Aw, yeah. Clara’s second b-day party was full of food, family, friends, fun… and worms (she picked the theme based on her deep love of looking at, drawing, and even dreaming about worms). So… worm to your motha!
We were so thankful to be surrounded by the people we love, the bean had the best time, and the 75 degree weather and sunny skies were the icing on the worm cake. Or should I say worm cupcakes. Let’s get this party (breakdown) started…
But let’s start at the beginning. Clara was born two years ago today. Wait, that’s too far back. Let’s just cover the party. Here’s the sunroom all decked out for the big day. Nothing too fancy, just some balloons and streamers from Target, a colorful tablecloth from HomeGoods, and lots of worm-a-licious food. But we’ll get to that in a second.
We decided to use the sunroom, the patio, and the carport for the entire gathering, which was about 30 people total (ten were kiddos under the age of four). Of course if it had rained we would have partied inside, but it felt especially wormy and fun to have kiddos running around outdoors in the fresh air. Having the sunroom (which is located right off the patio) for food and drinks was also really nice since we didn’t have to worry about finding actual bugs in the food (fake worms = ok, real bugs = not ok).
Here’s a close up of the table seconds before everyone arrived. Fun fact: the table is actually a secret book project covered with a tablecloth since we can’t reveal it on the blog – and also since we didn’t have room to stash it anywhere else. Haha. We figured we might as well put it to good use for now (we’ll be auctioning a bunch of book projects off for charity this fall once the book is out and they’re allowed out of the proverbial bag).
We set out worm-ish food with worm-related labels (made in photoshop and printed at home) like “worm crudités” (long skinny slices of carrots, cucumbers, and cheese), “puffed worms” (white cheddar cheese puffs), “salted worms” (pretzel rods), and “worm dogs” (hot dogs that we cut into fourths and boiled to make them all curly as so many of you recommended in the comments of this pre-party post – thanks!!).
See those pretty flowers on the table? They were from J-boom for Mother’s Day. Love my hubby.
Here’s a close up of the worm dogs. They were a hit among kiddos and adults. I think we moved more of them than we had people at the party.
All of the bowls and plates were just things we had in the pantry. Nothing really matched in shape (round, scalloped, rectangular, etc) but it all worked because it was white – which was actually a nice combo with the crazy-colorful tablecloth (bright platters and bowls might have been a bit much with such an in-yo-face pattern).
We also set out little cups of gummy worms. Hanging a few over the rim like they were crawling out was my idea of a good time. Oh yes, I live on the edge.
We had another small table for the pizza – which is always a party pleaser. We did our take on worm pizza by ordering one with worm-like peppers & onions and topping one with pre-cooked spaghetti. The other two (cheese and peperoni) had a label that said “dewormed pizza.” Oh yeah, we ran with this worm theme, baby.
Everyone got a kick out of the bird napkins (birds eat worms, right?) that we found at Ikea.
On the other side of the sunroom we set up a little drink station. See this table covered with another HomeGoods tablecloth? There’s another secret book project under there. Haha. As for what drinks we served, we went with some cute glass bottles of orange soda and Coke for the 20-ish adults and also had Izze, water, and sparkling water in the beverage tin along with apple juice and water for the kiddos. Oh and see those apples in front of the drink tin? We plopped a gummy worm on each one. Ha. They actually got eaten, too!
And check out those worm-like pink straws…
Since this room is still completely untouched, there was no wall art going on (we just plopped down furniture 16 months ago and haven’t done anything but shove book stuff in there since). So we taped up Clara’s monthly pictures from this year along with 12 fun worm facts on a nice bare expanse of wall above the table. John just googled around for worm trivia and typed each 4 x 6″ card up in Photoshop.
For anyone who wants to see the whole shebang a little closer, just click this photo for an enlarged version:
Oh and here’s the carport all snazzed up with pink & orange streamers. When it comes to bang for your buck, they’re pretty festive (and so cheap!). It’s hard to see in these pics, but we swagged them so they were sort of wiggly and worm-ish. And I proudly hung the fabric banner that I made for Clara’s first birthday on the half wall that looks back onto the patio. We brought a few chairs and a garden stool out from inside as well as all the sweet little watering can favors for each of our young party-goers to take home.
I can’t tell you how happy it made me to see all ten of those little watering cans lined up on that wall. As I mentioned here, they were each filled with a bottle of bubbles, a pink or orange shovel, and a stuffed snake-turned-worm that we found at Ikea for 49 cents (we cut off the forked tongue to complete the conversion). We also grabbed the watering cans at Ikea for 99 cents each.
Other than streamers and balloons, we just hung three paper lanterns that came in a pack from Target and some funny worm-like pink swirlie paper things that we found for a few bucks at Party City. Then we brought out a low table from the sunroom and made a little play station for the kiddos with things like bubbles, a puzzle from Melissa and Doug that has bugs/worms on it, a box of crayons, and a bunch of color-the-worm pages that I sketched before the party.
I just took cardstock and a gray marker and drew a few happy little worms for the kiddos to color. It actually went over pretty well. It was so much fun to see all those colorful scribbled worms at the end of the day.
Here’s a people-milling pic for ya. Is there anything better than a patio full of people you love?
Sidenote: Clara was kind of hilarious about the pizza. She took a big bite of mine and then moved over to her cousin Jake and asked for a bite of his and when we all stared laughing she went from person to person, requesting a bite of each slice (thankfully there were only two other people nearby so it didn’t turn into a giant germ-sharing fest). It was very “welcome to my party, now feed me” of her. At least she wasn’t asking us to bow to her and fan her with leaves.
The other crowd favorite of the afternoon (besides our sweet little pizza-mooching bean) were the dirt cupcakes. We just picked up tasty little 40 cent vanilla cupcakes from a local bakery here in Richmond (Ukrops), pressed them icing-side-down into crushed up Oreo cookies, and plopped a gummy worm on top. We also made some that were dirt free (just squished a worm into the white icing) but the consensus from the crowd was that the Oreo ones were the best since they had some crunch.
Here’s the birthday girl getting her special cupcake (she hand-picked that green gummy worm before the party) in her favorite yellow chair. We stuck two worm-ish pink candles from Target on top, sang our little hearts out, and blew them out fast (since she’s still mildly afraid of fire from a certain Hawaiian hibachi incident).
She did momma proud with her cupcake-eating skills.
We even remembered to try to take a few family photos. Of course we didn’t get any with all of us looking at the camera and smiling (what are those odds, one in a million?), but we did end up with some sweet candid ones (yes that is a random bubble floating by in the foreground).
Clara took the worm theme very seriously. For example, she took great pleasure in feeding them to me.
She and her daddy even got all Lady and The Tramp for this shot:
We all seemed to gravitate to the carport after a few hours in the sunroom and on the patio, and then we decided to open some presents. This wooden worm (well, actually it’s a snake) from one of Clara’s best buddies was a huge hit. The funny thing is that John and I played around with that exact same thing (from Michael’s) for this old Halloween post before we had any idea Clara would develop a deep, strong love of worms.
Clara was seriously smitten.
Here’s another people-milling shot in the carport. As much as we would someday love to convert that space to a garage, it sure is good for friends and family (and balls and balloons). We ended up bringing out our dining chairs with their slipcovers back on (so any rogue icing could just be washed off) and we did what we do best: hung out and watched those sweet kiddos of ours. Although there are only three out of ten kids in this pic, so there must have been a gaggle of them staring at a spider in the corner or dunking by the basketball hoop (a sweet gift from my brother Dan, which you can see two pictures up).
The general gist? It was a great day. We are so thankful for our friends and family and our sweet, happy little girl. I always cry at her party. Just can’t help it. She’s our little miracle (birth story here, sniffle sniffle). And we’re so grateful to have awesome folks like you guys to virtually attend our weird little worm party. Haha. There’s a sentence I never thought I’d write.
But perhaps Burger had the most fun, gazing dreamily up at all the leftovers at the end of the festivities.
He even got lucky and found a cheese puff under the table.
The End.
Oh wait, we made a little Clara video like we did last year – not to show at the party this time, just to have so we can look back on it (and watch it with Clara, since she loves the one we made for her first birthday). So here’s her last year in seven minutes. My favorite parts are her Britney Spears impression near the beginning and some Flash-Dance-ish ottoman dancing in the outtakes at the very end.
Love that girl. Love you guys too. Lots of mushiness flying around. Haha. What did you do this weekend? Any Mother’s Day fun? Any worm eating?
Psst- We have a bunch of outtakes for this month’s Clara picture in front of her homemade fabric, so you can check those out here on Young House Life.
Jenny says
Awesome! Her party looks so pretty and put together, love the theme and the palette. And the video, omg. It’s amazing. What did you use to edit it? Makes me feel like a slacker with my 22mo haha. xox
YoungHouseLove says
We used iMovie to edit videos, which comes free with any Mac. This video we tried using Final Cut Pro, which is a paid editing program we had to buy for a book project, but either of them work really well!
xo,
s
Angela says
So cute!
And I love the video too! What program do you guys use to put all the clips and pictures together? I have always wanted to put our videos together like that after trips and such but have yet to find something that makes it easy and turn out great.
YoungHouseLove says
Scroll back in the comments for that info. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Nathalie says
Guys, I just have to say that you throw THE BEST kids parties!!! I don’t have kids but you really make me want to organize a party ..now where are all those nieces and nephews ;-) And what wonderful memories for Clara to look back over these posts in many years time!!! The effort and love you put in is incredible! You’re such an adorable family! Much love and Happy Birthday to the little one xxx
Gavin S. says
Love, love, LOVE the worm party! So very Clara. Also…way to go wearing a bright color this year, $herdog. Proud of you!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Gavin! I tried to be bright and festive for my little girl! It was an awesome day.
xo,
s
Angela says
Hi!
I saw a pin on Pinterest for DIY Giant Gummy Worms (made in a garden hose) and thought of you. http://pinterest.com/pin/74731675037118452/
~A~
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, so funny!!
xo,
s
VettyV says
Hey guys,
Seeing this post just a little late but love the video of Clara’s 2nd yr at the end …you all seem to be such a loving close & happy family and seem to work to keep it that way…some of us try to make it work and cant…nice to see some get it right! :) Keep up the great work!
Leah Stewart says
The invitation was great! Can you consider a post on how you actually design something that elaborate? Also, what type of file do you use to buy the printouts on the internet?
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
We just drop a jpg into the winkflash site (clicking the one without a template, just a plan card with our image on it). Hope it helps! As for how we designed it, we have both studied photoshop in college, so it was a few years of learning how to use the program, but there are some great books at Barnes & Noble or the library that might help if you’re just starting out! To make the worms, we used the letter W and multiplied that layer and changed the color and tiled them. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Leigh Ann says
You gotta see this!
http://pinterest.com/pin/132222939030196494/
Even though it’s post-birthday bash, Clara would still think they’re super fun!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, those look so fun!
xo,
s
jja says
What a cute party! You really put a lot of effort into it!
Special awww to
http://images.younghouselove.com.s3.amazonaws.com/2012/04/Party-Drink-Table-Pics-Big.jpg
Stephanie says
How did you get through this party without mentioning the ACTUAL Diet of Worms?! See here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diet_of_Worms
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, no way! One of our trivia tips was that “a diet of worms reduces cholesterol”. Haha.
xo,
s
Karen says
Guys, that video at the end is just absolutely magic. You’ve got such an adorable daughter, I hope you know how lucky you are!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, thanks Karen! We are sooooo grateful for our worm-loving girl!
xo,
s
Kate says
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CLARA! Love the theme!
Marissa says
What a great party! I love when parents let little girls be themselves instead of just defaulting to the stereotypical “girly” themes.
You may already have it, but there’s a great children’s book about a little worm looking for a new home (because his apple home got flooded with apple juice!). It’s called “Ned’s New Home”, and I thought of it as soon as I read about Clara’s wormy love:
http://www.amazon.com/Neds-New-Home-Kevin-Tseng/dp/1582462976/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338235753&sr=1-3
YoungHouseLove says
So cute! Thanks for the tip!
xo,
s
Jess @ Crunchy Hot Mama says
This is a random ?
How did ya’ll handle gifts for your worm-lover?
I was tempted at our daughter’s 1st birthday to say no gifts, meaning books and the likes were ok, but I didn’t. She ended up getting way more than she could even play with and it makes me feel uncomfortable having that much. As her 2nd bday approaches, I’m trying to figure out what to do before we get inundated again.
Did you say anything to the attendees or do they just know your style when it comes to gift-giving/receiving for Clara?
YoungHouseLove says
We actually mentioned to a few people that she needed specific things (ex: John’s sisters and parents went in an annual pass to the Children’s Museum for her) and a few other folks just went rogue so she ended up with some games/balls/toys/books, etc. Thankfully with around 10 families attending it wasn’t too bad, and most of the people who don’t live near us (and couldn’t attend) sent checks for her college fund or gift cards to places where we could pick something she might like or need. There’s definitely more stuff around than before her party, but I put some of it in a closet to break out throughout the year when she gets bored of toys instead of loading it all onto her at once!
xo,
s
Patty says
The picture of John and Clara eating the same gummy worm also shows that they have the same smile/worm eating technique!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- it’s true!
xo
s
Jeanne says
That party was so darn cute! Clara is so adorable. And that video is so sweet – well done – made me cry! I really need to make a video for my kids too:-)
2 questions:
1) What kind of video camera do you have? Is it digital or does it have one of those little video tapes?
2) What did you use to edit the video?
YoungHouseLove says
We use a Flip HD video camera and it’s digital, then we use iMovie (free) or Final Cut Pro (something we bought for a book project) to edit it.
xo,
s
Darcy says
http://www.instructables.com/id/Bowl-of-Worms-Anyone/
I don’t know if anyone sent you this link already, but I just saw it on pinterest and thought I would share. Who would have thought to use bendy straws as wormy jello molds. Might be a fun snack time thing for Clara since the party has already passed!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, so cute!
xo,
s
Carolyn Young says
I wish I had seen these before the party, would have sent them over to you guys! They made jello worms by making the jello in straws. So cute!
http://www.instructables.com/id/Bowl-of-Worms-Anyone/
YoungHouseLove says
So cute! Love that!
xo,
s
Lotte says
Hi Petersiks!
I’m a little late reading this post but what a fun party that is :)
The video is adorable, I really should get going on editing some of my footage as well…
A little tip on the tulips (very considerate of you John!), they only need about two inches of water, that way they stay up straight instead of leaning out so much (which, in this case totally works with the worm theme, though LOL).
Happy belated birthday to Clara! May her third year be full of discoveries and exciting events.
YoungHouseLove says
Love that tip!
xo,
s
Jessica says
Hey Petersiks! Totally LOVING the birthday videos of Clara – would you mind sharing what program or HOW IN THE HECK you created these priceless vids? I want to make some for my own little 2 year old, and well let’s just say that I know zero about how to combine pics, videos, and music! I would appreciate the secret :)
YoungHouseLove says
John’s actually planning to post about this in a little while since there are so many questions! In short we use free software that came with our computer (iMovie) or a paid program called Final Cut Pro and that enables us to cut everything together that we have shot on our Flip camera. Hope it helps and stay tuned for a deeper post about it someday (hopefully soon-ish!).
xo,
s
CZnet says
Found this and thought of you… I’ve never posted a comment before but love your blog! :) http://www.instructables.com/id/Bowl-of-Worms-Anyone/
YoungHouseLove says
So cute!!
xo,
s
Meredith says
Maybe you’ve already seen this but here is a great idea for making worms from jello and bendy straws!
http://www.theidearoom.net/2009/09/jell-o-blood-worms.html
YoungHouseLove says
Love that!
xo
s
Meghan says
Catching up on videos after watching your Blogiversary Q&A. Check out Clara’s dance moves all over this video! Girl was doing Gangnam style before it was cool!
YoungHouseLove says
Hahahah!
xo
s
Dalenna says
http://savvy-living.com/squirmy-jelly-worms-fun-snack-for-kids/
You may have seen these already but I just came across on Pinterest and thought of your worm party – if she still loves worms it could be a fun snack time too.
YoungHouseLove says
LOVE them!
xo
s
Rachael says
John and Sherry–I just found a pin that instantly made me think of Clara!
http://www.theidearoom.net/2009/09/jell-o-blood-worms.html
This mom made her own gummy worms using a bundle of bendy straws and jell-o–it’s pretty amazing. I seriously hope that she is still into worms so that you can do this awesome craft with her.
So looking forward to seeing y’all in Austin! It’s the best city in Texas :)
Rachael says
ohhh, man! I just saw that someone beat me to the punch and shared this with you already!! Too bad. I was just excited, I had to share!
YoungHouseLove says
No worries, it’s really cute!
xo
s
Jen R. says
I thought of Clara when I saw this!
http://www.westelm.com/products/ceramic-inch-worm-d492/?pkey=call-new&cm_src=all-new||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_–_-
YoungHouseLove says
We could get that girl started early on her ceramic animal collection!
-John
Lynn says
Hey…a little late on this question….making a video for my little ones 1st bday…what was the name of the Josh Woodward song you used? So sweet!! :) Thanks!
Lynn says
Found it scrolling through your comments…lol….knew it was in there somewhere! :D) The first one was called Cherubs and the second was Swansong, both the instrumental version. :)
Mrs D says
What a sweet little girl you have…she seems like a bundle of joy.
I love the ideas you came up with for the worm-themed birthday party. So different and creative! But it was your video tribute that got me all misty-eyed. So precious!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Mrs. D!
xo
s