Carson's Birthday Parties

We had Carson's birthday parties back on February 19th and 20th.  We decided to do two parties again this year - one with Kevin's family and friends and one with Sara's family and friends.  We're all able to enjoy the party more when we break it into two. 

Also, a little disclaimer... I have not had a chance to edit any of the pictures... which is what I've been postponing the post for... so they're just the pics as taken through the camera right now.  Once I get them edited, maybe I'll go back and update the pictures... if I have time.  :)

Carson picked a Cat in the Hat theme this year.  He LOVES Cat in the Hat - the book and the show.  He often pretends he is playing with Nick and Sally and the Cat.  We kept things pretty simple, though.  We had a big cut-out Cat on our front door, some red and blue balloons and streamers across the windows and fireplace, some tissue paper balls that resembled Thing 1 and Thing 2 hanging from our lights, and red and blue candies sitting out.  We decided not to do any formal games and just let the kids play.  Our friends with kids weren't able to come, so it was going to be the cousins at both parties and they just always have fun playing together, so we figured we'd save some planning there.  :) 

I also picked up a copy of Dr. Seuss' "Happy Birthday To You" book and asked everyone from both parties to sign it for a keepsake. 

We had decent weather for the party on Saturday.  It had gotten cold again, thankfully!  We had a thaw earlier in the week and we were worried our yard and driveway were going to be either under water or super muddy.  Thankfully, things froze up again before the party and it wasn't too bad.  We had a dinner buffet on Saturday.  Carson picked goulash, so that's what we had.  As well as some Hat-themed jello trifles (with strawberry jello and real whipped cream layered in cups), fresh fruit, veggies, cornbread, cheese dip and chips, and a few other things. 

Kevin's sister, Mary, made an awesome cake for the Saturday party.  It looked amazing and was absolutely perfect!  Carson loved it and asked for the Cat's Hat on his piece, of course.  As always, the cake was delicious, too! 

Carson loved having "Happy Birthday" sung to him by everyone and just grinned from ear to ear the entire time and even conducted us for a bit.  :) 

Everyone was generous, as always, and Carson received so many great gifts!  He got an awesome grill, play food, a slip 'n slide (which he calls his sled sprinkler), Legos, an Imaginext pirate ship, an ABC puzzle, some summer clothes, some art stuff, some books, and an Etch-a-Sketch.  He has had so much fun with everything ever since - getting new toys is so fun, isn't it? 

Aunt Mary, Uncle Justin, and Rebecca stuck around for a bit after everyone had left so that they could leave closer to bedtime and Rebecca would sleep in the car.  Carson and Rebecca had a blast dancing together and playing some more.  They are both really loving all the times they've got to play together this winter! 

The weather for Sunday's party was another story from the Saturday party.  We were bracing for another winter storm that was supposed to roll through in the afternoon.  We had Carson's party set for 2:00, so we knew we'd get hit during the party.  With the storm coming, the family coming in from Bay City, Clare, and Brighton didn't make it to the party.  While we were sad they weren't coming, we'd much prefer them safe at home and not facing the horrendous road conditions that came with the storm.  :) 

Everyone else came to the party.  Even Aunt Cindy and Cooper joined us... which was a big surprise for Aunt Sharon, who didn't know they were coming!  Aunt Sharon's birthday was the 17th, so Cindy was surprising her best friend for her birthday.  We were all happy to see Cindy and Cooper, though, it has been quite awhile since we've seen them! 

The snow started about a half hour or so into the party...

Carson had a lot of fun playing soccer and football with Cooper and Kaden. He had a lot of fun playing with Tyson, too.  Tyson is getting so big, he's walking all over the place now and keeping up with the bigger kids!  Poor Gabe wasn't feeling too hot and Mackenzey wasn't there because of the impending storm. 

We took it easy for this party and just decided to do homemade appetizers and then order pizza and salad.  It's nice to have a little break sometime.  :)  By the time we were getting ready to eat, we'd gotten about 2 inches of snow already.

Again, everyone was more than generous and Carson got even more great things!  Hi-Ho Cherrio, Cootie, a fishing game, an ABC game, Toy Story Memory, Toy Story figures, an ABC musical learning toy, a Play-Doh burger making toy, a cool motorcycle toy, a baseball outdoor toy, a toy chest for his new bedroom, some books, some art stuff, several summer outfits, a swim suit and rash guard, pajamas, and some savings bonds. 

I just made cupcakes for this party.  Carson picked the flavors - funfetti and red velvet.  I iced them with red and blue icing.  They seemed to go over well.  :)

The guys had a good time playing cards at the party and the rest of us ended the party playing the fishing game. 

By the end of the party, we had gotten a good 3 or 4 inches of snow, probably.  And the roads were pretty bad by the looks of them.  I know it took Cindy and Cooper over 4 hours to get back to Grand Rapids... and it would normally be an hour and a half from our house!  We're very thankful that everyone made it home safely! 

Thanks to everyone who celebrated our son's 3rd birthday with us!  We are so fortunate to have such loving, generous friends and family!