PLAY: Party!

Our sweet Finn has just turned two.  It is hard to believe!

And as his birthday approached we wanted to be sure to make is special.

However, he is not a huge cake eater.

first piece of cake on his 1st birthday - gagging ensued.

So as we got ready to celebrate his 2nd birthday, I started to think outside of the box just a bit.  For as much as he does not love cake, he is thrilled by ice cream. We decided to have an ice cream sundae party.  We had several types of ice cream and all the toppings he could dream of.  He was able to create his own huge and sloppy sundae and he enjoyed every bite of it!

not only did the birthday boy have ice cream, but he started his day with a birthday breakfast!

In thinking about celebrating his birth, I started to dream up all of the different types of summer parties I'd love to throw.

Whit recently mentioned a melon party.  Wouldn't it be lovely?

I would also love to throw a grill only party.  We are fortunate to have a grill that has a burner on the side, and there are so many fabulous ways to grill appetizers, sides, main dishes and even desserts!  It would be fun to do all the cooking outside!  

Martha Stuart has some really amazing summer party ideas.  One of which includes:

A garden pitch-in!  Everyone brings a dish with a the star ingredient being from their garden.

For the last few summers, we have been invited to a "Redneck Crawfish Boil and Slip n Slide Party."  It has been a blast and has been a refreshing change from the average backyard party. 

Growing up, my mom used to let us have Scavenger Hunt Parties.  She would make a great list and we would go around the neighborhood until we found everything on the list.  It was always a blast and we ended up getting lots of exercise, too!

What are your favorite summer party ideas?