Manny & Maeva's Birthday Party - Part 2

Thanks for the kind words on the details of the kids' party! It really was a lot of fun to put together. It'd been awhile since I'd done a party of any sort, and I really enjoyed having a "project" to create for and work on.

When I said I had lots of pictures of the kids to share, I wasn't kidding...and this is cutting it down to about a fourth of them. :) But here we go! Oh, and you will likely notice I have far more pictures of MB than I do Manny. That's what happens when she's still stationary and he is bouncing from one thing to the next faster than I can snap a pic.  


Getting a family picture is never an easy task, but I was pleased we managed to get one with the majority of us looking!

The kids' adorable outfits were made by SheShe Made. Ashley totally outdid herself on finding fabrics and coming up with designs to match my theme so perfectly! We did an applique of the American Bulldog for a shirt for Manny, as well as a bloomer set for MB. She wore her bubble for the first part of the party, and changed into the bloomer set after her cake smash. I loved them both so much it was hard to decide what to have her wear when! (good "problem" to have)

Manny thoroughly enjoyed his cupcake icing. He didn't even eat the cake part. Nice.

I wanted to document the guests the same way I did at Manny's 1st birthday party. I just got a blank piece of cardstock and taped it to a colored piece to frame it. I took pictures of the guests holding the paper (though I missed more of them than I realized!), then used Photoshop to add their names to the picture. I then printed the pictures of the guests and put them in a little flip book so Maeva can start learning everyone's names. Manny loves looking at it too! :)

Of course we can't forget the guest of honor - Sawyer himself! He was so good with all the party guests, and Manny was just giddy having him there.


My parents got MB this little car that she absolutely loved.

It was so cute watching her try to open it. I couldn't get enough pictures of her little ruffle butt. I'm obsessed with her in a bubble like this!
 

Just some random pics from the party. I was so thankful MB was in a good mood for it! Choosing a party time always stresses me out a little, but this time (1 p.m.) worked perfectly for both Manny and MB thankfully. 

MB absolutely loooooved her cake. She buried her face in it and just went to town. 

She was definitely a happy camper. She'd never had cake before but now that she knows what's up, she throws a little tantrum if she sees cake because she wants it.

I do know, however, that if I want her to smile for a picture I just need to shove cake in front of her. So there's that.

We tried to get Manny in a picture, but he was a little annoyed with me wanting him to stop playing so we didn't push it.

At the end of the party, I realized I never got a picture of Manny & MB together, so decided to give that a try. This little collage is a "short story", of sorts. We start every photo shoot the same way. Put MB down and get her situated, then talk Manny into coming over and sitting down for a few seconds. Maeva had her beloved remote in hand, and Manny had one of his trains. It's nearly impossible to photograph them without extra objects. Then Manny decides to go in for a kiss, while she decides it's time to take her bow out. Turns out MB didn't want to be kissed, thus beginning meltdown mode. Oh yeah and Manny started picking his nose. Never a dull moment when we decide to attempt a photo shoot!

We tried to get a picture of all the cousins at the very end of the party, but everyone was exhausted and kind of over it at this point. I still think it's cute. MB might not agree though. :)

One final party detail to add, then I'll be done talking about it. :) For thank you cards, I borrowed an idea from my friend Hillary and designed them to be like a coloring sheet, so Manny could color the letters and the dog. I also left a spot for me to write a little thank you note. I put a picture of Manny and Maeva at the party on the other side so people could have as a keepsake or to frame. Now while all that sounds good-great-grand-wonderful, I will admit it was a bit of a process. Who knew Manny would get bored so quickly with coloring the same picture?! So we had to space them out and just do a couple a day for awhile. And sometimes he'd scribble where I was supposed to write the note, so that was interesting. People seemed to really like them though so I suppose it was worth it in the end. :)