Birthday Party Bonanza

We have spent the last 2 weekends partying it up and celebrating birthdays for some of the cutest kids I know.

Last weekend, we enjoyed a lovely backyard birthday party for Ava's friend, Jackson. Let me give you just a few of the many reasons that this was an awesome party:

1. It was outside and the weather was perfect

2. It was a football themed party

3. The food was some of the best I've ever had

4. There was an egg toss. With real eggs. With real, uncooked eggs. There were also a few t-shirts covered in egg yolk.

5. The Tar Heels beat The Wolfpack while we were at the party.

Happy 1st Birthday Mr. Jackson! Don't you just love a good cake smash?

This weekend, the parties continued... Yesterday, I spent the morning at my friend's house for her Thirty One launch party. Girl time, food and bags/purses... Pretty good way to start a Saturday morning!

Later in the afternoon, we went to another wonderful backyard birthday bash. This time, for Mr. Tucker Holbrook's 5th birthday! A swing set + power wheels + ride-on toys + Frisbees + wagons + food + a bunch of kids = An excellent birthday party!

Ok, the following picture just cracks me up... Tucker's younger brother, Finn, enjoys driving his John Deere power wheel around the yard. He can push the pedal, but he has not yet discovered how to steer the tractor. The solution? Finn's parents sit him in the tractor seat, pull the steering wheel all the way to one side, let him push the pedal and watch him ride around and around and around in a circle. Talk about chillaxin'!

Ava took her first swing at tee-ball.

She climbed a rock wall.

And went down a slide.

The boys played games.

While Ava and Daddy played keep away wit a giant Frisbee.

We sang happy birthday to T-Man, followed by eating cake and ice cream.

Little ones enjoyed the swing set...

And brothers fought over the John Deere Tractor.

Ava stayed hydrated.

Tucker was blown away by our gift... A combination padlock. In all honesty, that is pure joy on his face (seen below). Good thing I asked Tucker's mom what he wanted before the party... I would have never thought to look in a hardware store for a 5 year old's birthday gift.

Believe it or not, we had another birthday celebration to go to immediately following Tucker's party. Ava and I had already had a very long day, and I was afraid that with no nap, taking Ava to the next birthday party was just a disaster waiting to happen. We hated to miss sweet Amelia's 1st birthday party, but I am fairly certain you had a great time celebrating without a screaming, pouting, in-need-of-a-nap 2 year old running around your party.

After church today, we headed over to birthday party #4. Yet again, this was another wonderful birthday party and let me tell you why!

1. It was in a gym. A gym filled with toys. A gym surrounded by walls. The kids could run and play to their heart's content, all while being contained in one area.

2. It was basketball themed.

3. Ava had a blast playing basketball and running around for 2 hours!

What basketball birthday party is complete without a basketball cupcake? Forget the grapes and celery on her plate, Ava went for the cupcake first. A girl after my own heart. Take a look at the picture... Ava is able to shove the cupcake in her mouth without touching the icing and while keeping her fingers clean. That's what I call talent!

Ava's fingers may have stayed clean, but her face is a different story...

Ava was in heaven playing with the giant, inflatable basketball.

I showed off my one and only basketball skill... Palming a men's basketball. I can totally palm a basketball in my right hand. My left hand not so much.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Cannon! Thanks for letting us come and play for the afternoon!