Happy Monday! This past weekend brought a family birthday! Our Grandson, Parker, turned TWO!

Parker has always been a Mickey Mouse Super Fan and is a very big fan of the show Mickey Mouse Clubhouse so when it came time to plan the first birthday he would actually participate in celebrating, it was a no brainer that Mickey Mouse Clubhouse should be the theme! Starting with the invites! These are from Etsy and are just a perfect way to set the theme for all of your guests!

But Parker's party had a little twist to it. Being fortunate enough to have just about everything a little boy could want or need, Parker saw an ad on TV about adopting a Tiger and he wanted it immediately. So Tory looked up the information and found out how Parker could "adopt" Tai the Tiger. So this insert went into each invitation to give the guests an alternative gift that they could, if they wished, give instead of something like a toy or clothing to Parker. We have simply wonderful family and friends and Tai is officially adopted! Parker will get a certificate of adoption as well as a little stuffed version of Tai. He will love it!

When the guests arrived they were directed to the back gate of the yard with this little handpainted Clubhouse sign. 

And just in case you were not aware it was a PARTY, we put out the huge Disney themed Happy Birthday banner which covered the pergola in the front of the house. This is one of the many ways buying the official licensed kits can really work in your favor. This one came with many decorations for the party.

Not every plan works when you set up a party. We had planned on getting photos of each kid or family as they came into the party. Jack, Parker's Uncle, was really the only kid we ever got to sit down and take a picture...and he was doing that as a favor to me. We did get one later with Parker and his Poppa Harry but it was an ordeal. But...

While the photo booth idea didn't actually work, the balloons sure did! Because they were tethered to the balloon weights it was easy for the kids to play with the bunches of balloons without them flying away. Parker, pictured here, really really loved this idea and was constantly going to get the balloons and drag them around the yard where he and the other kids would beat up on them! They had a wonderful time!

There were special Mylar balloons as well but they were tied to the food table so everyone got to see the truly special balloons with no danger of them flying away. This means the Birthday Boy gets to play with them all week too!

Tory did a lot of DIY for this party but used the decorative stuff like plates and napkins to add to her theme. Being Disney fans they already had the Mickey bowls so we just filled them up with chips, rolled napkins and fresh strawberries for the party!

And speaking if DIY! Tory made this amazing name plate for Parker out of wood lettering and base from the craft store, paint and scrapbook paper. It was the perfect personalized focal point for the food table! 

When Parker was just beginning to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on TV he would always get SO excited when the "Hot Dog" song came on so we figured that a Hot Diggety Dog Bar would be perfect for the party. Everyone loved making their custom dogs for lunch.

The whole table was set off by layering the plastic tablecloths. We wrapped empty soda boxes with a black plastic tablecloth so "Mickey" colors would be on the main table. And, of course, there was Toodles for the very front of the table! We even took the cardboard trays that the water bottles were packaged in, wrapped them up and stuck on some Mickey's so we could set out the chips in a decorative way!

And speaking of the water bottles! As always Tory made some amazing labels for the bottles...not just one design but THREE! We set them up in a cooler with just a bit of ice on the bottom to keep them cool and show off the three designs. The day ended up being rather warm and sunny so it was great to have all of this water for everyone along with the soda and juice boxes.

Another Etsy find were these personalized candy bar labels! They were the perfect favor for the grown ups!

They were presented in a basket on the favor table along with another sign that says "For The Grown Ups".

There were signs everywhere adding more details to the party, continuing the theme on each table, as well as giving information. SO cute!

Each kid got an activity book. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse coloring books from the Dollar Store along with Crayola crayons wrapped up and personalized for the little kids...

...and Word Search Book with Disney pens for the bigger kids. A perfect take home gift for kids who had been filling up on junk food and running around like crazy all day.

For Parker's 1st Birthday they had a personalized shirt made for him to wear. It was such a hit they decided to do it again this year! Tory found this one on Etsy and it was, indeed, perfect for Parker and for the theme of the Party. Oh, and see the bubbles? They bought an inexpensive bubble machine, set up up on a branch of a tree and let it run, filling it up from time to time with bubble mix, and the kids LOVED it! What a fun and inexpensive way to entertain the kids at the party!

One of the signs on the gift table directed guests who had brought cards with donations in them to the box on the table. 

And while Parker got enough donations to adopt Tai the Tiger he also got lots of toys...mainly cars since the kid is crazy about anything that has wheels! 

There was a Happy Note box as well so guests could leave a note for Parker's Scrapbook when they dropped off any gifts on the gift table. The sign, the note papers and the little logos are all printed out on a computer. Not hard to do at all.

Some ways that easy DIY can add to your party were a big hit on the Cake Table! This coffee can was turned into a Mickey themed detail with a bit of paint and buttons! The Handy Helpers sign was held in place with a weight that we stuck the skewer into before sticking it into the can. The internet came to the rescue again with the personalized Parker Birthday Sign. Tory found it on Pinterest and followed the link to a fellow blogger who made it up just for Parker! Not only does it continue the color palette but it also continues the theme and gives them a keepsake to put into Parker's room after the party.

Another item was the Birthday Calendar. Each guest was asked to sign their name on the day of their birthday. This makes it easy for Parker to see whose birthday is coming up next, learn all about birthdays, and also be taught how to shop for and how to give gifts to others. The calendar is filled up with photos from Parker's many trips to Disneyland with family and friends. Yup, we are a Disney family!

The Cake Table was a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse explosion! From the plates to the napkins, to the Handy Helpers Can, the Birthday Sign and the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse themed cake, it was colorful and perfect for the theme!

And, of course, there was the cake. Lemon Chiffon, Parker's favorite, with Lemon Curd Butter Cream filling was under the fresh vanilla fondant design by Cat's Cakes. Find out all about how it was made step by step on the Cake Blog! Parker was very happy with his cake and cracked everyone up by eating it...with his face only! It was just the funniest part of the whole day. 

Yes, a lot of work and planning went into this "Backyard Party" but if you start several months ahead of time and get all the pieces made and ready then the morning of the party all you have to do is set it all up. Then let the party roll! We had such a good time celebrating Parker's 2nd Birthday that we are already talking about what to do for his 3rd!

Happy Birthday to our "Parker-Boo"! 

Next week I'll be bringing you a wedding! I'll share it with you on Tuesday of next week since it is a Destination Wedding and I will be traveling!

Cat