Friday, August 12, 2011

zoe's 6th birthday picnic party

so the reason why zoe's birthday 
was extra extra special this year was because
she had not one but two parties!

yup! that's right....two birthday parties

every year, we hold a pretty large shindig for our little girl
we invite all our aunts, uncles, cousins, friends
neighbors, zoe's friends and classmates 
(hey! we are filipino, we love big parties!)

but my hubs recently changed careers 
and as a result his schedule changed too
with no weekends off and no holiday time (for a short time at least)
so we thought a little intimate party would be best

but when my mom found out, she pleaded with us
to continue the tradition of big parties
and since i didn't want to disappoint zoe and cancel the tea party
i quickly threw together a "second" party

i wanted something casual and fun
zoe has been really into picnics this summer
so i thought a picnic party would be perfect!

the party favors were mini picnic baskets i bought at a local craft store
i covered the top with washi tape
and filled them with goldfish crackers and gummy watermelon slices



i also wanted to do a mini dessert table
 it included mini donut holes
mini cupcakes
mini brownie bites
mini cinnamon buns
and i threw in some oreo cookies for good measure




 i had a vision of some sort of diy lemonade stand
i had some leftover chalkboard paint
so i made a mini chalkboard to write the instructions on


it was a pretty simple concept because i wanted the kids to be able to do it too






the menu consisted of picnic type foods
hot dogs, hamburgers, traditional filipino barbeque on sticks
salad and fresh fruit
(thanks mom for making the barbeque!)

we asked the guests to bring their own picnic blankets or lawn chairs
 and they gathered on the grass to eat


one of the many reasons why i did give in to my mom 
and have another party for zoe
was because there are so many people in zoe's life who love her so much
and who would have been disappointed if they
weren't able to celebrate her special day with her



my baby sister baked zoe's birthday cake

can you believe it was the first time she baked a cake ?! 
(without any help that is)
isn't it gorgeous?! it was also soooo yummy!!!




and then after dinner (and once the sun set a little)
we had a movie under the stars
i have been wanting to do this since zoe was a year old!!
but when 90% of your guests are in bed by 7pm
it wasn't really feasible... but this year i thought it would be!


 we didn't originally include the outdoor movie in our invitation
because we wanted to surprise our guests
but we realized after watching the outdoor movie in portland
that we had to tell them so they could come 
prepared with extra blankets, warm clothes and bug spray!!



i wasn't sure if we could pull it off
(all the equipment was borrowed and we definitely aren't audio visual experts!)
but somehow my hubs did it ! (he is so awesome)
we served fresh popped popcorn and the kids snuggled under blankets and sleeping bags
it was a perfect summer night

even though it was super hectic throwing two parties in one day
it was all worth it because when i tucked zoe into bed that night
she whispered to me
"thanks mommy, i had the best birthday ever..."

17 comments:

Sandy a la Mode said...

oh WOW!! the party, food, and CAKE are amazing!!! happy birthday zoe, wow, already 6!?!? soo big!!

Unknown said...

Oh Jozen! What a fantastic idea! Zoe is growing up to be a beauty (like her mama!) Time sure flies :) Happy birthday Zoe!!

Bubbles said...

You have such fantastic ideas for parties, I love every year reading what you've come up with and it always turns out bigger and better... these children will remember it for years. I bet your relatives find it hard to match it for their own children.

The Arizona Russums said...

this is precious! i can't believe you "threw this together." you must be a natural party planner.

Krysten @ Why Girls Are Weird said...

Okay can you throw ME a party? I am majorly jealous, that looks like SO much fun!

Joanne said...

Your parties are so pretty!!
And 2 birthday parties for Zoe! What a lucky girl! She is truly blessed to have lots of people who love her. :)

Tang said...

Such an incredibly sweet birthday party! She's one lucky girl! :)

flora said...

i can't believe you pulled off 2 parties! what a lucky girl you have! and that cake your sis made is fabulous! I love the ribbon layers!

Alely said...

you are the best mommy ever! what an amazing birthday day! everything looked absolutely wonderful!

mandyface said...

Madam, you are adorable. From H to T. I need you to plan all my parties ok??

Therese said...

wow what a lovely day

Becky said...

what a fantastic looking cake! Looks like the party was super fun!

Jenn Kirk said...

Happy birthday to your little one! Such a sweet party. And digging the make your own lemonade idea. Super gourmet!

cArLa said...

it was a great birthday indeed! i'm still dreaming of the cake - it was delish!

Katyha said...

OH MY! that is a BIG cake and it looks so adorable too

Sometimes Life is Bliss And Sometimes Not ! said...

I live in Chicago yes in the city so we have movies in the park. The most fun recent one was The Wizard of OZ in OZ park. There were kids in costumes and all sorts of fun another fun one was Charlie and the Chocolate factory next to a Chocolate factory.

Jean said...

i always wanted to do a movie under the stars at night, outside!!

what a lovely birthday!