Tuesday, June 15, 2010

the summer-splashin-party.

introducing:
the summer-splish-splashin' party.

a few things i learned this year about throwing parties:
1. they are a lot of work.
2. no matter how hard you try, you'll stay up pretty darn late doing tons of last minute things the night before.
3. it is kind of a pain in the butt to have a party not at your house. because then you have to lug a billion things over somewhere else..and you inevitably forget things.
4. it is also kind of awesome to have a party not at your house-- you don't have to worry about every inch being clean-- you can take advantage of lots of space somewhere else (& everyone else's house looks ginormous compared to your own), & you have lots more hands to help you clean up when all is said and done.
5. all the work is worth it- especially when everyone has a good time, including your birthday girl.

so here's a peek into Ellie's 2nd Birthday Party- the summer splish-splashin' party.

the decor:


the food:


{ this was my favorite lil treat i made- in case you can't tell, these are "beach cupcakes"- half are frosted with crushed graham crackers poured over, to resemble sand, and the other half are frosted with the same frosting, dyed blue + blue sprinkles poured over, to resemble water. i thought they turned out pretty stinkin' cute}


{it was a summer bbq, in case you couldn't tell...unfortunately i didn't get pictures of the magnificent salad + watermelon + burgers + homemade salsa + cheeseball + all other goodie goodnesses that were present.}

the favors:

{i thought these were pretty fun too- they were these little sand-castle-buckets, stuffed with summer goodies, such as a squirt-gun, bubbles, play-dough, + yummy starburst/lollipop treats}

the guests:


{unfortunately, as you may have noticed, a couple of my pictures (including the only one i got taken of the three of us) are way over exposed....bummer-diddly ummer}

the fun:

{yes, there is proof that i was there, and did enjoy myself :) }

{Ellie really liked hugging Kate (of course, she's a BIG girl. Ellie LOVES big girls). Kate...didn't like that so much :) }


the gifts:


{Ellie was spoiled rotten with some of the cutest, funnest, most thoughtful toys ever! she looovved all of her gifts...and doesn't she just look A-DOR-ABLE in that Snow White dress? Gammy + Pops sent that for her from So Cal....with a special invite to wear that the next time she comes to Disneyland. she now asks to wear it at least 5x's a day (which goes along nicely with her requests to go to Disneyland at least 3 times a week).

the happiest lil 2 year old ever to live:


and the happiest mama that it was such a huge success: 

 {p.s. don't ask me how i jumped like that. i am bewildered by it myself.}

all in all, the party was so fun.
thank you to all who helped- to the Chapmans for lending us your home- and to all who came and helped Ellie (+ us) feel so loved (& to those who were there in heart/spirit).
can't wait to find another excuse to party soon!

xoxo

8 comments:

Jenny said...

okay that picture of you jumping at the end is hilarious. any time a pregnant girl jumps in the air it's just great.

and yes-- great, great party! you must know we had fun considering we stayed for so long :) those cupcakes were super cute, as was everything else! kate has been loving her little sand pail and goodies. and i am stealing a few of your pictures. thanks for a fun saturday!

Mat and Brooke said...

What a perfect little two-year-old Ellie is! She truly is the cutest. little. thing.!

I can't believe you were able to host such an amazing birthday party. You are amazing!!

Joni and Rico Adams said...

That party looks like it was the bomb-dot-com! It kind of makes me wish I was turning two next year so I could have that cool of a party.

And I wish I was cool enough to get a jump shot like that gem of a shot you got. Amazing. Oh the talent! :)

anne said...

Looks like a fabulous party...and that pool is AWESOME!

And I really wouldn't worry about the "terrible twos". In my experience 3 has been a lot worse. So, you've got at least a year. :)

Megs said...

How did you jump? I can't even stand while putting pants on without falling over! :)

Thank you for always leaving the loveliest comments on my blog. You are always so nice & so beautiful - I wouldn't dare put pictures of me in a bathing suit whilst prego on my blog - but you did & you have no reason to fear! You look fabulous. Can we say jealous? ;)

I think we are on the same wavelength - besides the 6 months difference between Emerie & Ellie. But I have a feeling they would be great friends inspite of that age difference. If you ever move back to Utah...or we move to Cali...we should let each other know because I think we're supposed to be next door neighbors. ;) Ha ha...Great post & the party decor was SO CUTE & SO CLEVER!

Kristy said...

You are quite the party-thrower! That looks like so much fun! Happy birthday, Ellie!

And, that jump at the end is priceless! Good job! Were you able to walk after that?!

Heather said...

Looks like a fun party. Good thing birthdays are only once a year because they are exhausting to plan and do. But it's definitely worth it to see how happy your efforts make your little one!
I can't even jump like that not pregnant! Wow!

Linda said...

Love this post! I could pretend for a moment that I was there. Ellie looks adorable and all the children are so darling! Everyone just looked great!
Marci.... I have to have a copy of the jump! That picture pretty much, sums you up. You are one of the funniest people ever. We love you and miss you all!