BabyMOO turns TWO!

BabyMoo turned two last Sunday, and we had a little party for close friends and family to celebrate the milestone.

We decided to have it at the Playground at our home, where there is a vast, open area in which the kids can play. I toyed with the idea of having a party at one of the many indoor playgrounds which BabyMoo frequent, but decided against it because the food served at such venues are usually finger foods and we can't have a caterer of our choice.

The hubs and I are very particular about having 'real' food at our parties, and we don't want our guests to have to dine elsewhere after the party because the food was just there to look pretty, fit with a theme, or for nibbling purposes. Furthermore, most of our relatives have adult kids or have none at all, so we had to ensure that the environment is comfortable enough for them, whilst providing the kids with suitable entertainment as well.

Two separate parties will just be too much of a hassle! Being a working mum, I could manage the party planning, but I don't have the luxury of time to execute the plans without outsourcing certain fundamentals. With a little help from some very reliable suppliers, we managed to pull off the simple party - and we hope that everyone had as much fun as BabyMoo did!

The Invite

We decided to go with a Lego theme because BabyMoo loves Lego, and the colours are so bright and fun to work with. I made the invite using Photoshop, and we had it printed and sent to our family and friends 3 weeks prior to the party date.

I like to personalise party favours as and when I am able to, and thus it was necessary for us to get the responses so that I can have the names printed out on the goody bags.

We left a note for the kids to bring their outdoor gear, and so that I didn't have to worry about entertainment they can have fun during the party!

The Party

With the weather being so unpredictable, I was so worried that it would rain on party day. That would really spoil everything, and the kids will be so disappointed if they couldn't ride or scoot! Thankfully, the day dawned bright and clear, and although it was humid - it didn't rain at all.

The Party People

The Little People

The Food

We decided to go with NEO Garden Catering because they have never failed to deliver great food and service at other parties which we have been to. Although their portions are true to order (if you are expecting 50 people, please don't order for 40 persons, because there would not be enough food for everyone!) and they are slightly on the pricey side, we feel that this is fair in favour of providing quality catered food for our guests.

Their follow up service and communications is impeccable, and Kelly, the lady whom I liaised with - was extremely accommodating to our requests. Delivery was slightly earlier than agreed upon, but it was a small matter as the set up guy informed me that they gave allowance for traffic conditions. He was also polite, and had everything set up in about 15 minutes (all by himself)!

Pick up time was supposed to be at 8.15pm, but he informed us that should the party run late - to just give him a call and he will swing by later instead. He wished us an enjoyable time before he left, and even sends his regards to the birthday boy. I understand that the catering market is competitive and perhaps they have been instructed to provide service above and beyond the call of duty, but I was really impressed, and set a positive tone for the party.

The Birthday Cake

In keeping with the Lego theme, I asked my long time friend Christina of Baking Bees to specially create a Lego themed cake for us. I wanted something simple yet fun, and since at two years of age our dear boy understands a lot of things... it also has to be a cake that will 'wow' him.

Christina baked cupcakes for BabyMoo's goody bags on his 1st birthday and did not disappoint, so I was more than happy to leave the task in her capable hands.

And look what she came up with! Two Lego blocks made up of three layers of blackforest cake covered in fondant, in bright yellow and striking red!

Needless to say, BabyMoo was extremely happy with his cake, and kept going 'WowowowowWOW'!

The Birthday Song

When everyone started singing him the Birthday Song, BabyMoo acted all coy!

The Goody Bags

I'm very particular when it comes to goody bags, and will try to provide one which will make the kids AND their parents happy to receive. So I would give the kids what I would like the boy to receive in a goody bag.

The challenge was to think of a gift which is non gender specific, and fits with the theme, so after a little research on the net, I decided to include 2 Lego-block photo frames, one as a fridge magnet, and another as a standing one, plus 4 little Lego block magnets.

I initially did not want to include chocolates or candies, but at the very last minute, I decided to put in some. I think that it will make the kids happier since chances are, they would have come to associate party favours with it. I didn't want them to anticipate or expect, and find none at all.

I had a little problem trying to find clear plastic bags, since most of those for goody bags have really awful cartoon characters, hearts or flowers on them, but I eventually managed to find some at a neighbourhood shop. Problem is they don't sell loose ones, so now I'm stuck with 460 clear bags... after deducting what I used.

This also meant that I would have to find a little bag to put both the Lego frames / magnets and the party treats in. I stumbled upon a party planning site run by a mumpreuneur, and was extremely pleased that she knew exactly what I had in mind, even without me going into much graphic details in my first email correspondence. Browsing her site, testimonials and portfolio - I could see that she really took into account little details to fit into each theme. Yen Leng from Party with Eva (named after her adorable daughter) is able to customise everything from party favours to planning the entire party for you! I ordered little bags in Lego colours, provided her the Legoman head graphic, and gave her the list of names for the bag. Ten days later - I collected the bags, and true enough - each bag was painstakingly hand made!

The Birthday Boy

He had so much fun!

For all who came to celebrate BabyMoo's birthday, thank you for making the day a wonderful one for him.

We hope you had as much fun as we did!

A special thank you goes out to Adeline of The Accidental Mom Blogger and Nadia of Itchyfingers for the fabulous pics!