This weekend our deck was full of people we love, gathered to celebrate this four year old bean of ours. It was pretty awesome to have so much connected outdoor space to party on (the sunroom-turned-veranda and our big deck that overlooks the grassy backyard felt less chopped up than having some people in the last house’s sunroom while others were on our two-tiered patio). And since our previous house is where we’ve hosted every other Clara-birthday since she was born (here’s the post about her first birthday, the one about her second one, and the one about her third) it felt both weird and wonderful to have our first big birthday gathering here. Most importantly, this girl had a blast.
We usually do a little party prep post before the big “after the event” rundown (like this one, this one, and this one) which is where we share details like her invitation, but this time we figured we’d toss everything into this full-monty post and call it good. This is the invitation that we sent out to friends and relatives after Clara decided she wanted her party to be “all full of pink and gold everything… with glitter.”
But the theme wasn’t “pink and gold with glitter” for long – it kept evolving. The description quickly morphed to include nearly everything in her world. Soon Clara was calling it a “pink and gold flamingo, fairy, princess, lego, glitter, flower, cupcake, pez, castle, polka dot, treasure, bubble, water party” – which we shortened to her “pink and gold everything party” since it included everything but the kitchen sink.
It was fun to embrace all the things she loves. We pulled out existing items that fit the theme (like old paper lanterns and floral tablecloths from parties past) as well as grabbing some fun new items that tied in (like a few dollar store flamingos, some gold tinsel to make a glittery table runner, and some polka dotted balloons from Target).
For added seating in our not-really-furnished-yet former sunroom, we brought out an old pedestal table and our wicker dining chairs (they’re actually outdoor chairs, so they worked really well) as well as breaking out some fun stuff for the kids like our water table (and the one we borrowed from Grammy and Tom-Tom) as well as a bunch of toys, bubbles, and even the sprinkler for down on the grass.
We’re so grateful for the weather. It was sunny and warm enough for the kids to play with water in the sun, but nice and cool in the shade (we didn’t even turn on the fans!).
We kept the food casual as usual, with some pink and gold favorites like watermelon, chicken nuggets, sliced peppers, caramel corn, chips & salsa, as well as a few pizzas since they’re always a crowd pleaser.
We even worked in some grocery store blooms and a few gold mason jars (from JoAnn) full of pink & gold twizzlers.
These little flamingo glasses were dollar store finds, and the chocolate coins and pink jelly beans were pretty much gone before the pizza was even touched.
We also grabbed five flamingo stick-balloons at the dollar store (who knew they were such a treasure trove of flamingo memorabilia?) that we stuck into the the potted ferns around the deck. Kids loved them so much they asked to take them home at the end of the party.
Easily the most exciting thing were the cupcakes, which were made by our sweet friend Justine. After we had Teddy she asked if she could bring us a meal and we kept saying “you’re too kind, but we’re all set – seriously our freezer is full” which somehow turned into her offering to make cupcakes for the party (she loves to bake, and her stuff is so delicious we couldn’t resist). She fully embraced the pink-and-gold-fairy-princess-lego-castle-glitter-etc theme and made adorable toppers for each cupcake, including a few “fairy Clara” toppers with her face on a glittery winged body along with everything from a lego head to a pink glittered castle. There was an audible “oooh!” when we brought them all out.
Here’s one of “Queen Clara” wearing a big dress (girl loves a big dress, especially of the pink and gold variety). Justine seriously went above and beyond.
Later when we asked Clara to name her five favorite parts of the party, the very first thing she said was “MY CUPCAKES!” (which oddly enough was followed by “when Sam hit me in the face with the beach ball”).
Everyone hung out on the deck and ate and played with the water tables for the first half of the party (there were around a dozen kids and twenty adults) and then some of the kids started funneling down to the grass to play with things like the sprinkler and the bubbles.
First we set up a little bubble blower…
… and then John broke out the giant bubble maker, which had everyone in awe of his skills. Until several kids made bigger bubbles than this on the first try.
The sprinkler was especially funny to watch since it was a bunch of kids standing around filling various cups and containers with water.
The water tables were also pretty constantly in use, so it was nice to have a few “stations” for kid activities while the adults chatted nearby without anyone being out of eyeshot.
Teddy didn’t get in on the water table, bubble, or sprinkler action, but he did woo his fair share of party-goers. Here’s John’s mom in her flamingo headband. Gotta love a lady who commits to a party wholeheartedly.
We kept the favors pretty simple too. Since one of the things in Clara’s longest-party-name-ever was “Pez” I found some dispensers at the dollar store for these pink & gold containers (30 cents each from Target) and tossed in a few other treats.
We also bought this pinata from Target but almost forgot to break it out. Some folks had already left when we ran in and got it, but the lingering crew had a ton of fun with it. Check out Louie with his gold chain and sunglasses on the right. Dude had moves.
It took about 100 swings, but it finally exploded and the kids scrambled to grab as much as they could.
As is the tradition, we also took a family photo, which is a pretty rare event for us (one of us is always holding the camera). In this case it ended up being even more momentous than usual since it’s the first photo of all four of us. Only took us a month…
Can we just pause for a second to soak up little Teddy. He’s so sweet I could eat him. But I won’t. And don’t even get me started on that little lady in John’s arms. When did she get so big? I tell her she’s not allowed to grow anymore but she just doesn’t listen.
Did you guys have any gatherings this weekend? Have you ever thrown a bunch of parties at one house over the years and then moved and marveled/feared making a new place work? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: a house never feels homier than it does when it’s full of the people you love. In some ways even though we’ve almost lived here a year (how did that happen?!) this house didn’t fully feel “broken in” until Saturday. Just looking around seeing everyone out on the deck and our kids running around in the grass… well, it was pretty great. Even if there were giant piles of laundry lurking inside.
Katie says
So funny… my oldest daughter (who coincidentally shares a birthday with Clara, but is 6 now) requested an all pink flamingo party for her and her sister’s shared birthday party the weekend before last. We had quite a similar setup. Such fun!
Emma says
Yay! Happy Birthday Clara.
Sarah @ Sarah's Daybook says
I can’t even comprehend how cute this is. Clara looks like she’s 25 in the invitation! I love the family photo. Pretty sure Teddy has never not worn navy blue! Not even joking! Haha. You guys are the best.
Sarah
http://www.sarahsdaybook.wordpress.com
YoungHouseLove says
We were just joking about that! He’s wearing a white onesie with green alligators on it today. Gotta keep it spicy!
xo
s
Meg says
Firstly — dude, thank you so much for hustling to get this post up! I was strangely excited all weekend to see how it went and you guys did a beautiful job!! But I can only imagine y’all are exhausted today, between writing/editing the post and, y’know, throwing a party.
Secondly, I’m now officially stoked to throw my little man’s second birthday now! His is mid-July, so I’ve officially been inspired to get his duckie shindig on the road! (It’s his favorite animal, and we’re trying to avoid the dreaded licensed character-takeover which will inevitably happen.) ;-) Thanks for all you guys do!
Michelle @ A Healthy Mrs says
You guys sure know how to throw a party! Looks like a fantastic time :)
Jess says
What a great party! Love the fam pic. Where are the table cloths from? They are gorgeous!!
YoungHouseLove says
They’re from HomeGoods a few years back. So useful to have a few big fabric tablecloths, and when they’re this boldly printed they look especially festive ;)
xo
s
Rita says
Ha, love Louie! He also has his shoes on the wrong feet :) Happy birthday Miss C!
Amanda says
This party looks like it was a blast! Love all of the creative decor and goodies.
Sina says
Clara’s favorite things are MY favorite things!!! She’s pretty great! My “pink and gold flamingo, fairy, princess, lego, glitter, flower, cupcake, pez, castle, polka dot, treasure, bubble, water party: <— this is amazing, you should have left this as the title!
Samantha @ Fabulous Fabris says
What a great party! I love those cupcakes.
Love the picture of the 4 of you. You have a beautiful family :)
Bailey says
You guys throw a fabulous kiddie party! I love all the little activities you guys had for the kids to play with. I bet the parents were all impressed. Love the family photo!
Meghan says
We celebrated our daughters’ 3rd birthday this weekend (their birthday is the day before Clara’s) and they requested a purple and pink party! It was a purple and pink explosion! Are you still cleaning up like us? It always seems to take forever to get all of the serving stuff away and take all the decorations down.
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! You should see the kitchen counter right now…
xo
s
Katharine says
What a fun party! My daughter turned 17 yesterday so we spent the day with her BFF who turned 17 2 weeks ago at the Virginia Beach Aquarium and Science Center. I’m still trying to figure out how she got to be 17. I need to tell her to stop growing up.
Tamara @ Provident Home Design says
What a fun and beautiful Birthday party! Clara looks like she had so much fun! Great job mom and dad!
This weekend I went to an outdoor antique show I’ve been wanting to go to for along time and I got to go kid-free!
I will post about it later today. Check it out if you have time!:-)
Lisa says
It was a great birthday party! Sophie had a blast- though she’ll be sad she missed the pinata- ha! Y’all have a sweet 4 year old girl for sure.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, so sad Sophie missed the pinata! The kids had to smash it a million times to get it to release the goods!
xo
s
Leslie @ Oh, the Fun of It says
What a beautiful day! And such a fun party! Congratulations on your lovely four year old :)
Leah says
I had a party-filled weekend too! I chaperoned prom on Saturday night (about the same as your party, tho the kid/adult ratio was flipped, and there weren’t water tables — bet the students would have liked them). Then, on Sunday, my friends threw me a baby shower. We also had beautiful weather, so both were lots of fun.
Question: do you cut Clara’s hair, or do you take her somewhere?
YoungHouseLove says
I just give her little trims at home. She’s a wiggler for sure, so there’s usually a food bribe or something (this time Nonna was here so I cut Nonna’s hair and Clara’s – which was probably the only reason C was into it, since Nonna was at “the beauty parlor” with her).
xo
s
Larissa says
In a stroke of parenting genius, I gave my 3 year old wiggler some bubble wrap the other day when I was cutting his hair. It bought me just enough time to get the job done. Also, I do it outside so I don’t have to worry about clean up.
YoungHouseLove says
Love that!
xo
s
Rachel says
What a beautiful party! How fortunate you are that Clara was born in May when the weather is so nice and you can be outdoors just when everyone is itching to be outside.
Do you recall where Clara’s flowered shirt is from? It’s adorable and I could totally see my 18-month old wearing it.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s actually a little bathing suit set from Target (we love the shirt tops with sleeves since C hates sunscreen application, so it goes a little faster when we don’t have to get her shoulders and all around straps, etc).
xo
s
Rachel says
Thanks! So cute and smart :)
Kierstin says
I noticed that Clara, in a very Hollywood party move, changed outfits mid party. A little Paris in the making :-)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! That floral shirt is actually her bathing suit, so when other kids suited up we slipped her into that (we like the shirt-top bathing suits since C hates sunscreen application, and they make it go a little faster since there’s less to slather up).
xo
s
Larissa says
So so fun and lovely. I’m a little misty-eyed at the good feelings coming off the screen from your pictures and writing. Such an amazing time for your sweet family.
charlotte m. says
Happy Birthday Clara! She is so big! I guess I have been reading your blog a long time. Ha! Looks like a great party and yay for the weather. We went to the beach for the weekend. It was our 34th anniversary and there was a half marathon and 5K at our favorite beach so that is what we did. It was a great weekend. Can’t wait until Teddy is a wee bit older so he will be awake for these events.
Emily @ Table + Hearth says
I think this weekend was probably the “first summer backyard party” for alot of people! Gorgeous weather here in south Texas too. We had folks over Saturday evening to christen our new pergola we just finished: http://tableandhearth.blogspot.com/2014/05/project-pergola-done.html
What a perfect deck and backyard y’all have now for a party :) Many more to come! That little Teddy nugget is just adorbs as is little lady Clara.
Blair r says
Love! Love! Love this! I noticed the new picture in the sidebar immediately. Dare I say, I loved it? :) I am amazed and inspired by how you took everything she loved, and made it all work together. Normally, I’d tell my daughter, “Okay. You need to narrow it down to no more than three things.” Now you have me completely rethinking that! This party was my favorite of all the ones you have blogged. And I loved(surprise! haha) the photo of John’s mom with her flamingo headband and sweet grandson.
Also, I hope you don’t mind but I’m going to use this quote: “A house never feels homier than it does when it’s full of the people you love.” in some framed art in our entry; because it’s so true. You guys rock!
YoungHouseLove says
You’re so sweet Blair – I’d love to see that art when you’ve hung it!
xo
s
Nikki H says
What an adorable party! I love the colors and theme (s) y’all used. Looks like everyone had a blast. Happy Birthday, Clara!
KimberJ says
Kudos to you guys!!! So glad to see you haven’t succumbed to the megabuck, impress the other parents party that runs $20-$50 per kid at some crazy venue :) When my kids were small (many many years ago!) it was just the beginning of the crazy bday party run. I was the mom that refused to buy into it. However their parties were still memorable and the best remembered. We had Disney themes with cut out figures to pose for pics, food fights like the one in Hook, cooking parties, and special t-shirt making projects. Clara is one lucky and cool little girl!
Betsy says
Looks like a great time was had by all! I can’t stop chuckling about all of Clara’s wardrobe changes throughout the day! She is a true girlie girl! Love her haircut as well! You have a beautiful family!
Darcy says
Such a fun looking party!! Wish I could have been there! (we ARE BFF’s, right?!?) LOL!
That family pic is sooo stinkin’ CUTE of you all! And, I agree completely– Teddy looks like such a little love bug — I would eat him up constantly too, if I were you!!
Clara is just soo pretty– she is such a beautiful combination of the 2 of you!! My son (4 1/2) loves to see her pictures and watch her videos — so if things with Will don’t work out, she has another boyfriend here in Colorado!
Lee Ann says
Started a new home reno … well, porch/yard reno … project this weekend. Tore out ALL the 40+ years old shrubbery on one side of the screened-in porch. (And of course, there was poison ivy under that stuff! Yikes!) Next steps: scrap and paint the high eaves; pull out the garden hose to plan the new planting area (ala John Petersik-style); start prepping the new shrubbery bed; then come fall, plant new shrubs! Thanks for all the yard renovation technique how-tos. You guys rock! (Oh, and after all that work, put on some lime green and hot pink outfits for a Key West themed party to raise money for AIDS Care Services. Fun!)
Jaime says
Love, love, love it!! I love seeing super cute, festive and thoughtful kid’s bday parties that are all about the fun and family and friends! So many kids parties nowadays are so over the top, pretentious, and all about the parents and their pinterest pins as opposed to being about the kids, so its so nice to see something REAL. Oh, and your little family is way too cute!
Charlene says
Happy Birthday Clara! How lovely to see another party, you guys rock! Can’t wait to see Teddy’s parties…no pressure right!?
And Sherry, you look amazing!!
Darcy says
Sorry to write again — BUT…. Emily H is giving you both some love over on her blog — I think you would totally win at some DIY Hunger Games action!! Did you see it yet?!!?
YoungHouseLove says
No way! Thanks for the heads up Darcy!
xo
s
Linda B says
Love, love, love this! A beautiful wonderful party. Love that it included the children and the parents. Love that you made it so very special, but that it was Homemade, and not a foolishly extravagant event. Looks like a wonderful time was had by all. And I hope to be a flamingo headband-wearing Grandma someday!
Sayward says
This is adorable. You guys look so happy, and Clara’s themes crack me up.
Since you asked, this weekend I was at a friend’s baby shower – hosted in her husband’s eccentric millionaire great aunt and uncle’s mansion/estate/downton abbe castle thing. The greatest part was that in his younger years the uncle would go to Africa on safari, and in one of the upstairs bedrooms is a legitimate taxidermied giraffe. It was just the shoulder, neck, and head, but it was 8 or 9 feet high! Greatest moment of my life. I wish to God I could include a picture in this comment.
Nichole says
Happy Birthday Clara! What an awesome party! Cannot wait for my little girl to start throwing party ideas at me! Her birthday was yesterday (the 18th) and she turned 2!!
We had a “Bubble Guppies”/underwater theme going and she absolutely loved it but I’m sure next year will be much more exciting when she can choose her own ‘pink & gold everything’ party!
Hope you all had a great weekend!
Kiera says
Looks like such a great classic birthday party with fantastic weather. I love that Clara has a friend named Rhys! That is what we named our son 2 years ago and we have yet to meet another (under the age of 30 at least).
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, she calls him “Rhys Baby” (he’s younger than her). Loves him to pieces.
xo
s
Sherri Eakin says
Perfect Monday post! It’s just so happy! Great job on all of the decorations. And those cupcakes were super cute!
Dana@chocolateandsunshine says
Awesome parents to create a party that their daughter would enjoy, thus the pink, gold and “everything” theme. The photo of Clara with her eyes closed as she makes her wish is priceless. Beautiful family. I say it all the time and I love it all the time. You are my favorite blog of all!!!!
Dawn says
Pink and gold is a seriously gorgeous color combo. Happy birthday to future designer Clara!
Lindsey says
The party is so cute! Where did you get Clara’s little floral swim top? I know I have seen it somewhere, but now I can’t remember where! It’s too cute.
YoungHouseLove says
We got it at Target a little while back. Hope they still sell it!
xo
s
Sheralyn says
Happy Birthday Clara!
Love reading your birthday posts because the details and the planning are both personal, enjoyable and (seemingly!?) effortless :) Always inspiring!
Looks like a fun time for all!
CCS says
Can you tell me where you found your daughter’s two piece swimsuit? It would suit my also-very-tall four year old daughter. Thank you!
YoungHouseLove says
We got it at Target a little while back. Hope they still sell it!
xo
s
Haley says
Happy birthday Clara!
This party looks awesome! I love the theme(s)
Chris says
Everything looks great, but I’m curious about the 2 potted fern plants on the deck. Are they new this year? if not how do they survive the winter?
YoungHouseLove says
There are actually three of them (hard to see them all) and the planters are from last year (Target, end of season sale) but the ferns are new this year ($12 at Home Depot about a month ago).
xo
s
jeannette says
happy birthday, dear clara! happy birthday! to you!
Erin says
Yay Clara! Yay for a picture of all four of you (we just managed that with our five-month-old, so you got us beat!)!! Yay for Justine! And yay to you guys for making a little girl so happy!
Jennifer C says
Clara and my son share a birthday, so his party was also this weekend! We had a Thomas the Train party at the park with a few of his buddies. It was low stress and a big success. He turned 3!
Sarah says
We also threw a birthday party for our daughter this weekend. It was our daughter’s first birthday! We just bought our new house in April and we moved in 3 weeks ago because we had to take care of a few things… unfotunately, we still don’t have cabinets or a kitchen sink, but we survived and everyone had a blast!
Beth says
Totally off subject, but my husband and I made the 6 hour trek to Virginia this weekend to see your house at Homearama…beautiful! Your house layout was one of our faves by far! Thanks for all the inspiration as we make our new(ish) forever house a home!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Beth! So glad you liked it.
xo
s
Stephanie says
There’s one problem with these posts…you make my heart go all mushy wanting babies! Looking forward to the day that happens…and then being able to celebrate them so beautifully as you’ve done, yet again. The stuff, the presents, the blog posts, the DIY projects…they’ll come and go. Memories like these? Forever. Happy Birthday, Clara!
Laura says
Love it when kids get their own ideas about parties and other things. We just had a minion/dinosaur/pizza/chocolate birthday party for our 3 yr old. Love the party. Happy Birthday Clara!