Trucks, cake and pizza, oh my!
We welcomed our oldest son, Grant, a few day shy of his actual due date on April Fools Day! From that day forward, our lives were forever changed, NO JOKE!
With his 4th birthday on the horizon, we decided for the first time we would opened up celebrations to more than family. Grant has so many pre-school buddies now and my husband, Kris, and I were looking for ways to connect with our new neighbors. So we decided on a party at the local park, walking distance from our home. The more the merrier! Grant decided the theme - construction worker. So I got to work planning and Kris secured a city license to throw a party at the park.
I hit Pinterest, Etsy and Amazon HARD and filled my cart with all of the construction themed decor I could get my hands on! Balloons arch supplies, caution tape, photo backdrops, orange plastic cones, construction worked vests and hard hats for all his little friends and Big Dot of Happiness came through with adorable truck yard signs and invitations (seen below). If you've never heard of them, CHECK THEM OUT! They have adorable party decor for any theme you could possibly dream up!
I dropped invitations off at his school (while he was home sick with the flu) and sent a follow up E-vite to ensure all his little friends were invited. Shortly after, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. People who had RSVP'ed yes, understandably soon began to pull out for fear of being in large groups. It quickly became very clear, this party was not going to happen. Knowing the likely outcome,
we stopped talking to Grant about the party and started thinking about Plan B - a day spent at home doing all the things the birthday boy loved to do.
I spent the night before his big day blowing up a balloon arch and decorating the living room with all of the construction worked themed goodies, creating a present zone! When he woke that morning we blasted a punk rock rendition of Happy Birthday as he made his way down the stairs ducking under the construction tape, grinning ear to ear. And I will never forget it, he look at all the presents and decorations, hugged me and said, "thank you mama, I love you". #MELT
After breakfast, we opened presents and send video messages and pictures to our loved ones who thoughtfully sent gifts. Many of his sweet classmates shared birthday wishes and sang to him on videos that I loaded onto his iPad so he could watch over and over again. We even FaceTimed his best buddy, who ironically was also celebrating his birthday in quarantine that same day.
Then, it was time to bake! Fancying myself a cook not a baker, I normally hired a local bakery to create amazing custom sweet treats for birthday occasions. Not this year -- I decided we'd take that challenge on together as a rainy day birthday activity. So I hit Pinterest for inspiration and we went for it. Flour, fudge and a big ol' mess later, we baked the cake and left it to cool during nap time. I was not about to decorate the cake with him in the kitchen so I pulled off the final design with a little help from a YouTube 'how to' video while he slept. When he woke, he was tickled to come down the stairs to see his finished cake sitting in the center of our kitchen island.
But before indulging in cake, even the birthday boy must eat dinner. His meal of choice was make your own pizza from Ynot Italian (check out the link - you might see a few familiar cute faces). Grant and I tuned into the explainer video and whipped up a cheesy pizza dinner for our family.
We ended Grant's construction worked birthday bash by helping Uncle Matt (AKA - my brother), build the boys their very own sand box. Filled with all of their trucks and sand toys, it was an end to a very special birthday weekend for our big boy!
Quick Takeaways
Check out Big Dot of Happiness when planning your next party!
If local to Hampton Roads, check out locals favorite, Ynot Italian, and order an at home pizza kit for the kids!
Don't be afraid to bake and decorate your own cake - hit Pinterest for inspiration and instruction!
Comments