Birthday Partying

This weekend my baby turned 2. I could hardly believe we were sending out invitations to celebrate! We’ve evolved a fair amount since starting the birthday party planning gig with Macie Jane’s first birthday. It was basically a wedding reception for a baby who will never remember it- but I will 😉 

The Pinterest loving soul inside of me can hardly stand it. An occasion to design, cut out, inflate, and arrange decorations sounds like a dream! If I’m being honest the party planning is 75% for me and 25% for them. Sure, I choose a theme I know they’ll enjoy but do they care about the cupcake toppers I carefully cut out or the balloon arrangement I order? …probably not. 

After the first few years my sweet (and always supportive) husband suggested approaching birthdays a little differently. Instead of going over the top (as I’m inclined to do) maybe we could alternate big party one year, low key party the next. It’s actually turned out to be a really good thing. Starting out I had 3, 3 and under. One birthday falls the week before Christmas and another comes just 6 weeks after the new year. Suffice it to say my brain was on overload. Giving myself freedom to do the basics and enjoy the day for what it is has been a game changer. Birthdays are very special in our family but I’m learning that doesn’t have to mean months of planning and a financial investment. We can have just as sweet a time with a sweet cake, simple decorations, and being surrounded by everyone we love.

Rutledge had a shark themed pool party because what better place to celebrate on a hot Summer day? I ordered a large, inflatable shark  for the pool and it was a hit. My sweet, little fella loved splashing and growling at that thing and all the little girls (all his cousins are girls in addition to his two sisters) loved it too! I ordered a round cake from  our local Publix which I absolutely loved! If you don’t know what I’m talking about consider chatting with the bakery for your next celebration. I went in person to talk with the cake decorator. She was so gracious and willing to create exactly what I was looking for! The cake was not only delicious and adorable but super affordable too! win-win-win! I picked up a couple table covers and party accessories from Walmart and had a dozen or so balloons inflated. I couldn’t forget the iconic number balloon from Hobby Lobby and the decorations were set! It was a sweet evening celebrating our big guy around the pool with family. 

It wasn’t the social event of the season but Rutledge was so loved and fully enjoyed the celebration! And because I wasn’t wrapped up in everything being “perfect” I think I really enjoyed it more too. Maybe this party was more like 100% for both of us?