Oh TWO’dles!

After a whirlwind week of traveling, I can finally sit down and write about our birthday bash!  This year, we decided to have their party on their actual birthday, which meant we truly celebrated from the time they woke up till the time they went to bed. 
First up – birthday pancakes!  (Of course they had to wear “I’m the birthday boy/girl” shirts while eating them. :)





After breakfast, some Tar Heel football, and a nap for the kids, it was party time!  I finally got to bring down all the goodies I’d been working on for a week to decorate our downstairs…



The mantle was totally dedicated to our boy and girl…



and the dining room was spiced up with a few hanging poms, a food spread, and two super-fun cupcake towers… mimicking Mickey and Minnie Mouse, of course.



For the food, I tried to make sure that our guests would not leave hungry.  After all, many of them had traveled quite a bit to celebrate with us, so what kind of southern host would I be without a full spread?

We had a vegetable platter, pasta salad, fruit salad, peanut butter cheese ball (by far one of the biggest hits, served with chocolate animal crackers, apple slices, honey grahams & pretzel rods), and ham and cheese ciabatta sandwiches.  I’m pretty sure no one left hungry.





As friends and family started arriving, we woke the guests of honor from their naps and dressed them in their birthday outfits.  Caroline wasn’t quite sure of her tutu off the bat, but it didn’t take her long to rock her Minnie-inspired look. 



Tyler surprised us all, though… he got right in there and became our social butterfly. (Maybe it was all the pretty girls we had as guests? :)









We didn’t have “organized” party games; instead the backyard was a free-for-all with balloons, sand table, basketball, baseball, swings and slides.  The kids really enjoyed it all.











 

























After playing, LET THEM EAT CAKE! 
Caroline and Tyler tried to sneak a few bites of icing before we sang “Happy Birthday,” though…



Their reactions this year were a little less wild than last year’s, but they certainly enjoyed themselves nonetheless.





Tyler was really into blowing out his candle this year.  I kept re-lighting it so he could reach the end of the song, but no such luck!  Caroline, on the other hand, wasn’t sure about the candle thing at all.  No amount of convincing from anyone could make her blow it out.  :)









Overall, we had a fabulous time with great friends and family… what else could be more perfect?  Thanks to everyone who made their day so special!

*In case anyone is interested, I made everything for this party from the outfits to the cupcake towers based on ideas from around the web.  There are a few specific sites I used to help me out, so I want to offer credit where credit is due:

- Cupcake Tower Tutorial:  Annie's Eats

-Ham and Cheese sliders:  Annie's Eats

-Peanut Butter Cheese Ball:  The Girl Who Ate Everything

As for the rest, I challenged my inner-creativity :)  If you are interested in any specifics I'd be glad to tell you about them, just email me.