Sydney's Ladybug Party

Sydney's birthday party was so much fun!  Because Sydney is so into birthdays, I started asking her what kind of party she wanted a few months ago.  We came up with many options including a "pink" party, a Toy Story party, a Fancy Nancy party, and a ladybug party.  I kind of pushed Sydney toward a ladybug party mostly because I already had the cake pan... ha ha.  But I'm glad I did, because it turned out to be the perfect party for a bunch of 2-3 year old girls!  I had too much fun coming up with ideas and planning this party.  The little details are my favorite part, because they just made everything so "ladybug!"  So beware, there are a lot of pictures.  I am the first to admit, I have a problem of taking too many pictures.  I just love them.  Believe it or not, the pictures in this post are a VERY NARROWED selection.  I have so many more, and even so many that I have deleted.  So I feel like I stuck to the bare minimum for this post... lol.

First, I made Sydney's invitation in Photoshop, and we had them printed on photo paper from Walmart.  I sent them out postcard style, with the addresses on the back, so I didn't even have to buy envelopes.  It was actually very cheap, $0.23 per card, and I think they turned out so cute!

Decoration-wise, I just did black and red balloons and crate paper streamers, both of which are very cheap, but cute.  You sure can make the whole house feel decorated very easy with balloons and streamers!  I also made sure to make my food be a part of the decorations.  I was already doing food anyway, so making it match the decor, meant I had less to decorate.  It was nice to be able to decorate based off of colors, rather than finding "ladybug" everything, because it was easy to find things that were plain red or plain black, but it still had that ladybug feel to it.

I have had those red napkins for years... since Lisa's Bridal Shower.  I think I have used them at every birthday party since, and I still have a ton left!  

I found this ladybug iron-on decal for $2 when I was shopping, and just ironed it onto one of Sydney's white shirts she already had.  Such a cute, cheap detail!

The ladybug pinata... 

Black and red licorice.  We passed this around to the adults while Sydney opened presents...

 Matt and I made carmel/chocolate covered pretzels.  They were so yummy, and darling rolled in red sprinkles!

The inspiration for it all... the ladybug cake!  It turned out so cute!

When I was making it, Sydney would come up and say, "That ladybug looks funny mom!  We need to cover up all the brown (the cake)"  and when I was done, she kept telling me, "it looks GREAT mom!"  I'm so glad she loved it!

This was the first party we've had that we've invited more than just very close family to.  Usually our parties include my family, Chris and Lisa, and Matt's grandparents.  We decided that since we are in a house this year, and we probably won't be next year, we'd expand the guest list.  We added Sydney's friend Kate, with her parents Courtney and Tyler, and Sydney's cousin, Jocelyn, and her family.  I also thought it would be fun to do a few activities appropriate for 3 year olds.  First we made some ladybug headbands.  Then we went on a "bug hunt."  After that we did a "ribbon" pinata.  And ended the night with opening presents, cake and ice cream, and playing in Sydney's room.  I think it was perfect!

For the headbands, I glued these little black balls onto red pipe cleaners earlier in the day, so all the kids had to do was wrap the pipe cleaners onto headbands...

They turned out so cute!

All 3 girls kept their headbands on all night!

For the bug hunt each girl got an empty jar, a magnifying glass, and a list of bugs to look for.  Then they walked around the house and collected their bugs...

The pinata was so cute.  It just had ribbions hanging from it, so each girl took turns pulling a ribbon out.  Pulling the ribbon is supposed to open up the bottom of the pinata so the candy falls out, rather than hitting it with a bat, which 3 year old girls probably aren't very good at in a room full of people...

All of the kids enjoyed helping Sydney open presents.  She has been loving her new toys, which include many Disney Princess, Toy Story, Dora, and My Little Pony items.  Thanks to everyone!

Sydney ready to blow out the candles on her cake... one thing I learned, is to give the pieces with black frosting to the adults!

The girls enjoyed playing in Sydney's room with her new toys, while the adults chatted in the family room!

Jocelyn, Kate, Sydney

We had so much fun with all of our good friends and family!  You all made Sydney's birthday perfect!  She was so happy to spend her special day with the people she loved.  A special thanks to Matt's family who sent presents and phone calls our way!  We missed having you there.  It was such a fun day and something we will always remember!

 Sydney practicing putting up 3 fingers...

Our cute little 3 year old... 

We love you Sydney!