Hunter's 2nd Birthday! (Finally!)

I have been OBSESSED with this party planning blog for quite awhile.  This woman is my idol. On that note, I was so sad to find out that her shop was temporarily out of commission when Hunter's birthday came around.  She threw the most amazing party for her six-year-old son.  I used that party as inspiration for Hunter's 2nd Birthday! Mine barely holds a candle to hers, but here goes: 

The invitation was so fun for me!  I made it using powerpoint! (I really need to invest in photoshop...)

I adore Polkadots & Pirates signature banners, so here is my attempt at one.  I have to say, I have definitely got my money's worth for my Cricut. It came in handy for this bad boy.

The 'candy bar'.  Seriously, who got candy from the Sweet Factory in Arrowhead Mall? Don't those bags look straight from there!?  A little walk down memory lane, if you will.  The candy bar was complete with Swedish fish, Gummy Sharks and Gum balls. 

I couldn't leave out the life savers!

Squirt shark party favors! 

Again shout-out to power point!

MMMmmm...Costco cupcakes.  

I fell.in.love with those mini pinwheels at Michaels.  Thankfully they put out their July 4th decor in May. :)  I can sadly admit that I wasted like five solid minutes mesmerized with them.

  

I wish I would have had a close up of the silverware!  They had cute little napkin rings on them that said "Enjoy a bite!"

  I was on the lookout for napkins that weren't solid red or solid blue and I finally found some! Party City you're my hero. (Bueller?)

   

The first game we played was the 'Cake Hunt' where there were various clues throughout the house leading to the cake. The first clue read:

 The Cake is missing! It’s hidden from view.

If you want your dessert, then here’s what you do:

Follow the clues; they’ll lead you to more;

To find your next clue, look by the front door.

...and so on. The kids loved it and I loved how much running up and down the stairs wore them out. Win-win if you ask me.  

They found it!   

Don't those candles ROCK!?  I was sad he only needed two because I wanted to use them all!

Two of the cutest boys ever! (Other than mine of course :))

Tanya and Preston

Cake! Cake! Cake! Costco came through for me again on this one!

 It was so funny to see Hunter try and blow out the candles.  He was blowing so hard and throwing his huge head forward at the same time, I was worried he was going to catch his hair on fire or face plant in the cake!

I tapped into my joy school days for this fun little fishing game.  I attached a paper clip to each fish' (fishes? fish's? anyone?) mouth with a raffle ticket on the backside.  Then, Mike made fishing poles out of dowels, string and magnets. I drew a ticket from the baggie and the winner got a super-cool shark tooth  necklace! 

I didn't specify exactly HOW you had to fish, so some kids got pretty inventive...

Nice action shot Wardy!

I found the PERFECT shark swim outfit for his party at Dillards!  The best part was that it was 50% off! Holla! I can't believe I neglected to get a picture with his shoes on because they made the outfit completely. Here is a picture of them though, so you can get the idea:

Isn't that shark towel the cutest!?  My friend Tara found it for him and it couldn't have been more perfect!

The birthday boy, post part, enjoying a blue gum-ball in his birthday suit.  Thanks for crossing your legs. We all appreciate it.

I had so much fun putting together his party and I can't wait to tell you all about Mikey's Super Mario Party! That's coming up next, I promise.  :)