Posted by Nicole Carney on Aug 26, 2013 in Birthday Theme Parties | 0 comments

My baby B is not so much a baby anymore; this past weekend we celebrated his 2nd birthday! It’s surreal how one day I was rocking him to sleep, inhaling that sweet, intoxicating baby scent emanating from the top of his head, and the next day I’m moving him into his “big boy” bed… *sigh*. I am so fortunate to have been given the gift of time with my boys, although, I’ll admit, some days I am more thankful than others. Whenever I find myself wishing for a certain annoying/ challenging phase to pass, I’m reminded of what my grandpa M used to say, “quit wishing your life away. It goes by too fast as it is.” It’s not until I had my boys that I realized how clearly his words ring true. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t wish to relive potty training with M, or to continuously mop up the copious amount of food B intentionally flings onto the floor in fits of defiance, but what I do wish for is patience, and the foresight to know that all of these challenging moments, along with the countless great ones, will soon be woven into the past, forming a tapestry of blurred, happy memories. In other words, I’m learning to embrace and relish in all the good moments, while stopping to do some deep breathing when submerged in the not-to-so-good ones :).

B’s Beach Party!

This past weekend I did a lot of relishing and embracing. My little B will only turn 2 once, and I wanted it to be special. B’s Beach Party Bash was easy to put together and it fit the venue of the splash park beautifully. Here are some highlights/ details of the party:

Watermelon Shark

My husband carved a toothy shark out of a watermelon. The kids and adults loved it, and it was pretty simple to do!

1st, he cut the bottom of the watermelon on an angle, so it would sit upright.

Then I scooped out the insides of the watermelon using an ice-cream scoop (I don’t own a melon baller…)

My husband then set to work carving out the teeth and gills of the shark.

When he was done carving, I shovelled the watermelon back into the shark’s open mouth, and added blueberry eyes, using toothpicks.

Beach Themed Food

In addition to the watermelon shark we also had sandwiches, fruit made to resemble a beachball (grapes, blueberries, and strawberries with a giant marshmallow), beachballs- oranges, veggies, an assortment of candy (blue whales, frogs, pool noodles-rainbow licorice, beach blankets- sour candies, gummy guppies, Lifesavers), potato salad served in a pail with a shovel, rainbow Goldfish crackers, and chips with dips and mango salsa.

Beach Cupcakes

I saw these cupcakes on Pinterest and instantly knew they would be perfect for B’s beach party! They were really easy to make too. After icing the cupcakes I dipped the tops in Graham cracker crumbs to resemble sand. Then I put a bit of icing on the bottom of one of the sour candies to adhere it to the cupcake for a beach towel. Next I stuck a Teddy Graham to the beach blanket to look like he was sunbathing, and added a paper cocktail umbrella for the finishing touch!

The birthday boy thought they were pretty tasty!

Playing at the Splash Park

Presents!

B had an awesome day with his family and friends. He fell asleep on the short ride home, but once he woke up, he was reenergized and ready to play with all of his new toys!