It’s hard to believe, but we’ll have a 2 year old in our family as of the 22nd. In order to celebrate this momentous occasion, we decided to throw the most Elmolicious Party we could dream up because if there’s one thing our little girl loves, it’s ELMO (Mommy & Daddy, not so much).
We had a pre-party prep session that was fit for a bride (everyone crowded into the bathroom watching her get all dolled up). Nia caught on right away that she was the Princess of the Day and boy did she milk it for all it was worth. I expected nothing less from our little attention-lover!
As if having a party wasn’t exciting enough, Grandma and Grandpa Miller appeared that morning (having gotten in at 10:30 PM the night before). We were also fortunate to have Auntie Beth and her fionce Jim here to celebrate.
They had just wrapped up a two-week trip to Peru including a 4 day trek of the Inca Trail with their friends Jenny and Nate (below).
Now, on to some of the party details that I know you’ll appreciate. I’d like to start by thanking Pinterest, Etsy and Amazon for making this party possible. We couldn’t have done it without you!
My Pinterest Inspiration Board for the Party
We had quite the spread, if I do say so myself… Items included traditional favorites like a veggie tray and fruit kebobs. We had a few fall-themed items like hershey kiss acorns and candy corn pretzel hugs.
We payed tribute to our Minnesota roots with classics such as Pigs in a Blanket, Special K Bars and Seven Layer Bars. The kiddos got to enjoy Minnesota-shaped PB&J’s and nosh on a deconstructed sandwich on a stick (a la the Minnesota State Fair).
The biggest hit was the roasted red pepper, ham, pesto and gouda sandwich on locally-baked ciabatta bread from Pan de La Chola. I was told that it was so thoroughly enjoyed that it merited not just seconds, but even thirds and fourths. Now that’s a good sandwich! You’ll also notice the adorable little food cards. I purchased a $10 graphic package on Etsy and then found a local sign company to print up a banner, welcome sign, directional signs, stickers and food tents (all for $50).
Had my Mom not been in town, the party would have been a lot simpler. She’s not only the best party planner I know but a phenom with toddlers (30+ years in Early Childhood can do that). So we went big, starting with rotation stations for the kiddos. In the kitchen they whipped up their own personalized cupcake cone which we baked and they decorated later.
The craft of the day was Birthday crowns.
Playdough and Coloring rounded out the mix. After an hour of stations it was time to move on to the interactive sing-a-long led by Grandma Janet herself.
Grandma Janet had an amazing pocket blanket that contained items that related to songs. For example, she’d pull out 12 spiders for each child and then they’d sing The Itsy Bitsy Spider using their prop. Nia squealed with delight as each of the 5 pockets was opened.
Next up was Parachute time. I don’t know what it is about a parachute, but the kids absolutely love it.
We finished up the sing-a-long portion with a round of Happy Birthday for Nia.
She also received a special blessing and got glitter sprinkled in her hair.
We shifted into free play time after that for the kids and happy hour time for the adults.
There were a lot of happy faces in the bunch…
Each friend got to leave with their own Elmo bag containing an Elmo coloring book, crayons and Sesame Street Alphabet Cards.
In Peru (as with most places outside the US) it is not common to open presents during the party. Because Nia was already showing signs of overload, we decided to just let her open a few things after everyone had left.
It was a marvelous day for our family and we are so grateful to all our friends, family and neighbors that celebrated with us.
We are so fortunate to call this little ball of joy our daughter!
Happy 2nd Birthday Nia! We love you!
I love these birthday pics! Your blog is so wonderful Sarah and I have so enjoyed watching Nia grow up!
Hugs to the three of you!