Huntley turns 2!

I have decided that I would like to officially start a movement. From now on I think we should start celebrating birthdays in the same way we did as kids. Why is it that as we get older and older the parties get smaller and smaller, with thinner and thinner guests lists if there is even a party at all? Oh yes, I know that occasionally on a milestone birthday we really throw down, but in all the other years we act as if it is just another day passing us by and then it is off into oblivion.

To start things off I would like to take a few brilliant cues from the most recent birthday party I attended. Huntley turned 2 and I was there to celebrate the glorious occasion!

1. Have a theme and plan accordingly. Now Huntley's B-day party theme was based around tractors and included a collection of toy tractors for the kids to play with, tractor crayons to draw on the paper table cloths decorated with scenes tractors may like to frolic within, a tractor banner, a custom designed shirt for the birthday boy donning a replica of the tractor that was on the invite and on the piece of artwork over his bed, goodie bags for the kiddies with plenty of tractor paraphernalia, a John Deer tractor cake, and even a real live full-sized tractor which served as the perfect photo-op spot.

2. Invite a crowd. Now that you have the scene set you have to get some people in the mix. And don't just invite a crowd of friends your own age, but everyone. Your friends, their parents (or their kids), aunts, uncles, grandparents, neighbors, school friends, church friends, gym friends, work friends, grocery store friends, etc. The more the merrier, right? And definitely stand around in a circle with this crowd, hand-in-hand, and bless the b-day boy/girl, those who came to celebrate, and the yumminess you are about to experience.

3. Provide some seasonal, occasion appropriate snacks for noshing. For Huntley's party they hit this right on. There were the makings for smores for snacking then for dinner we had chili and corn bread muffins, hot dogs, chips and TWO options for dessert. There was the happiest little tractor cake I had ever seen and cupcakes. I tried both desserts, of course. And watched as little Edy, after eating her cake, sat just inches away from the cupcakes mesmerized for at least 10 min. before asking me if she could have one. Now I have learned by now that if a kid wants extra sugar after sun down you always ask the parent. "What do you think your mom will say?" I asked her. And she quite confidently told me her mom would most certainly say, "Why, yes!" And she did. :)

4. Invite a photographer, or a friend with a camera and a friendly disposition, to tell the story of the celebration through pictures. This way you can relive the celebration for the next 365 days until it is time to celebrate again.




delish........................ and delish.

and this is Edy, a double dessert eatin' girl after my own heart.

and this is the Birthday Boy. Happy Birthday Huntley!