Brave Party Part IV

For the end of the party we all headed outside for the grand finale our very own Highland Games just like in the movie.

We had archery,

a caber toss with giant pool noodles,

and a rock put with glowing balls. I was thankful for the beautiful weather we had!

Lastly, my favorite part of the party the pinata! I made one following a very easy recipe of white flour, water and newspaper. It was the perfect size for the kids and also the perfect strength, sometimes those store bought pinatas are impossible for little ones to bust open. This one was perfect for each kid to have about 2-3 hits each before busting open.

I filled the pinata with silly goodies such as plastic snakes, frogs and whistles. It was such a hit!

Want to make your own pinata? It's so easy!

What you'll need:

-white flour

-water

-newspaper

-balloon

Blow your balloon up to desired pinata size. Mix flour and water to desired consistency (I suggest something resembling pancake batter, remember the flour is what hardens your pinata). Cover newspaper strips in flour and cover your balloon. You will need to make sure your balloon dries completely before adding your second layer. It will take 2-3 layers before reaching a good strength. After it has dried completely paint it. After your paint has dried cut a hole from the top of your pinata and fill with goodies. Then if you want cover your hole back up (or leave it open like I did!) Wallah- there is your own homemade pinata!

This year Johanna was very excited about opening her presents and was so fun to watch. She had such animated expressions for everything and was so thankful for everything. I would show a picture of each present and her reaction but I figured I've taken up enough blog space with the thousands of pictures already so here are a few of my favorites.

Of course after she opened this outfit she had to have an outfit change right away.

And look, Johanna loves her Godfather, Brian! A big change from last year's party where she was horrified of him. So cute :)

Phew- I think that about covers the whole birthday. A special thanks to Aunt Tura for taking the majority of these photos so I could stay busy playing! We had such a great time celebrating Johanna's big day. It isn't about the presents or games and decorations it's about getting together with family and friends and celebrating the life of someone so special. We are so blessed and love you so much Johanna Faith!

Now which party do I start planning now? heh heh...

Brave Party Part III

These pictures don't really need any captions. I almost cried when we sang Happy Birthday to little peanut but held it back! She was such a big girl and blew out her candles all on her own. Daddy made an awesome meal of bbq chicken legs and we had a baked potato bar set up too. The kids were so cute at the kiddie table and all ate so well! They must have worked up some pretty big appetites from all that running around.

 

Brave Birthday Part II

I set up our front room for crafts. Our coffee table was the perfect size for the kids to gather around.

I had face paint setup to draw Celtic designs but after my first attempt at that I switched to easy cartoon animals instead, ha!  

 The kids got to choose their own tartan color for their shawl. Funny story, when I first brought the fabric home Johanna wanted nothing to do with it, I mean nothing. It was almost as if she was afraid of it. I figured once her party came she wouldn't mind it and would enjoy dressing up but sure enough when the time came she still wanted nothing to do with it! We joked if I had gotten a pink plaid she would have loved it.

JJ liked his :)

Then the kids got to practice their fine motor skills with necklace beading.

This part of the party was a huge hit. It was almost comical how quite the room got while everyone was busy concentrating on their hard work.

I had ordered some plastic bear claws (bears play a very big part in the movie). Unfortunately, they didn't come in time so only Johanna got to add the fancy bead to her necklace. I am going to have to bring them along to our next play date!

After arts and crafts Johanna and Etta ran upstairs to play in Johanna's room. I think it's the cutest and funniest thing that they are such good friends and love playing with each other all on their own. Kara followed them up to her room but Johanna quickly shoo'd her out telling her 'We're reading books, bye bye Tura!" all we could hear were their giggles coming from behind the door.

Brave Birthday Part I

And now for picture overload! We all know how much I like themes and planning parties. For Johanna's second birthday I was excited she chose the movie Brave for her theme. (Well, I'm sure if I had given her the option Disney princesses would have been her first pic followed very closely by Minnie Mouse...)

I had a fun time thinking of different decoration ideas. Since the movie takes place in Scotland I made sure to use a bunch of tartan plaid as part of the color scheme.

 We made sure the soundtrack was playing off the computer. If you haven't seen the movie I highly suggest it, even if it's just for the music score!

A big part of the movie were these blue floating wisps. The will o’ the wisps are in a lot of Scottish folktales. They were said to lead you to treasure or doom to change your fate (again, you gotta see the movie!) I wrapped some fabric around tissue paper to imitate the wisps leading up to the front door then hung them from a clothesline leading to the kitchen.

 I hung posters from the movie we'd gotten from pre-ordering the movie. The cake was another Target special, they really do make a great cake! I had a couple kiddie snacks set up but my favorite were the teddy grahams. In the movie there are a lot of bears so it was the perfect treat!

 The star of the movie, Princess Merida has a crazy head of red hair. I made a couple headbands with curly red ribbon for the girls to wear to mimic the look.

  Baby Easton having a laugh with his bud baby JJ. They are two weeks apart and were just laughing at each other, so cute!

Last year we had a giant party so this year we decided to keep it a lot smaller. We had mostly family; Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Kara and Uncle Russ and cousins Tyler and Nathan. My Mom flew in from Ohio and my cousin Adrienne came in. We also had Johanna's best friend Etta and her family over as well as Johanna's Godfather, Brian. Then my friends Sara and Brittany and their kiddos as well.

The weather was perfect for grilling our meal of bbq chicken legs. You can bet that's where the boys spent most of their time!

The big 2!

 

 

I have a two year old! After Johanna's fun-filled birthday party on Saturday we decided to take it easy on her officially birthday and go out to dinner. We decided to go to Red Robin.

It just so happens to be where we took Johanna last year on her first birthday!

 This year my Mom was able to join us for a nice evening out.

 And of course little bro JJ came along too.

 Last year for Johanna's big day she was all about the mac and cheese.

 This year Johanna got to choose from the kids menu herself. She decided on her very own cheeseburger (chee-burger) and oranges. We surprised her with a strawberry shake topped with sprinkles. She took about two sips and was on to something else and Mommy and Daddy finished it instead but hey, gotta splurge on your birthday!

 One of the many good things about Red Robin is that they come over to your table and make a big hoopla for your birthday. Last year Johanna wasn't sure what to think of the crazy people singing the Happy Birthday song.

This year for Johanna's second birthday she still didn't know what to think of the crazy people singing the happy birthday song.

 

 Last year Johanna didn't want anyone touching her food.

This year she made sure to share it all with her Daddy.

Johanna loved her pink birthday balloon even back then.

And what do you know she picked the same balloon this year and loves it just as much!

 

Wow- we can't believe you are another year older baby girl! Looking back at the pictures of your first birthday it seems like it was just a few months ago instead of twelve. You have been growing so much lately and turning into quite the little lady. You are a very caring and gentle spirit always giving kisses and rubbing Mom or Dad's back and you always remind us that you love us (as we love you!). Let's see what are you up to now:

 

-You can count to fourteen all on your own but you like to skip eleven sometimes :)   

-You know your ABC's and know the letters O, T, and J

-Your chore is feeding our kitty cat, Pazzo

-Your favorite foods are cherry tomatoes, (will you ever grow tired of these?) beans, cold peas (yes, literally frozen, cold peas) and edamame beans in their shell because you like to pick them out yourself. 

-You are getting your last two bottom teeth which leaves two top teeth left and your two year molars

-You wear size 2t and some 3t depending on the brand

-You love sleeping in your big girl bed and usually like to get into your books before falling asleep around 8:15. You are up at 7:00am to start the day.

-You can open doors now

-You don't open the door when you wake up from your nap or bedtime, instead you like to knock on the door saying "Hello! Mommy? Mommmmmmmy! Good morning!" until I come to get you.

-You like to say your prayers at night with Mommy then after we are done you say "Daddy Fad-der!" which means you want Dad to come up and say prayers with you again (fad-der from her sign of the cross before her prayers, gets us laughing every time).

-You have learned what the word 'scared' means so you are constantly saying you are scared of silly things i.e. 'Oh! Johanna's scared! Johanna's scared of Mickey Mouse!' then you hide under your blanket.

-Which reminds me, your favorite game is the hiding game where you hide somewhere in the house under a blanket with Daddy until Mommy comes to find you.

-Your BFF is Etta, you girls are so silly together. 

-You love your baby brother and always know how to cheer him up. When he is fussy you ask "Aww, what's the matter Bubby's?" and rub his back or give him his binky to calm him down.

 

Love you baby girl till forever and ever!

 

Thanks for the pictures Kara from last year's dinner at Red Robin! I couldn't remember if I'd taken any but found them on your blog  :)