First, I just have to tell you about my whirlwind trip to Chi-Town for the Shaklee Fall Regional Meeting. My business is something I am very proud of and passionate about. So when I found out the meeting was the same weekend as Maise's 2nd birthday, I knew I would just have to make it work.
So on Friday, my business partner and friend, Kristin, and I hopped on a little plane to Chicago.
As much as I love the professional development I get out of these conferences, what I love most is seeing my Shaklee family. I love to spend time with all my team mates. We have a very close knit group of women who are passionate about sharing the gift of Shaklee and providing a better, healthier life for their families.
After just roughly 30 hours in Chicago, we were back on a plane for a late night flight home. I had a two year old whose birthday party I needed to get back to. As it turned out, leaving so soon was a blessing in disguise since the tornadoes hit there the next morning. Many of my team mates were stuck in Chicago for hours and didn't make it home until Monday.
Now, it was party time.
I love event planning in general, but planning birthday parties for my kids is by far my favorite! I start months ahead of time, scoping out themes and decorating ideas. I wanted this party to be super cute and festive, but very inexpensive. For this one, I chose the Monkey Love theme from Party City. I loved the colors and it seemed to fit her personality to a tee.
I set out to find the perfect invitation. I wanted a picture invitation without the high price tag. I found this gal on Ebay who designed one for me for 12 bucks. She did an awesome job and I will definitely use her again. She sent me the artwork file and I ordered prints from Snapfish for .09 cents a piece. SCORE!
While surfing for the invitation, I also stumbled on Tutus by Gayle who makes the most ADORABLE themed shirts and tutu outfits. I had to have one for Maise, even though it was a bit of a splurge. Again, she did a wonderful job and I highly recommend her.
Despite a nerve-racking power outage in the middle of food prep, the party was a great success! We had a great spread of food. It was what I like to call a Party From My Pantry. I happened to have quite a bit of odds and ends, such as dips and breads that I could use. Throw in assorted fruit and some cheese and crackers and you have appetizer delight!
Many friends and family joined us to celebrate her day.
Including the three muskuteers...
The cake turned out wonderfully thanks to a terrific cake decorator at our local Hy-Vee.
Maise LOVED having us all sing Happy Birthday to her and blowing out her candles.
Mia wanted in on the action too...
Somehow, Maise got a big huge glob of frosting all over the back of her pants and her feet so she ended up opening her presents pant-less.
I can't imagine life without our precious little monkey, yet it is so hard to believe that she is already two years old. I wish we could stay in the moment with her forever. They grow so fast, it breaks my heart. But, I guess the plus side is I get to have fun planning more birthday parties!
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