Second Birthday: Born to be Wild

We had a few friends (baby, toddler, and adult) over to my parents' house last Sunday to celebrate Mr. C with a special

SAFARI!

(basically I chose a theme several months ago and was trying to choose something that was not so fleeting that he'd be over it by the time his actual birthday rolled around...)

Everyone had a big ol' time, so I wanted to share a few shots. Thanks to Yaya for manning the camera so I could have my hands free to chase toddlers and eat kid food.

Please note that I cheated--Sara hosted a (fabulous) fundraiser for the CF Foundation the previous night, so I got to piggyback on all her resources. Setup, furniture, flowers, and anything good looking was all her.

(All sources are at the bottom of this email because this furniture is AMAZING for events that do not involve 2 year olds)

Driving around, hoping to see some wildlife

They don't even MAKE those Power Wheels safari jeeps anymore...what is this world coming to?!

If you're not familiar with a Lion's Tail, I recommend getting you some. 

It's sort of like a more wintry Moscow Mule: bourbon, spice, lime...

Lion's Tail recipe here

Sweet and special to be able to re-purpose this fun tassel banner (??) that Grace Ann had at the adorable baby shower in honor of Le Petit Prince two years ago!

Boardmaker for the win...I didn't know if kiddos would actually be engaged in the animal search, but they LOVED it.

And C kept calling the binoculars his "knockers," so that made it all worth it.

Much more in to the cake portion of the program this year

invitations + swag * nico and lala / safari gear * Amazon / balloons + napkins * Party City / cake + cookies * Dulce / furniture * Please Be Seated / child-size furniture * Amazon / 6" celebration candles * Everyday Occasions / birthdate pillow * Harpeth Gallery

Derby Day

When we lived in DC or definitely Boston, we started hosting a Derby party (because why not? Certainly no one else was), and it has been an annual tradition for probably 8 or more years now. Last year was a notable exception, as Mr. C was pretty bitty and we were invited to a must-attend Derby 30th birthday party (eternal thanks to Ashley for letting me off the hook in 2013 and hosting a better party than I ever will!)

This year, though, I felt like I could try to get back in the proverbial saddle again (too much?). So BA and I talked and agreed to give it a go...once invitations went out, we were locked in. In the intervening years, lots of babies and kiddos have joined our friends and neighbors, so we decided to try for a more family-friendly setup. This also helped me downgrade some of the food and prep and make things more casual, which was good. Jury's still out on whether that part was a success, though--we just do not have the yard to safely entertain toddlers, and I think it ended up being an unfair burden on Yaya and the other parents. Back to the drawing board. We're learning. 

Anyway, some pics from a fun and special day. My mom is from Louisville and my dad's family was in racing, so it feels like a natural fit {or like the grown-up version of indulging the little-girl horse obsession}. It's always fun to pull out some of the old family racing items that will rarely get used otherwise. 

Collectively, we went through a lot more chicken and waffles and a lot less booze than I had anticipated. My calculations were way off.

As in years past, Uncle Andy ran the money. Typically we just do a $5 buy-in per horse and it's luck of the draw (as we a) assume most people don't do heavy research and b) don't want to run a complicated (and possibly illegal) betting scheme.

I was especially proud of the WINNER sash I found (except that I ended up winning and am pretty sure everyone was convinced it was rigged...)

I am certain my grandmother definitely envisioned this trophy/punchbowl as a receptacle for kids' fruit pouches and accompanied by sidewalk chalk.

I was very proud of my Derby-themed sensory table. 

Sadly, the kids had basically zero interest.

Mr. C thought it was so nice of us to put out this large tub of ice for him. The best way to play with ice, you know, is to put it in the dirt and then eat it.

Winnings!

My jockey is not impressed.

He was kind of in an overall foul mood (though he DID enjoy watching the horses) and things were pretty hectic, but we did it and we learned and we had fun--I could have used about 46 more cocktails but...parenting--and we'll do it again better next time! It was a beautiful day, the horses ran safely, and we really enjoyed seeing everybody. Also, day parties should be the new cocktail parties. Have some drinks, everything rolls right in to dinner...we were all cleaned up and in bed earlier than usual. I'm sold.