May 27

My Daughter’s 2nd Birthday Party

In case nobody has ever told you before, throwing a second birthday party is NOT THE SAME as throwing a first birthday party. I’ll tell you right now – ha. As it turns out, six kids under the age of six is a lot of kids and I swear I’m still recovering. At one point they had just about every toy my daughter owns stuffed in her crib – it was full to the very brim. There might have been a kid or two in there too bouncing around as well, but it’s hard to say. I also found a wooden spoon under our bathtub, and various other household items strewn in places they need not be. Needless to say, when they can’t walk and they don’t really have friends it’s easy. Who knew! But my girl had a ton of fun, and still talks about her puppy themed party weeks later.

SHOP THE POST:

See Ivy’s first birthday party here, if you’d like

While her first birthday party was really for my husband and I (hello baby blob), this year my sweet girl had opinions. She explicitly requested a puppy themed party “with pizza and ice cream cake” weeks prior, and she didn’t once waiver, so naturally we needed to deliver.

We didn’t go too crazy with the food or decor, opting to keep it as simple as possible (while still focusing on a few pertinent details) and it ended up being really adorable. But most importantly, my daughter was thrilled to no end.

A homemade balloon arch (we bought a kit! it was great and saved us a TON of money), some puppy paw print stickers, and a few little plastic dogs to decorate her ice cream cake was the name of the decor game. We also picked up some really cute dog-shaped foil balloons, complete with ribbon leashes, and each kid got to take one home. I tried my hand at some DIY party hats, which were surprisingly successful. And Ivy and I whipped up some homemade puppy chow and put them in “doggy bags” to give out as party favors as her guests departed. It was simple and playful and I’m thrilled with the results (terrorized house and all!) Here’s how it all turned out…