This cute Turkey of ours is totally and completely obsessed with all things Fireman related, so his choice for a party theme was beyond obvious.  What Shane didn’t know was that a real, retired Firetruck was going to show up to surprise him and his little neighborhood buddies.  I couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when that truck showed up…and well, it wasn’t exactly the look I expected!  Complete terror, ran away crying and asking to go home, go home, GO HOME!!  I think he was completely overwhelmed with all the attention and didn’t know what to make of it all.

After some hugs inside from Mama and a pep talk, we headed back out and he was ready to climb aboard that truck!  That’s when the fun started!  All the kids and parents got to ride on top of the Firetruck and we went in circles around the neighborhood waving, spraying pretend fires and making siren noises (sorry neighbors for all the ruckus).  Shane also got to sit behind the wheel, push all the different siren buttons, and yelled “it’s Shane’s party!!!” into the intercom.  They also set up a target for the kids, so they could each take turns spraying at it with a fire extinguisher hose.  I think Shane thinks it was all a dream because he won’t stop playing the videos on my phone on repeat today.

We had such an awesome day, and we thank all of you that were able to celebrate with us!  Shane is living in toy truck heaven this morning while I get to listen to horns, sirens, helicopter noises and revving engines as I type up this post.  Happy 3rd Birthday Shaney, we love you so very much and hope your every birthday wish came true!

This is my 5th year in a row hosting a cookie and ornament exchange with my girlfriends.  I try to host 2-3 parties a year (kiddie parties not included), and have come up with some of my favorite items that are worth buying that will fit into any party theme and budget.  I’ve learned something new with each passing party and definitely have started to realize which items are always good to have on hand.  Here are my Monday Must-Haves: party style!

1. Ikea wine glasses

My drink-ware sophistication level has gone from red solo cups, to paper cups, to plastic wine glasses, to mason jars (also a good staple), and have realized you just need to stock up on wine glasses.  I realize not everyone can keep a fully stocked bar cabinet of 30+ matching wine glasses for the occasional party so I think these Ikea wine glasses are the perfect solution.  For under $5.00 you get a 6 pack of either red or white wine glasses.  You can buy cases of 15 too and they come boxed up in small cardboard carrying box.  Buy a few sets, in a few carrying boxes, keep them stashed away in the garage and you’ll always have wine glasses ready go for parties big or small.  And if some break, no big deal…they are inexpensive and Ikea will always carry replacements.

2.  Wine Glass Markers

Gone are the days of wine charms in my house now that I have discovered these.  I have put name tags on drinks (time consuming), added names to straw flags (but who drinks wine with a straw?), used wine charms (but no one remembers which charm is theirs)….then, I found these online.  Gold and silver metallic wine glass markers.  As each guest arrives I write their name on the base of their glass, pour them their drink of choice, and off they go with their personalized glass.  The best part is it stays on the entire party, but washes right off with soap and water.  These markers are also super cute if you want to personalize wine bottles as gifts with a little message on the glass to the recipient.  Cute right?  A total must have!

3.  Glass carafes 

I Amazon Primed these puppies right to my house for this past cookie party and loved them.  At under $5.00 each including shipping I was shocked by their large size and awesome quality.  Line a few up for a mimosa bar, pour white wine in one and red wine in another, use them for cocktail mixers…put the juice-filled carafes on ice and instantly looks like you tried a little harder than putting cartons of orange and cranberry juice on your tabletop.  I plan on buying several more of these!

  4. Ice bucket set

Speaking of putting things on ice, I can’t thank my Mother in Law enough for buying me the nicest stainless steel drink tub set last year (from Ballard Designs but since discontinued).  I used to just fill my kitchen sink with ice on one side and shove all the white wine and champagne into that.  This is what I mean by learning things as I go along.  It seems like an obvious item to have if you like to throw parties, but I went years without ice buckets and tubs.  This is a definite must-have if for some reason you haven’t added this to your party throwing supply collection.  I have an ice bucket, a smaller stainless tub (that I put the carafes in), a large stainless tub for all the wine/champagne/beer bottles and then if you need something for extra big parties a friend turned me onto THIS.  For $20.oo The Home Depot carries giant galvanized buckets that make the perfect over sized beverage tub.  I actually use the same bucket to hold our Christmas tree instead of using a tree skirt, but that’s a whole other topic!

5. Slate Cheese Board

Ok so I don’t own this yet, but I will.  I always just use a large cutting board and a cheese knife set to display my cheeses at parties.  This has always worked just fine, but yesterday I realized how often people would ask me “Is this bacon cheddar? OMG it’s so good!”…so while I would love to stand next to the cheese board all day and describe (eat all) the cheese, I think this is going to be my next staple party purchase.  Not to mention I’m obsessed with all things chalkboard so this just seems like the obvious choice.  Sold!

6.  Paper Straws

Paper straws seem like another obvious choice, but what I think is fun to do is collect all different colors and styles over time (especially when you see VeryJane.com is doing a paper straw sale which they often do).  Keep a whole stash ready to go, and then when you decide to throw a party you can mix and match what you have to whatever theme your party may be.  They are also just nice to have on hand for an impromptu girls night in, or even if you just feel like drinking your morning smoothie with one.  There is something about them that makes you and your guests feel special and girly.  Plus don’t they just look cute mixed in with my hot chocolate bar from this weekend?  I especially like the seller listed above because she does the mix and matching for you!

7. Disposable Wooden Cutlery

Lastly, I will never buy plastic utensils again for any larger parties.  For not much more money you can stock up on cute wooden cutlery.  Not only do they look way better than plastic ones, but they are so much better for the environment, are sturdy, and go with any party decor.  Although it’s a small detail, it’s definitely one your guests will notice and appreciate.

I don’t have it photographed because there are so many styles out there, but I definitely recommend slowly adding to your serving trays and bowls collection too.  Stick with simple, white ceramic and you will be surprised just how many uses you will get out of them.  I have about 6 white trays and several white serving bowls of various sizes.  It’s worth investing in some nicer ones, you will be surprised how often you will find yourself using them!

Don’t you just want to go throw a party now?  New Year’s Eve is right around the corner and if I decide to throw an impromptu party I can do so panic-free knowing I have all these party must-haves on hand and ready to go!  I hope you found some of these helpful.  Now go stock up on your supplies, call some friends and get to celebrating!  Hope you have a festive and fun-filled week!

Shane you are anything but a baby these days though.  You are a spunky, smart, curious, funny, dancing, laughing, sweet, and energetic carbon copy of your big brother.  You LOVE to follow Nathan’s every move and copy each little thing he does.  You two are inseparable.  I must say Shane, you are one tough cookie and can easily pin down your big brother, and give out bear hugs that will bring you to tears.  You love to do everything by yourself, and if I so much as reach out a helping hand you swat it away.  It always makes me giggle because I love how independent you are.

Aside from Nathan, your favorite things are garbage trucks, trains, playgrounds, books, puzzles, Nemo, music & DANCING, shoes, and animals.  You are completely obsessed with anything that barks, meows, tweets, oinks or moos and that is why we decided to do a barnyard theme for your big second birthday.  It was such a special day with all your best buddies.  You floated around the party just smiling, playing, painting, taking pictures, hitting the pinata, and eating endless PB&J sandwiches.

Happy Birthday Shane, Shaney, Baby Brother, Big Chubby, Diaper Baby!  You are so loved!

Some photos from his special Day:

Some iPhone Photos

]]> http://heylaurenrene.com/uncategorized/oink-baa-moo-shane-turns-2/feed/ 2 http://heylaurenrene.com/uncategorized/nathans-splash-bash/ http://heylaurenrene.com/uncategorized/nathans-splash-bash/#comments Tue, 20 Aug 2013 13:55:16 +0000 http://heylaurenrene.com/?p=1553 [...] ]]> With Nathan’s birthday being right in the prime heat of the Summer, we thought a Splash Bash would be a fun way to keep the guests cool this year.  I had originally planned a big party at one of the local splash pads but as the date approached I just didn’t think I could pull it off.  We have always had help in the past years, but this time I knew it would just be me and Greg trying to make 10 trips back and forth to set things up and it just didn’t seem possible with the two boys in tow.

We ended up deciding to have a smaller party at home this year with a few of his best buds, and make the most of the space we had.  It ended up being the best decision.  It was stress free, easy to set up and take down, comfortable, convenient and so much fun!!!

I set up the front room with a dessert and snack table that had cake pops, jello swimming pools, donut inner tubes, Nutter Butter flip flop cookies, fish food, cupcakes, and lollipops stuck into flip flops.  In front of the table I had beach buckets filled with squirt guns, bubbles, sunglasses, sidewalk chalk, swirly straws, flip flops and frisbees for each of Nathan’s friends.

In our dining room I put all the food that included chicken croissant sandwiches, turkey roll ups, buckets filled with snacks, a veggie platter with dressing that you could “take a dip” into, watermelon beach balls, and pasta salad.  I also made bagged lunches for the kids that included PB&J sandwiches, apple sauce pouches, string cheese, yogurt and apple juice boxes.

The beverage station was outside, as well as the kids’  table, water play area and a giant palm tree bounce house.  We opened up the back door of our garage that leads to our lawn and had the bounce house in our driveway facing into the garage.  It worked out great to have the kids all contained between the yard, garage and bounce house.  It felt surprisingly spacious too considering the small amount of space we were working with.

The water play area had a pool with squirt toys, water balloons, a water table, bubble machine, sponge balls, frisbeees, extra towels, and sunblock.  The kids just ran back and forth between the water area and the bounce house, while the parents ran back and forth between the food and the beer and wine.    It led to a really fun day for all.

Nathan was in birthday heaven and couldn’t believe this whole day was for him.  I loved this year so much because he really understood that it was his special day.  He was so excited the night before and jumped out of his bed at 6:00am because he knew it was party day.  He spent the whole morning staring out the front window asking when his friends would be over.

Although the invitation said the party was from 11:00-1:00 the last of our friends trickled out around 4:00 and the bounce house kept going until 6:30pm.  Nathan ended his day with an evening swim with Daddy and the neighbors, and came home one happy but exhausted Birthday Boy!  Thanks to everyone who celebrated with us…it was a splashing good time! xo

I made this easy, fairly healthy, and festive rainbow fruit platter!  Within minutes it was attacked by all the kids, and I was happy to see they went for the fruit before the “clouds” and “gold”.

I used strawberries, Cuties, pineapple, kiwi and blackberries.  You could definitely use cantaloupe, honeydew, green or purple grapes, blueberries, and mango as well.  The marshmallows were clouds but whip cream could also be fun, and I used Rolos as the pot of gold!

I hope you all have a lucky and SAFE St. Patty’s Day weekend!

I went with a color theme of red, white, light blue and brown and tried to incorporate a monkey theme into as much as I could.  We had a build-your-own sock monkey puppet station where the kids could make puppets and play with them in the little door theater I made.  There was also a sock monkey photo booth, a Pin the Tail on the Sock Monkey game, sock monkey coloring book pages and of course tons of sweet treats to  keep the kids entertained.  The monkey themed food included “Monkey mix”, banana chips, peanut butter and banana sandwiches, Jungle Juice, and Monkey vine licorice ropes.

Each little guest got a party hat that I made for them as well as a sock monkey stuffed animal with their name on them!  They could also stock up on treats from the candy buffet   One of my favorite parts was having a sign near the photo booth with our own party hash tag for our friends and family to tag all their Instagram photos to.  After the party was over it was so much fun to look through all the photos that everyone posted!  Especially the ones of Shane devouring his entire smash cake handful by handful!

There was also a surprise guest!  For our other son’s first birthday Daddy surprised everyone (including me) by dressing up as Elmo.  This year he fooled us all again and came dressed in a giant turkey costume!  I know you’re thinking that has nothing to do with sock monkeys, but Shane was born the day before Thanksgiving so we all thought it was pretty funny!

Shane was all smiles his whole party and was so happy all his friends and family were there to monkey around on his very special day!  We had such a memorable time celebrating our Little Monkey’s first birthday!