Monday, June 28, 2010

Welcome to Emma's 3rd Birthday

When my girly~girl declared she wanted a firefighter party for her 3rd Birthday, I was not a bit surprised since she makes me promise on a regular basis that she can fight fires when she gets big. Immediately I started searching for party decorations and had very little luck, so I dreamed up my own.

The announcements were designed by our photographer, Darla DiStefano Photography. She also gets the credit for all the photos included in this post. Darla, thank you so much for capturing so many wonderful memories of my little ones THIRD celebration.

A party is not complete without balloons (Polka Dot Market) and a birthday banner (Love September).

Table set up in entry with fire hydrant water sprinkles for the little ones and a basket full of chocolate covered oreos for each guest to take as they leave.

Cupcakes in a jar for the taking and they were oh so YUMMY!

Little metal firetruck held gifts and added a little cuteness to the decor.

One of the few things I was able to locate in the store to go with our party theme.

I created these tissue flowers and poms that could be found hanging from the ceilings and growing out of pots. Super easy to make, directions can be found on Martha Stewart's website.

Cake table that held cupcakes, pictures, party hat, plates and napkins. My sweet girl could not keep her hands off this before the party got started.

Cake was designed by a local lady and she is amazing. Every single thing on this cake was edible and so detailed.

Birthday crown I purchased from a sassy little site, True Love Found.

Cupcakes made by Mommy & Daddy for Emma's special day. The cupcake holders were polka dot, striped and some had Dalmatians on them.

When the cake was delivered, I thought it was PERFECT. The little girl had red hair, green eyes, a few freckles, hair in pig tails and 2 big yellow bows just like my EMMA. It had to be one of the cutest cakes I had ever seen, so very personal and super YUMMY! Leigh, we are customers for life.

Mix & match plates and napkins that tied in with the firefighter theme.

The kiddos enjoyed eating off these little uniform shirts and a couple adults did too.

Not your typical party food and very RANDOM. We decided to let Emma design the menu and she chose all her favorite foods.

Chik Fil A chicken nuggets, fruit, peanut butter & jelly (fire hydrant shaped, thanks to a cookie cutter), Cheetos, Goldfish, Juice and Sweet tea could be found on the menu.

So super easy, Chik Fil A actually delivered it to our front door along with lots of ice.


Drinks, Drinks and more Drinks.

All the desserts were red, white, yellow & black.

Sixlet candy in our party colors.



Marshmallow pops dipped in colored chocolate and sprinkled.

Oreos dipped in colored chocolate and sprinkled.

Basket full of treats for the little ones to pick up on the way to the Fire Station Tour.


Each little girl got a Firefighter umbrella from Western Chief along with a goody bag stuffed with lots of firefighting goodies.

It was so much fun searching for all the striped and polka dot red, yellow and black. It was not easy but we got our hands on lots of it.

Goody bags were filled with wooden firetrucks, stickers, tattoos, cupcake in a jar, chocolate covered oreos, fluorescent yellow glow bracelets, a fireman hat, badge, candy, Lego firetruck kit and man (boys) and umbrellas (girls). The little ones each got a bag and a fire hydrant water sprinkler.

I have learned that all kids love to hit a pinata and Emma requested to have one at her party. We had a lady make this one off ETSY and it turned out perfect.

We were able to find a local company that actually had a Fire Truck moonwalk for rent. It was so cute and we got in it the next morning and jumped some more.

Popcorn machine that matched all the red decor.

Giant fire hydrant and fireman hats used on one of our patio tables.


One of our friends was kind enough to loan us this hose from his station and we draped it over the fence behind our swing set.

Emma's got this playhouse from us for her Birthday and all the kids loved playing in it all day. It has a kitchen, table and 2 chairs. Daddy is mounting a marker board in there soon.


You are looking at one happy little girl that had a great Birthday party. After cake and ice cream, we went to the fire station in our neighborhood for a tour.

These bookmarks were out on the table for the kiddos to make their own firefighter bookmark. It was super hot outside, so we wanted to have an inside activity for them to do while they cooled off.

Happy Birthday to you Emma, she was so excited to blow the candles out on her cake. Rosette tank was ordered from Modern Frills.

We had the best time celebrating with lots of family and friends. At the end of the day, I was so thankful Emma picked out her party theme and menu. I struggled with it in the beginning, but had a great time thinking outside of the box and not sticking with a traditional theme. This party was all about Emma and her favorite things.

Bag tags that were also designed by my wonderful, creative & talented photographer. Notice the license plate on the front of the firetruck, our last name.

We love you so much Emma Caroline and hope you had the best THIRD birthday ever.

14 comments:

Deidra said...

Oh Laura you have out done yourself again! Great job. I enjoyed looking at Emma's birthday party pics.

Amy H. said...

What an amazing party. I just want to thank you for letting me be a part of it. Emma is one very lucky girl to have such a loving Mommy as you are to have such a sweet little girl!

Smooches!

christina said...

WOW!! AMAZING! You definately out did yourself, thanks for sharing.

Unknown said...

Looks wonderful! I'm sure with all your pre-planning you saved lots of money! But every cent spent was surely worth it for that beautiful smile (and I'm sure all the excited giggles!). Great job!

Carey C. Bailey said...

What an amazing party! Love all the details. With Joy, Carey

Hudson & Maddox said...

So precious! Sad we missed it, but I know we will definitely be looking at the pictures a lot!

Rory said...

This is sooo cute!

Leah said...

Once again you guys out did yourselves! You have two lucky kiddos! The pictures are great and it looks like y'all had a blazin' good time. ;o)

Anonymous said...

I love this party and how you took a "boy" theme and made it one of the cutest girl parties!

Lela said...

These pictures prove it: Southern women really know how to throw a party! You did a fabulous job! These things don't 'just happen' - I know you spent a lot of time on this one. In years to come, she'll look back and realize how much her parents loved her and went all out for her. Outstanding!!

Gulley Gang said...

Girl, you simply amaze me! You plan the MOST amazing birthday parties I've EVER seen! Seriously, you could start your own business doing this stuff. Your kiddos are so very blessed to have such a wonderful mother as yourself. Loved every detail of the party! Just AMAZING!

Brandi said...

What an adorable party!!!! You are amazing! Your kids are sooo lucky!!! AWESOME!!!

Kristen and Andy said...

Just came across your blog and all I can say is WOW - what an amazing job you did for your daughter's 3rd bday. When I first started reading that your daughter wanted a firefighter bday..I was wondering how in the world that would work - but you completely pulled it off - that was the cutest theme I have ever seen! :)

Kristen

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