Cowgirl Kids Party

~Cowgirl Themed Birthday Party~

A theme, does a party really need a theme!? I have always thought so, but maybe I am just one of those people that are just wired that way!  Yesterday, we celebrated my youngest daughter's 2nd birthday! Along with it being her birthday, my husband, kids and I are moving from the western part of the US, all the way to the east coast next week (it hasn't set in yet)!! Having a party for my youngest was in the back of my mind all month, but I kept thinking we might have to move sooner or we might be moving the same weekend. I am not a last minute planner, but when I commit to throwing a party, I love to plan all the way down to every last detail! Yes, I am type A, detailed oriented right down to color of the thread I used to make a balloon backdrop! Its like something takes over my mind and I can't slow down the process of the growing vision I get for how something is supposed to look in the end! Its a love/hate quality about myself, but its also one that drives my husband and I am sure my family and friends crazy!

At the last minute I decided that I needed to just go for it and throw a birthday party for my 2 year old. Feeling guilty if I didn't,  that when she got old enough to realize that she didn't have the pictures her sister had at her 2nd birthday, she would be disappointed! So, with a move across the country on the horizon, no packing done, photo sessions booked, I took the plunge and yes went all out!

Thank God for family & friends to help! Details are always stressful, but when they come together and an image is captured like this one above, its exhilarating!

The cake was a collaboration of ideas, but handcrafted with love by my mother-in-law, who graciously puts up with my OCD party planning craziness! I found bits and pieces of each component to the party on pinterest (gotta love pin boards! Hallelujah!) and then random shopping on my many party planning, moving, photo session errands I ran all week!

Here are a couple shots from the party:

Cowgirl Cake with Belt Buckle and Horse topper

Cowgirl Cupcake Jars

This is a perfect cake idea to have for all the kids at the party! We made one for each that attended! It was quick and easy to serve! Right after we blew out candles, we handed these out to the anxiously awaiting kiddos hovering around the cake table! I purchased really long blue ice cream spoons, that were sturdy enough that they wouldn't break! The kids loved it! We garnished each jar with fondant stars and strawberries on top! 

This is my oldest and she is a little easier to capture for pictures! The two year old wasn't having it until the end of the party! There is never a great time of the day to have a party for a 2 year old, you almost always get the "crankies" at some point!

Balloon Backdrop

My mom and I made a balloon backdrop for all the kids to get pictures in front of! They loved it! Here I was able to capture both my girls for a brief moment!

And finally the birthday girl herself! She finally sat down for me, but by then the balloon backdrop had been attacked by so many kids, it had started to fall down!

And one last one of my oldest having fun posing for me!

The party was a huge success! I think the kids and adults alike had fun! It came together so cute and even though I am exhausted and now I need to focus my efforts on getting our little family moved clear across the county, I am so glad I went go into my party planning mode! Now my youngest will have memories she can look back on even though she might not remember them!

You can find more pictures at www.mariahallenphotography.com or find me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mariahallenphotography

Happy Trails,