Butterfly Party: Part 3, the Celebration!

The decor and the food are obviously important parts of a celebration, and are the fun part to plan and craft! But I never lose sight of the fact that I'm planning a party. And not just any party, a party for a two year old. At this age, Niamh doesn't have any friends her own age, so all the kids in attendance were older. It was a unique challenge coming up with games and activities that could be enjoyed by the older kids as well as the birthday girl.

We started with an arts and crafts station inspired by the amazing custom crayon boxes designed by Frog Prince Paperie. I found free printable coloring pages in my theme online, and set those out with the crayons on the low table.

The table was the perfect height for all kids, from two to twelve, who attended the party.

We have our May parties in the evening here in Phoenix, because we want to have the bulk of the celebration in the dark, when it's cooler. So rather than having play timein betweenactivities, I guided the kids from one game to another. Next up was my favorite, butterfly badminton.

Butterfly nets from the dollar section of Target were the rackets, and ribbon and lace made a beautiful "net." I let the kids bat balloons back and forth for the game. No keeping track of points necessary; it was all about the fun of hitting the balloon.

The clear balloons were definitely more sturdy than the pink and yellow ones, which tended to pop as soon as they hit the ground. Have a good supply of balloons if you play this game at one of your parties, because the kids will want to keep going!

Next up was the Chrysalis Contest. So simple, but so fun. We divided into teams, gave the kids rolls of toilet paper, and then had them cocoon one of their friends.

It was a hit with the boys and the girls, the old and the young. After bursting free of the chrysalises and flying around the yard for a bit, we played another excellent game: who can pick up the most toilet paper the fastest? ;-)

Next up was pinata time.

It was too hot to have anything chocolate in the pinata, so I filled it with bubbles and lollipops, two of Niamh's favorite things in the world. I found these bubbles in my party colors at Target, and embellished them using some of the printable scrapbook paper that Frog Prince Paperie designed to go with my party printables.
 

As always, we don't put loose candy in our pinatas. Instead, I make a baggie of treats for each child. It's still fun diving for the goodies when they spill from the pinata, but this way, each child gets exactly the same thing. No hurt feelings.

After that, it was free play time!
 

And time to eat, of course!
 

Chef Daddy showing off his pizza tossing skills. Pizzas cook in the wood-fired oven I built in about 90 seconds, so we can feed a crowd quickly and easily!
 

After dinner it was time for cake!
 

Auntie Liz and a very happy birthday girl.

The party lasted well into the night, with young friends playing and our friends relaxing under the stars.