized shovels for digging.
I added pinwheels to each for a whimsical decoration.
Each child had two pots with his/her name on it:
one to plant a flower and one to plant veggie seeds.
The Dirt Bar.
The silver watering cans on the back
corners of the table held brightly colored gum-balls.
The 'dirt' planter contained kid-sized shovels
to use as serving spoons.
A close up of the sign in the 'dirt'...
eight packages of hand crushed (by Daddy) Oreos.
A few of the toppings.
Carter had a ball at the candy shop choosing the
'things we could find in dirt.'
Cute signs courtesy of my fabulously artistic husband.
The toppings included gummy worms, snakes, night crawlers,
butterflies, spiders, and centipedes;
as well as sunflower seeds and colorful flowers.
Licking her lips as she makes her selections.
Each kiddo got an oblong tin that I'd lined
with vanilla yogurt as the base for their unique Dirt Delight.
(I decided to use yogurt instead of pudding since there'd be so many sweet toppings.)
Marin: a happy girl with her completed concoction.
Birthday Girl enjoying her Dirt Dessert
while relaxing under the umbrella of her adirondack chair.
Her cup is filled with lemonade embellished flower-shaped ice cubes.
The ice kids LOVED the fun shaped, multi-colored cubes!
The Butterfly Pinata.
The Birthday Girl takes the first swing!
Thanks to some brawny boys,
the garden treasures were out in no time!
Garden Themed Cupcakes.
Cake and icing made my Mommy; Garden designs by Daddy.
How can my baby be four?
The Must-Have Group Shot.
All eyes may not be on the camera,
but all kiddos (plus an extra sibling!) are accounted for!
The Party Favors.
The favor buckets included gummy bug-kabobs,
daisy shaped lollipops, and personalized orange and green
sixlets placed in cone shaped packages to resemble carrots.
The Family Shot.
The Presents.
My husband had sent me the beautiful spring flowers earlier in the week,
and they served as the perfect Garden Party gift table centerpiece.
My Girls and Me.
All and all, I'd say the fourth birthday extravaganza was fun for all, and I felt only slightly guilty for sending the kids home on crazy sugar highs. As for the Birthday Girl, I know she had a ball though she did find a space of solitude towards the end of the party.
Just A Girl and Her Guitar:
Singin the blues on her special day.
(A thousand thank-you's to Kelsey for all the pics that made this party round-up possible.)
That's a really cute idea for a child's party. It sure looks like fun, too!
ReplyDeleteLove this!!
ReplyDelete