Livi’s 4th birthday party
Hi friends! How was the weekend? Hope you had a wonderful one! Thank you so much for all of the sweet birthday wishes for Liv. I read many of them to her, and she had the sweetest smile on her face. Thank you for brightening her birthday! Since it fell on a Friday, it was celebration weekend over here. My mom flew in Thursday night, and it was so special that she could be here for Livi’s birthday morning donut tradition.
(I still can’t believe how big she is!)
Friday night, we went to her favorite restaurant (Corvette’s) for dinner, and Saturday was the big party at Kid Ventures with all of her little friends.
Kid Ventures is AMAZING. It’s a huge open play space with lots of opportunities for imaginative play: a Pirate’s ship, princess castle, nursery, fire truck, and market. We got a membership when they recently opened, and I was thankful to have another play option for Liv. (It’s tough when it gets dark outside so early and we can’t go to the playground.) They also have a full cafe with lattes and snacks, so it’s pretty much a dream come true. When I asked her where we should have her party, she immediately said Kid Ventures. Done.
We had an awesome turnout (14 kids, 3 babies, and lots of parents!) and it was so much fun. The staff did so many cute activities with the kiddos: face painting, games, stories, obstacle courses, dancing and snow ball fights. I feel so thankful for the amazing friends we’ve made here in San Diego. It makes me sad to think about eventually leaving, especially now that Liv has formed so many of her own friendships.
I knew that I wanted to throw an awesome party for Liv, but also that it would be tricky to a lot of the food prep and crafts on my own. Let’s be real, I’d make a Pinterest-fail worthy Ariel banner haha- so I outsourced a little. 😉 Thank goodness for Etsy.
(I ordered the birthday banner above, Liv’s shirt, centerpieces and little toppers for the cupcakes.)
The food was catered from the Von’s deli: hoagie sandwiches, roll-ups (sunflower seed butter, crushed pretzels and jelly), fruit, veggies and hummus. We grabbed snacks (Bitsy’s Brainfood, Annie’s cheddar bunnies, and random candy), waters, and juices at Target.
The cake was from the Von’s bakery, and so many of us said it was the best-tasting birthday cake we’ve had. It was light, fluffy, and the frosting was perfect. It was one of the very rare occasions when I preferred the cake over the frosting!
The birthday girl.
The fam. <3
It was so special to have P celebrating with us this year. She even got to play a little. 😉
(PS I fully intended to dress her in real clothes aka not jammies, but she was sleeping when we left for the party. Nothing is worth waking her up haha.)
The aftermath.
That pretty much sums it up. 😉
The rest of the weekend, we soaked up as much possible time with madre (she leaves tonight. Wahhhh) and also had family dinner with Betsy and her family at Cafe Coyote.
This morning, I’m going to refresh the Spin playlist and then we’re off on some adventures.
Have a wonderful day and I’ll see you later!
xoxo
Gina
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That birthday cake looks amazing! I’m so glad to hear everyone had a great time especially Liv.
Childhood birthdays, always so fun 😉 Haha! I always love looking back at the pictures!
me too!!
Happy birthday Olivia! What a cutie pie. You must be a proud mama. 🙂
thank you! she is amazing <3
Happy Birthday Livi! That picture of the leftover cake killed me! So funny. I also want to find a way to make those sb&j rollups for myself 🙂
yesss. they were so good!
Seeing this made me smile so big! I’m about to turn 30… so I turned 4 in 1990. And I had a Little Mermaid party at a play place. Love seeing that some things never change 🙂
Livi is a girl after my own heart, for sure.
that is awesome. ariel is timeless 😉
xoxo
What a perfect 4th birthday party. Although poor Ariel is looking a little worse for the wear the day after lol!
she had a rough go, haha
That looks like such an amazing party! I’m totally going to outsource everything for my kids birthdays as well. Crafting and party planning are not my favourite things. Having a party that’s a) not in my house b) catered and c) no clean up required sounds like a dream. Looks like such a neat place to have a birthday! Happy birthday Liv! And P is so cute, whether or not she’s in her PJs, she can get away with it, haha.
outsourcing is the best way to plan an awesome party without being a stress ball 😉
That party looks amazing! My LO is 17 weeks and we are with my parents now. But an unexpected hub’s job hunt means everything is up in the air as far as future living locale goes. I don’t know how you do it! I’m a wreck at the idea of moving away from my mom.
ughh. it’s tough, but you can do it. it makes the visits even more special. thinking of you!
What an awesome looking party and a beautiful family picture :).
thank you, friend!
Looks like Liv had an awesome bday weekend! She is just a few weeks older than my kiddo and I can’t even handle that we’ll be talking about Kindergarden soon!
I see a lot of your brother Kyle in P. Can’t quite put my finger on what feature specifically reminds me of him. She’s such a cutie!
right?! it’s crazy!!
and yes, i can totally see some kyle there, too. i’m hoping he’ll make it out here to visit soon! xoxo
Liv looks like she had the best time!!
it was the cutest ever 🙂
Ah, looks like the perfect party! And you are making me nostalgic with the Vons mention, i am from Cali and use to shop there:) Thankfully I am headed back Wed for a trip!
no way! i had never heard of von’s before, but i really like it 😉 their catering was awesome!
Sounds like a wonderful party! It brought tears to my eyes when you mentioned having to leave all the friends you’ve made in SD (including Liv’s). Just wanted to thank Tom for his service to our country, & your whole family for the sacrifices you make for the rest of us. <3
thank you- that means a lot to us <3
Do you have spin class playlists you can share?! 🙂 Thanks!
here’s one from last week! 🙂 http://fitnessista.com/2016/01/back-in-the-spin-saddle/
So nice that your mom could be there! I know that meant a lot to both you and Liv!
Happy Monday!
yes, it was amazing!
Back in the early 90’s we’d go visit my dad in San Diego and my FAVORITE place was corvette diner! I’ve always wondered if it was still around! So glad I read this post! A little bit of my childhood just came back So glad y’all had a great weekend!
awww that’s awesome! it’s liv’s favorite place 🙂
Aw man! You are mom of the year! That party looked awesome, and I have no doubt that Livi knows how loved and cherished she is. <3 <3 <3
Happy birthday to Liv !
Happy belated birthday,Liv!!
Both your girls are so cute! Happy birthday Livi!! ????
Happy Birthday Liv!
Looks like Ariel partied a little too hard! What an awesome party – Kid Ventures looks like an amazing venue!
Beyond cute!!!!
I had my very own Little Mermaid themed birthday party waaaay back in the day and it makes me so happy that it’s still cool to little girls! 😉