Montgomery's Daniel Tiger 2nd Birthday Party

I promise this isn't just a party planning blog!  It just so happened that I had two baby showers planned and my son's second birthday coming up when I decided to start blogging.  My husband made me promise yesterday that there were no more big parties coming up until at least Thanksgiving.  So this *should* be my last party blog for a while.  Enjoy!

Montgomery loves the television show, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood on PBS.  Its a spin-off of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood and is a super cute show.   Because Montgomery loves the show so much, we just knew he needed to have a "Dan-Dan" birthday party.  The only problem we ran into was that there was nothing Daniel Tiger on the market!  The show first aired September 2012, so it is a fairly new show.  Thankfully, Toys R Us released some DT toys about three weeks before Montgomery's birthday!  Between my mom and Ben and I, we bought every DT toy they had.  Ben and I decided to let Montgomery go ahead and open his presents from us on his actual birthday so that we could use some of those Daniel toys for decoration! 

The shop where I found most of my DT clipart can be found here:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/lovebuggydesigns?ref=custom_order_convo

Thankfully, Etsy.com came to my rescue again.  Since there are no pre-made Daniel Tiger birthday invitations, Etsy was the first place I looked.  There were several digital cards to choose from with DT and some of his friends on them.  I also found some digital "stickers" with Daniel on them that I later added to his birthday banner and the kids' candy bar treats.  There was also a Daniel Tiger Appliqué on Etsy so I was able to make him a shirt.  I found an adorable birthday hat as well! All-in-all, I would say Etsy and Toys R Us were my biggest suppliers for this party! 

The banner I made mostly using a Cricut Imagine.  The Daniel Tiger clipart 

was from the same Etsy store I purchased the invitation.  

Y'all know I had to make a wreath for this party!  This was a fun wreath to make because I had to pull my inspiration from several different wreaths as there were no Daniel Tiger wreaths found on Pinterest! Ha! I knew I wanted to use bunting that said Montgomery is 2, but his name is SO long (10 letters! I mean, what were we thinking?!), so I didn't want to paint like I did for the previous baby shower wreath.  I turned to the Cricut again.  Usually I wouldn't use paper products on a wreath since it will be outside,  but I knew this wreath was primarily for his party and our front porch is covered.  I found a wooden number 2 at Hobby Lobby and discovered a pretty nifty way to spruce it up on Pinterest.  Simply lay a piece of scrapbook paper on a flat surface, design down (preferably with a mat or cutting board underneath).  Then cover the front of the number with a spray adhesive and place it face down on the paper.  Press down and hold for a few moments.  I let mine dry for about 10 minutes.  Then, take a sharp craft knife and simply outline the number, applying pressure while doing so.  Once you're done cutting, lift up your number/letter and wah-la!  Super easy!  I did a simple burlap wreath with a red burlap bow to finish it off.

Add a Daniel Tiger plush or any other themed-plush to 

your wreath by tying with twine.  

For the actual party, Ben and I decided to do a hotdog bar since Montgomery LOVES hotdogs!  It was a fairly affordable trip to the grocery store for the all the supplies and we'll probably do another one in the future.  Everyone really seemed to enjoy all the different toppings and combinations they could try on their dog.  

I found these containers for our toppings at Dollar Tree!  

A pack of 5 for $1.  Can't beat that!

Our toppings were:

Cheddar Cheese

Sauerkraut

Coleslaw

Chili

Sweet Relish

Dill Relish

Tomatoes

Onion

Dill Spears

Pepperocini's 

Jalapenos

Bacon

Mustard

Ketchup

Brown Mustard 

Horseradish Sauce

We decided to just do chips for sides since there were so many topping options.  We found hotdog baskets (if that's what they're called..) on amazon and red and white checkered liners.  They were pretty cheap and now we have them for future hotdog bar parties! :)

For dessert we had cookies and an amazing cake.  The same lady who did Montgomery's birthday cake last year did it again this year (and will again next year too!).  Megan at Bushel and a Peck Bakery is AMAZING!  She did a fantastic job!  She had every detail down to a T! 

Montgomery had an amazing second birthday.  I'm so thankful for everyone who came and spent their Saturday morning loving on my little boy! It makes this momma's heart swell with love.  I can never express my gratitude enough for those who spend their time with him.  Ben and I love that Montgomery not only has an awesome family, but also an amazing church family and group of friends that love him like family!

Here are a few more pictures of decorations and different things from his party.  Please contact me if you would like contact information from any of the above the people listed or any questions.  Thanks!

 The entry way table.  I found the stop light on amazon for $8.. and it worked!  The yellow rectangles are hershey bars wrapped in yellow card stock with a personalized Daniel Tiger sticker on them. So thankful for those DT toys to decorate with!  Notice the adorable birthday hat that Montgomery would NOT wear!

I had to have water bottle labels!  Another Etsy find!

 Mason Jars with paper straws..  a birthday staple!

My baby is 2!

My sweet little Montgomery Bear is a whole 2 years old today!

Montgomery was an unexpected gift from God that continues to bless our lives daily.  I am so thankful that God chose Ben and I to be his parents!  I can't imagine a day going by without getting a sloppy kiss from my messy little boy!  

Montgomery was born via C- Section on September 27, 2011 at 6:44pm.  He weighed 7.01 pounds and had a head full of blonde hair.   I fell in love the moment I saw him.  I remember not sleeping at night during our hospital stay because I was so enamored this new little person who depended and relied so heavily on Ben and I.  I was overwhelmed with love and the feeling of responsibility for caring for this human life.  When we got home from the hospital, I still would have a hard time sleeping at night because I could literally spend hours just watching him.  

While I still felt amazed by him, the not sleeping thing quickly ended and I took every sleeping opportunity I could.  It was probably a mix from having to get up every two hours to breastfeed and not sleeping for the last few weeks of my pregnancy to the time he was two weeks old.  Its amazing how little sleep the human body can operate on.  

Once we got past the colic-filled days of the first three and a half months, we began to get into a rhythm that worked great for our little family... and then he turned 5 months old.  With each new baby milestone, we found ourselves having to readjust how we did things and what our focus was.  At one time, we focused on changing 24 diapers... in ONE DAY.  Thankfully, that didn't last forever and we were able to focus more on the fun stuff.  

Montgomery has always been such a momma's boy.. and I love every minute of it!  Momma was his first word and I have been completely wrapped around his chubby little finger ever since I first laid eyes on him.  He may be my little boy, but he LOVES his daddy to pieces and no one can play like daddy can!  Montgomery most definitely gets his sense of humor from Ben.  

He continues to fill our lives with joy each and every day.  Even now, when tantrums have become more frequent and parenting has become more than changing diapers and making bottles, but instead helping to mold him into the man he will one day become.    

Montgomery Ryerson, there are not enough words that we can say about our love for you.  Momma and Daddy are your biggest fans and always will be!  Your whole family loves you more than you'll ever know.  

Momma loves you to the moon and back, momma loves you to the moon and back, momma loves you to the moon and back, momma loves you.

Daddy loves you to the moon and back, daddy loves you to the moon and back, daddy loves you to the moon and back, daddy loves you.  

Jesus loves you even more that,  Jesus loves you even more than that, Jesus loves you even more than that, Jesus loves you.  

Fall Baby Showers!

When we were pregnant with Montgomery, I had four amazing baby showers!  I know, I know.. that's a bit excessive, but what can I say?  I have some amazing friends and family members!  :)

Now, two years after my four wonderful showers, several of my friends are expecting precious babies of their own.  So, I knew I had to throw my friends a baby shower of their own!  I am so thankful that I didn't have do any of these showers alone!  My sweet, lifelong friend, Margo, helped plan and carryout both of these showers.  Plus, she helped throw one of my baby showers!

One of my friends, Jana, is due around the same time that Montgomery was, late September-early October.  This will be her and her husband's first child and its a little boy!  They are doing his room in a John Deere theme so I knew a John Deere themed baby shower would be perfect. 

I love party planning.  My poor family and friends who help, though, probably feel differently about my obsession with the little details.  So I'm admittedly saying that I know I am annoying to work with when planning at event!  Apologies to my children's committee and helpers at church too! :)

We found this cute invitation on Etsy.com.  
If you can't tell yet, I LOVE Etsy! 

So anyone who knows me, knows that Ben and I are not really into the John Deere thing.  BUT Jana and her hubby are so we went with a decked out John Deere baby shower!  Thankfully, Margo comes from a family who also likes John Deere and had a lot of little Die-cast tractors we could use for decorations.  We also turned to our trusty friend, Pinterest, for most of our ideas.

 I LOVE that I have access to an embroidery machine!  
Isn't this appliqué so cute?!

 Example of my OCD.. I made a John Deere wreath for the front door!

The wreath above was super easy to make!  I simply took a $4 grapevine wreath, raffia, colored burlap, pre made burlap flower from Hobby Lobby and a John Deere toy from Tractor Supply Company and Ta-Da! Instant John Deere Wreath that isn't tacky! :)

 This banner was made using a Cricut machine.  Easy!

 Water bottle labels are always a hit and SO easy to do!  They are also very cost effective.  Don't waste money on expensive labels made specifically for water bottles.  You can make your own WATERPROOF labels for much cheaper!  All I did was find an online water bottle label template (so I'd have the right size) and purchase digital scrapbook paper (I used Etsy again).  Then I designed my own labels using Microsoft Publisher and printed them at Kinkos for about $7 (I think I did 10 sheets of paper).  (I have since learned that printing them using my home printer is just as effective).  Once I cut each label out, I used clear shipping tape (perfect size for this project) and placed a label on the tape, leaving enough tape at both ends to wrap around the bottle.  I then stuck my label where the original label used to be.

My PDF files for the water bottle labels, food labels and the baby shower ABC game can be found here:  

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B0Ib76ZDuJWKSzVHRkxEWmxha28/edit?usp=sharing 

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B0Ib76ZDuJWKaHBlM1BDMDZRY2s/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B0Ib76ZDuJWKTTBORmxIRjMtZWs/edit?usp=sharing

 Tractor Supply Company had these apple bushels for under $6! And the burlap bags I used were a $1 a piece!  I can use the bushel basket and burlap for fall decorating around my house, so I think these were great finds.

Pitchforks and Shovels for forks and spoons.  

 Hay bales for Rice Krispie Treats!

Chocolate donuts for Tractor Tires! I love this tractor and trailer toy that Margo brought.  It worked perfectly!

I LOVE Mason Jars and will probably use them at almost every party/event I plan.

Almost exactly a month later, Margo and I hosted another baby shower!  This shower was for our friend Catherine who is pregnant with her second child, a little girl.  This is her first little girl, so wanted to make sure she had a shower filled with pink, pink and more PINK!  Catherine also loves fall and since her little girl is due in October, a girly fall themed baby shower was perfect.

Another cute Etsy invitation find!

I saw an inspiration for this wreath on Pinterest, and knew I had to make a similar one with my own twist.  I love how this turned out.  Another grapevine wreath with burlap and raffia!  After I cut out my burlap and fabric triangles, I used spray adhesive to hold them together.  I then painted the letters onto the burlap.  Once dried, I hot glued twine to the back and tied the two banners onto to the grapevine.  A simple burlap and ribbon bow with raffia and you're done!

More embroidering!  I'm so upset that I didn't take pictures of 
everything I embroidered for this shower. These are 
precious little bloomers :)

More water bottle labels!

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B0Ib76ZDuJWKdEw2Rm80dkVwelU/edit?usp=sharing

And of course more Mason Jars!

There's that Bushel basket again :)

One of the things I was most excited about was having a hair bow making station!  We had soft, stretchy headbands, ribbon-covered clips, fabric flowers, bows and ribbon available for guests to make sweet baby Elaina a headband or bow!  I think this was the cutest part of the shower!

*** Just a word to the wise.. if you plan on doing something similar, I would shop around online for the supplies.  You will quickly find they are much cheaper online than at a craft store.  However, make sure you order with plenty of time for shipping and also put your supplies somewhere safe once they've arrived at your house... or your husband may throw them away! Yes, Ben tossed the box that held the most adorable fabric flowers and chevron-printed headbands.  I discovered this the night before the shower, but thankfully had enough time to make a run to HL before the shower started.  We were also very lucky in that Margo's sister had some extra flowers and supplies that she let us use!

I apologize for the lack of quality of pictures for this shower.  I SO wish I would have charged my camera before, instead of using my iphone.  Oh well! The shower was still adorable and I think Catherine was able to get some better pictures, so that's all that matters! :)

Both showers were successful and lots of hard work, but so worth it!  Both mommas-to-be received so many wonderful gifts and hopefully felt very loved that day.  Before I experienced having wedding and then baby showers of my own, I never knew how much of a blessing they truly are.  Even though showers can be time consuming to plan and sometimes expensive to carry out, they are something that the honoree will forever remember.  If you have the time and resources available, I urge you to jump at the opportunity to throw a wedding or baby shower for one of your friends!  Browse Pinterest for crafty ideas and find a friend to co-host with you.  You'll be so happy you did!