3rd Birthday Party

[MissMusic]

Aahhh wait I almost forgot about this!

I saw it on FB! You do a "drive-in movie" for the party!
You get/save a bunch of cardboard boxes and stuff to decorate them with. You make them look like cars with paper plate wheels, etc. Then you put the kids outside (or if you have a large room in your house, there) and show a movie. The kids sit in their car boxes, snack, watch, and have fun!

Its such a cute and easy idea!

[junkytrunk]

roo1582 not at all. We invited the other kids from daycare last year. There was only 3 of them.

[lainikins]

roo1582 we invited his daycare class last year and all the parents were really excited. They wanted to meet other people too.

This year we are planning in having a BBQ in the back yard. It will be Formula 1 race car themed. Emmett is obsessed and always wants to watch racing cars. Formula 1 are the only cars he considers to be race cars though, so Formula 1 it is. I started pinning things for it last night actually.

We are thinking if getting a bouncy house for the kids this year, there will be about 15 kids there (cousins and my friends kids) so I wanted something for them to do, but I am not sure if that would get too crazy. I also don't know if July will be too hot for a bouncy house. We will see.

[somethingcleverer]

I think we might go back to the place we went last year with my parents, sister and niece. It's a small amusement park with some amimals. The best part is that all the rides are just her size. I think there were only a couple she couldn't do last year. We will probably have cake on her bday and invite my aunt and uncle too. I guess theres an advantage to having a small family.

A lot of our friends do full parties every year but I would rather do a fun activity and the kids seem to enjoy it just as much as a birthday party.

[pegleg715]

Mar 2, 2015 21:34:41 GMT -5 lainikins said:

roo1582 we invited his daycare class last year and all the parents were really excited. They wanted to meet other people too.

This year we are planning in having a BBQ in the back yard. It will be Formula 1 race car themed. Emmett is obsessed and always wants to watch racing cars. Formula 1 are the only cars he considers to be race cars though, so Formula 1 it is. I started pinning things for it last night actually.

We are thinking if getting a bouncy house for the kids this year, there will be about 15 kids there (cousins and my friends kids) so I wanted something for them to do, but I am not sure if that would get too crazy. I also don't know if July will be too hot for a bouncy house. We will see.

We had a bounce house for my birthday lots of years (July 15th) and it was ok. But there is a place not far from you that has sprinkler bounce house ones.

Also, I'm sure you've already taken him but f1 in Braintree, would he enjoy just watching?

[mightythorgi]

Thanks to a certain tiger having a birthday episode that we watched the other day it has been determined that a tiger cake is of utmost importance. But that's the extent of the plan thus far

[huskiefanuw]

She's having a pirate party. Her big backyard play set looks like a boat so that makes decorating a bit easier. I bought her a really cute pirate costume on Zulily, it's hidden or she would want to wear it. I've pinned a bunch of stuff but I'm not certain on everything yet. I plan on making a "walk the plank" thing with a low balance beam on a blue tarp with some snark fins in the "water" but beyond that it's all in the planning stage.

[lizwinderson]

I'm torn! I want a party but this summer is going to be beyond crazy/hectic with school so I'm thinking BBQ with family and his best friend (my best friends daughter).

[rollerrink]

Oh wow, I have NOT thought about this yet. At all.

Um... I would like to give him a fun, special party because I'll be due with Baby #2 nine days later (well, you know how EDDs work out), and from then on we plan to have joint birthday parties for as long as we can, so this may be Andrew's last solo bday party for quite some time.

So, a party? Yes. Probably more on the simple side. And that's all I've got for now.

[USCgirl]

Since LO and I are only a week apart, we decided to celebrate both birthdays on July 4th. Not sure of the theme yet though. Easy peasy!

[roo1582]

@ lainikins, junkytrunk - Thanks! I wasn't sure if it was too early to start inviting classmates yet.

[lainikins]

Mar 2, 2015 21:38:56 GMT -5 pegleg715 said:

Mar 2, 2015 21:34:41 GMT -5 lainikins said:

roo1582 we invited his daycare class last year and all the parents were really excited. They wanted to meet other people too.

This year we are planning in having a BBQ in the back yard. It will be Formula 1 race car themed. Emmett is obsessed and always wants to watch racing cars. Formula 1 are the only cars he considers to be race cars though, so Formula 1 it is. I started pinning things for it last night actually.

We are thinking if getting a bouncy house for the kids this year, there will be about 15 kids there (cousins and my friends kids) so I wanted something for them to do, but I am not sure if that would get too crazy. I also don't know if July will be too hot for a bouncy house. We will see.

We had a bounce house for my birthday lots of years (July 15th) and it was ok. But there is a place not far from you that has sprinkler bounce house ones.

Also, I'm sure you've already taken him but f1 in Braintree, would he enjoy just watching?

We need to take him there. I think he would love it. Thanks for the thoughts on the bouncy house, I will have to look into it.

[aylafsu1881]

Mar 2, 2015 13:53:43 GMT -5 pegleg715 said:

Evie is not having a birthday party this year. I always swore I would do 1st, 5th-10th, 13th, 16th and that would be it. She KIND OF got a second birthday party because it was Caz's 1st and she got a cake and got to be there. But I'm not a fan of the every year thing. We will just do family dinner and cake with my parents and sister and stuff, but that's it.

nope. no way. done.

Same here. I don't have the energy to throw a party every year. We will do the big birthdays (1, 5, 13, 16, 18th) with parties but no way am I making it a yearly thing. We do a family/few friends and cake. that is it.

[roo1582]

So after doing some research, we're just going to do a small BBQ at our house. We'll rent a bounce house, set up the sprinkler, kiddie pool, etc and let the kids go to town. It'll end up being a little cheaper than going to the indoor bounce house place, plus we can actually have decent food (the place requires you order food through them, which is not included in the price of the party) and some adult beverages for the parents. We just have to hope for decent weather.

[mrsrek10]

I am thinking of hosting the party at our Home Depot store. They provide aprons, hard hats and a project for free. My kid loves tools and building things. So, I am thinking that may be our plan.

[barefoot84]

We went camping last year and it was awesome. Hot dogs and cake, no cleaning, beach and campfire. I kind of want to do it again, but I would like her to celebrate with friends too. I'm glad someone started this thread so I have some time to think about it and make up my mind.

[shandril19]

We're not doing a party this year, just family dinner with the grandparents. TheBoy and I actually leave on a 2 wk cruise without her the day after her bday, so we'll use dinner to pass her off to Oma/Opa.

[trixi282]

No plans for a party this year... We'll have a newborn and not sure what our situation will be like yet at that time. Hopefully Nugget will be home.

If we have a new house by then and Nugget is home, maybe we'll just have a housewarming/bday bbq with family, nothing super planned.

Also - I think it's interesting that your kids are talking about their birthdays... J sings Happy Birthday, but I don't think she really knows what it means. She has no concept of when her birthday is, or that it is party worthy.

Do you all talk about birthdays with your LO's? How do they know about a theme and a party and stuff? J had a party for 2yo, but I don't think it clicked fully for her, since it was also the day of her baptism... we didn't really talk-up her bday that much to her, maybe I'm doing it wrong.

[bantyrooster]

trixi282 Gage has gotten invited to lots of parties lately and it was just H's 30th so we made a big deal of that. He doesn't ask for a theme but does ask when it is his birthday. I tell him later after it is hot out.

[roo1582]

trixi282 - For her 2nd birthday, Kayleigh also didn't "get it". Thats part of the reason we didn't have a party for her last year. But she's starting to understand it now. I think part of why she get it is from daycare. When any of the kids have birthdays, their parents sometimes bring in special treats (cupcakes, cookies, etc). Also, the teachers have the kids sing "Happy Birthday". Now Kayleigh will use her play food or build something, bring it to me and say "Happy Day Mommy". Then she wants me to pretend blow out a candle.

[laurski81]

Mar 5, 2015 9:50:24 GMT -5 trixi282 said:

Also - I think it's interesting that your kids are talking about their birthdays... J sings Happy Birthday, but I don't think she really knows what it means. She has no concept of when her birthday is, or that it is party worthy.

Do you all talk about birthdays with your LO's? How do they know about a theme and a party and stuff? J had a party for 2yo, but I don't think it clicked fully for her, since it was also the day of her baptism... we didn't really talk-up her bday that much to her, maybe I'm doing it wrong.

Ha! This is what I was wondering too. Last year we just did cake for Henry's birthday with my parents and my sister (BIL, niece) and since he liked Thomas and Friends I did a Thomas cake with plates but that was it. Yesterday was my H's birthday and Henry knew there would be cake and presents but that was the extent of it. I did ask him what kind of birthday he wanted and he said "I want presents and cake"...so yeah he associates birthdays with gifts & cake and that is about it. No theme, no other people, just gifts and cake.  Maybe that is a whole other issue but I digress...

EDT: or maybe it's because the poor kid just doesn't have any friends...

[starfishy]

Tommy associates birthdays with cake. What do you want for your birthday? "Cake "

Also, if I asked how old he is he tells me three. So maybe I missed a birthday somewhere.

[origamimommy]

Tyler associates birthdays with presents. I think it's because we talked about Christmas as the birthday of Jesus, and so now that's what he thinks. He really wanted a Buzz Lightyear toy and was trying to convince MH and me to get it for him by saying, "But it my birfday. I need present for my birfday" and we were like, nice try kid. Nope.

[trixi282]

OK, I get it now... J has only recently started in a DC center, so before that her provider didn't really do anything for birthdays, which was fine.

We didn't really do anything for my birthday this past year - H brought home take-out for me from a local place (I had just finished a 24 challenge) and he got me dessert, and we ate everything after J went to bed!

She was there to help me open presents, and they sang Happy Birthday to me, but she didn't really understand it, even then (Oct).

When she sings HB to me I tell her that the next birthday is Uncle D's and we could call him to sing Happy Birthday - but even that she doesn't understand. She thinks she can sing it to anyone whenever she wants.

[shandril19]

Elissa spent all of Christmas telling people it was her birthday. She knows birthdays mean presents and cake. Not so much that they happen on specific days...

[xanthepants]

Cosette plays birthday party with all her dolls. She puts them in a circle, passes around fake cake. Gives herself all the presents. I think she picked up from daycare and grandma day. So I just roll with it. I walk with her about party themes so I'm to blame there, oh well! We have to do birthday cakes for every adult in H's family though.

[barefoot84]

I thought it over, and we'll simply invite her friends for BBQ, fruits and cake. We'll do balloons but no theme. We're getting her a parachute for her gift, so we'll play with it with the kids. Done.

[aimeefarrahfowler]

trixi282, this is LO's favorite book. we've probably read it 500 times. so now he knows alllll about birthdays and presents and cake



link

[britbratjf]

We'll have family & friends over for a BBQ & cake. I'll probably try & do a couple games this year. Probably no theme. Both our parents are divorced so it's easier to host something than do 4 different events with grandparents.

[mrsrek10]

JA can tell you when his bday will be (He says "july nine") and that he will be 3 on his next one. He seems to understand birthdays but he has also experienced a lot of them because of our big family and his friend group. Also, his mom is one of those people that LOVES birthdays (hers esp)... so she may have influenced his love of them too. Bad, mommy! ;-) (In my defense, my Grandpa taught me that you had birthday weeks not just a day)