Friday - the one AFTER the party

Y'all I can't believe its already Friday and practically a week since Ellie's Second birthday party!  I'm sure you all have been on pins and needles waiting to see photos and reading all about her special day.

Thomas surprised me by writing a sweet welcome with sidewalk chalk!

I was totally planning on writing the post for Monday but then Ellie woke up with a fever and severe congestion and we have been fighting it ever since.  We have ventured into the land of "no sleep/no nap" and hopefully are coming out of that pretty soon.  She finally slept through the whole night (and in her crib nonetheless) last night and seems to be in much better spirits.  I'm just glad that her sickness waited until after her party to strike!

So here we go.  Prepare for total picture overload sorrynotsorry!

Welcome to Ellie's Enchanted Forest Birthday!!!

(sources can be found at the bottom of the post)

Let's start off with the food because really that is the most important part of any party, amiright?

So on the dining table we had all the "nibs"

It was so much fun searching Pinterest and picking out what to call each of the food items.  I have seen so many parties lately and I love the ingenuity of the "special names" of food and have really wanted to do that too.  Thankfully with a theme this year I had much better direction!

we had:

Wood Chips (potato chips)

Edible Toadstools (pirates booty)

Squirrel Nibbles (mixed nuts)

Bunny Snacks (veg platter with ranch and hummus)

Fairy Berries (strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries)

Gnome Walking Sticks (pretzels)

and

Tree Stump Cake (homemade strawberry cake with chocolate frosting)

I am in love with how the cake turned out!!  I originally got my inspiration from here and then put my own little spin on it.  It doesn't look exactly like the inspo cake but I'm not Martha Stewart so there you go.  I do love how whimsical it was and I am taking great pride in making it myself!

I love this owl vase I picked up at an antique store years ago - and he was perfect for the party!!

I decided to reuse the favors from last year's party (since I made a sh!t ton) but I got the idea from Erinn.  They were so simple to make and were in a much better location this time around since we put in the new entry table/dresser!

I cannot tell you how blessed we were with beautiful weather!  When I started planning and thinking about Ellie's party I knew I wanted to have it outside (that way we didn't have to deep clean the house as much...) but that brought on a whole'nother round of party prep.  I am so grateful that we had the motivation of the party to get so much of our backyard stuff done! Because now that means we have the whole summer to enjoy it!!  Oh and just in case you were wondering, no we did not complete the swing set prior to the party, but we didn't want to kill each other either so at least there was one win!

I loved the picture ONE I did last year and knew that I wanted to recreate it again this year.  Although this one was on a much smaller scale since I didn't take weekly pictures - monthdates just had to do!

  

I was so happy to pull out this banner I made last year and to use it again.  Re-purposing is the way to go when throwing parties. Oh and I also just have to point out the stellar paint job the previous owners did on the house!

 Lots of different seating options and let me tell you  - I love that Ellie's slide is finally outside!!

My favorite gardening trick - using an old colander to grow herbs...

 I guess I forgot to share the sips station.  We kept it inside this year since it was going to be so hot outside and this really helped keep the flow going throughout the party!

here's what we drank:

Morning Dew (water)

Pixie Punch (strawberry guava juice)

Tea (I was all out of ideas by then!)

Then we had the guests arrive and Ellie had a blast playing with her cousins and showing off her new independence and skills!

One way of playing with the water table...

My dad brought this little wind up pink butterfly toy and she was mesmerized for a good 20 minutes!!  I just love seeing their relationship grow, we don't see my dad that often so I am glad that she is warming up to him and they can share these special moments!

 And then it was time for cake!!  Apparently I was terrible at taking pictures because I didn't get any of her blowing out the candles (which we actually had this time around!)

I mean these two though, they are my heart!!

Cake with the cousins at the kids table

And then after cake it was time for presents.  Girlfriend was so blessed this year with all the kind, thoughtful, and generous gifts.  I really wanted to make sure that Ellie took the time to read each card, open the gift and show gratitude to the gift giver - so this process was drawn out a little bit but I think its these moments where character is taught!

Lots of the family got the memo that she was getting a handmade custom kitchen for her birthday and stocked her up with some goodies!

Giving hugs to the gift givers after opening the present!

AND then it was time for the big kitchen reveal!!

This thing is awesome you guys! Papa spent so many hours making this thing and I know that it is a gift we will cherish for many years to come.  The attention to detail is the best and really all it needs is some running water and electrical hookup and I am sure this thing would work better than my own kitchen!!  It is a solid piece of wood and Ellie has already gotten so much great use out of it. So far her favorite thing to make is "macancheese" even though I can't get her to eat any of the real stuff!!

I mean seriously how great is this kitchen?  A total labor of love and I love it so much!!  I still can't get over that my FIL made this without any building plans...he did it all himself!! Ellie is #blessed!!

Sources:
Flowers (local farmers market)
Cake (homemade by me recipe coming soon)
Table Cloth and Paper Plates (Party City - last year similar)
Napkins, Woodland Critters, Poms (Hobby Lobby)
Streamers (Martha Stewart for JCPenney)
Cake Decor (animals, mushrooms, glitter 2, banner - handmade by me)
Toadstool Balloons (Hobby Lobby)
Gold 2 balloon (Party City)
Snack Cups (Party City - here)
Paper Straws (Party City)
Birthday Crown (Sweet T Shoppe)
Cake Stand (Minted)
Food Cards (handmade by me)

If I forgot anything just let me know and I will try to hook you up!!

♥ Ashley

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