Blow Out!

Since Erin and Halle's party had to be canceled last year (no one could come - summer vacations!) - they have been reminding me and reminding me that they want a "big party with a big cake, ok mommy?"  So - the mom guilt was laid on thick, but - I think we delivered a pretty spectacular party for their 5th birthday.

A few months ago, I sat them down individually and showed them various pictures on pinterest I had found of different party themes.  Bugs, horses, unicorns, superheroes, camping,  picnic, art, fairies, butterflies, frogs, and trains were all options.  I wanted them to pick their own thing and my plan was to combine them into a fun party - bugs & horses?  let's do it.  Superheroes go camping?  I'm in.  I just wanted them to have ownership and not have to compromise with their sister.  Erin chose rainbows and Halle chose unicorns.  SO - a rainbow unicorn party was in the plan!

Now, let me start by saying - planning, pinning, creativity, and executing parties is super fun for me and occupies the conversation between Amy and I for many bottles of wine.  I wanted to make this one super fun for them (see above re: mom guilt) So, we went all out for this one.  :)

We also had really fun rainbow streamers hanging around the living room and kitchen, but I didn't manage to get a picture of those.  We had butcher paper on the dining room table for coloring, pretty flowers everywhere and unicorns abound. 

I also searched high and low for awesome unicorn outfits for Erin and Halle and found the most adorable dresses.  I couldn't help myself and just got 2.  If anyone knows me, I have never (ok, maybe one other time) dressed them in matching clothes so this was a big deal.  Erin and Halle were totally into it and were excited to wear them.  They looked pretty dang adorable.

The unicorn movement caught on with friends and family and soon many people were planning unicorn themed outfits for the party.  So fun!

Our biggest challenge with this party was the cake.  We went through various ideas on how we can accomplish a fun cake for the girls and finally settled on a giant rainbow.  It took 5 cakes to create this masterpiece and Mimi deserves a huge THANK YOU for her excellent icing skills.

To add to the fun, I hired a balloon twister to make some fun things for the kids during the party.  It was a total hit. 

As a special surprise, we invited Erin and Halle's preschool teachers to the party.  They have been missing them so much since school let out and were THRILLED to see them.

Not unicorns per se, but matching horse shirts from Costco!  Hilarious.

My shirt was totally perfect for the day and Amy's was a "Llama-corn"  haha

Baby central

Todd said this round of "Happy Birthday" was the loudest he's heard at a birthday party in a long time.  Lots of people around to celebrate our girls!  Love it!

Toward the end of the party, when many people had left, we decided to open gifts.  I've learned that when there are so many people, opening presents is TOTAL CHAOS.  This worked out well though.  Fun people around to enjoy, but not too overwhelming.

One of the gifts was a makeup kit - Halle did everyone's makeup and let them choose their own colors.  It was so cute!

Overall, I feel like the whole party was a huge success and I can now release my mom-guilt from last year!  YAY!!!  Thank you to everyone who joined in on the fun for Erin and Halle and for all of our amazing party helpers!!  Much love to you all!!!

Todd's shirt:  "Save the chubby unicorns" with a picture of a rhino - love it!