Last September, we celebrated our little Emory’s second birthday and I clearly failed on posting about the party! But hey, to be fair, I was in my first trimester and very tired at the time. Better late than never, right?
We figured an animal-themed party would be perfect to celebrate Emory. For his first birthday, we threw a barnyard birthday bash and it was so much fun. When we discussed his second birthday party, he didn’t really have a clue what we were talking about, but we asked him about a few different animal themes and he chose whales – ha! And I’m pretty sure after we decided and printed out invitations, he started saying he was going to have a lion party. That goes to show you he really didn’t know what kind of decision he was making.
The party had a lot of blue and gray hues and the tables were decked out with little sea animals in boats, party hats, cardboard plates and wooden silverware. My husband made a boat out of cardboard based on a picture I saw on Pinterest and I created a backdrop behind it out of fabric, netting and some sprigs of eucalyptus.
Emory’s little friends got goody bags that I glued whale tales to and stamped “thank you” on. To be honest, it’s been so long that I forget what I put in them. I think I put some bubbles and whale bath toys in there, but I can’t remember! We also made little whale spouts (fabric pieces tied to round wooden sticks) that his friends could play with during the party.
We created a party playlist filled with instrumental music from Finding Nemo and of course, whale and ocean sounds. The kids played with these clear beach balls that were meant to be like bubbles and I also had a kinetic sand sensory bin and water bead sensory bin to keep them occupied. The kids also painted these wooden boats I bought off Amazon. It was a fun activity in between dinner and dessert.
Emory’s cake was made by the grocery store chain in our area and some of the other food at the party included “beluga” pizza (just pizza we ordered), shells and cheese (my recipe for homemade mac and cheese), seaweed (sauteed broccoli rabe). For dessert, my mother-in-law made these really cute ocean pudding cups and I’m blanking on the other desserts I made!
The party was such a blast. It’s always a surreal experience to have our friends and family in one place to celebrate our children. Just being able to sing happy birthday surrounded by loved ones and have the day be about them is truly special. This year, I’ll have my hands full a little more, but I look forward to celebrating him again in September.
Marina Makes 