Summer Means Birthday Parties!

It's a wonderful time of year. It's warm, school's out, and for some reason there are a million birthday parties! If you're like me, you not only like going to them for the entertainment value they provide your kids, but you like throwing them (for the entertainment value they provide you in coming up with creative ideas that remind you of being a kid!).

My daughter is turning 2 next week and I've been planning her party for months! I said that I was only going to go crazy for her 1st party (where I rented silver wedding platters, a silver fountain with pink lemonade and pink frills galore!), but who am I kidding - it's GRACIE'S BIRTHDAY!!! You're only 2 once! : )

So, this year, I was inspired by Michelle H.'s wedding that she had memorial day weekend at the beach! Gracie's 2nd birthday party is a "Backyard Beach Bash!". I've ordered six 6' tall inflatable palm trees, pink flamingos, a mermaid centerpiece, and of course, a birthday cake built like a sandcastle (and that's just for starters!)

We've got inflatable slip 'n slides, toddler pools, sprinklers and an enormous whale pool to be constructed in the backyard - poor Doug, he's the groundskeeper for the event, so I suspect he'll be blowing up beachballs and yard toys all night the evening before!

At first, I thought we'd have an "elegant" beach bash, but that simply isn't enough fun. Tacky, wacky, pink and expolsive is the route we're going! I figure I better get all my party plans in before Gracie is old enough to have plans of her own. Soon she'll probably just want me to drop her off at the mall with her friends and all my dreams of pink poodles and flowers will be left at the curb!

It's nice to know I'm not alone in this pursuit of birthday party fabulousness! So many of our divas love to throw a party in diva style. For instance, my good friend, Steffie T. just had an Air Museum party for her 5 year old where you could actually watch planes take off and land on the runway - talk about the perfect setting!

Or, my sister-in-law, Allison L., who threw a double whammy carnival birthday party for her 3 year old and 1 year old - she had a cotton candy machine, carnival games, corn dogs, popcorn and pretzels!

The nice thing about these parties is we get to use our imagination - bringing in memories of our own childhood. These parties are not to be mistaken for the pricey, out-do the neighbors, kind of events. We keep the costs down, but the imaginations high!

We'd love to hear what you've been doing for your kids!