Hazel’s Two Groovy Birthday
Two Groovy Birthday Party
Two Groovy Birthday Party
Welp. My baby girl turned 2 this month. I can hardly believe it. It feels like she was just a newborn babe but also it feels like she’s been in our life forever. There is no greater joy than being her mom and Tyler’s bride.
Hazel grew so much this year, and it’s hard to think that the girl that couldn’t even walk in January is running around making full on requests, demands, and funny jokes. She is a fierce girl with the sweetest heart. I honestly think she is the perfect blend of her Mommy and Daddy. She doesn’t like it when things are “too tiighhhhhttttt” like her Daddy. She is very independent like her Mom. When I stare into her eyes I see Tyler, but when I watch a grin spread across her face I see little 1999 Madison.
To me, this year was so much better than year 1. She finally started sleeping well through the night, and she was able to tell us what she needed when she needed it. It was cool to see everything we spoke over her in year one about her being strong, beautiful, kind, smart, and funny be the exact words to describe who she is today.
Her birthday to me felt more like Christmas than Christmas itself. We had an amazing day as a family surprising her with her new room (blog on that coming soon), going shopping, grabbing her a happy meal (the girl loves the chicken nugs), and going to the indoor swimming pool. She looked like a princess, and she was one that day.
We had her party the day before her birthday, and I had so much fun with the theme “Two Groovy,” which I’ve wanted to do since she turned one lol. For food we did a baked potato/nacho bar, and then I made a corn dish, rainbow fruit kabobs, a peace sign pickle wrap, cheese, and cracker tray, a peace sign veggie tray, and then my mom made puppy chow and delicious colorful cupcakes (including red-colored ones at Hazel’s request). We got Hazel her own little cake and also had ice cream! Here are some tips/directions for that menu:
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Two Groovy Birthday Party Food
Two Groovy Birthday Party Food
For the baked potatoes
Ingredients
Russet potatoes (1-2/person)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Wash potatoes and poke holes in them using a fork.
Cover them in oil and salt on a sheet pan.
Put them in the oven for 60 minutes, flipping them over halfway through.
To keep them warm, we put the potatoes in roasters over a low setting.
For the delicious corn
Ingredients
Canned corn
Minced garlic (to taste)
Salt & pepper (to taste)
Parsley (to taste)
Sticks of butter (1 tbsp/can)
Directions
Open canned corn, drain half the juice, and put in pan over medium heat.
Add butter, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper to corn in pan.
To keep the corn warm, we put it in a crockpot on low.
For the rainbow fruit kabobs
Two Groovy Birthday Party Food
Ingredients
Strawberries
Oranges
Pineapple
Green & purple grapes
Blueberries
Kabobs
Directions
Wash all fruit.
Cut strawberries and pineapple.
Peel oranges.
Put fruit on kabobs like so, following a rainbow pattern.
For the pickle wraps tray
Two Groovy Birthday Food
(I have very much failed in the pickle wraps department in the past, and I finally figured out what works).
Ingredients
46 oz. jar of whole dill pickles
4-8 oz. of cream cheese
Package of Great Value rectangular honey ham
Directions
Soften cream cheese by setting it out or putting it in the microwave for 12 seconds.
Dry off pickles with paper towels.
Lay out a piece of ham and spread on cream cheese using a butter knife.
Roll up one whole pickle per piece of ham (you can also use 2 pieces of ham per roll-up).
Chill all rolled-up pickles for 30 minutes in the fridge.
Slice the pickle wraps using a sharp knife.
For the veggie tray
Two Groovy Birthday Food
Ingredients
Cucumbers
Orange, yellow, and red peppers
Cherry tomatoes
Carrots
Directions
Wash all veggies.
Cut cucumbers and peppers into slices.
Place the cucumbers in a peace sign and fill in the in-between space with the other veggies.
For the decor
Here are some more pictures of the big girl’s day with links to everything we bought!
We set these tattoos on the tables, and the cousins had fun with them.
This decor bundle was only $20, and it included almost everything we needed to decorate! A Two Groovy poster, balloons, cupcake toppers, a sign, sunglasses, and even a hippie headband!
Here is what we used for plates, silverware, napkins, and cups we used for puppy chow since they were on the smaller side!
And lastly, here was a cheap bundle of 3 Two Groovy tablecloths!
I prepped a lot of stuff the week/day before, knowing that morning would go fast! Here’s what the planning timeline looked like.
Party Planning Timeline
1.5 months out
Order decor
Make birthday invites
Make Facebook event
Text out image invites with gift list link
Week of
Get plates, silverware, napkins, cups
Get containers/platters for food
Get all food
Get all drinks
Set out taco meat
Finish wrapping her presents
Day before
Clean bathrooms and toilets
Dust
Borrow big roasters (for taco meat and potatoes)
Borrow & set out tables and chairs
Blow up balloons
Clean off counters
Clean entryway and make room on hangers
Meal prep
Set out cream cheese to soften for pickle wraps
Cook taco meat in roaster and store it in the fridge
Wash all potatoes
Clean all strawberries, grapes, and blueberries
Cut all strawberries and pineapples
Clean all cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers
Cut up cucumbers (wrap them in a paper towel & put in container) and peppers
Cut pickles and make pickle wraps and store
Set out plates, napkins, silverware, and cups
Day of
7 a.m. Stick balloons on the wall
8 a.m. Set out 2 sticks of butter and wrap it in plastic wrap
9 a.m. Set out tables and chairs
10:00 a.m. Set out chips and salsa
10:30 Poke holes and coat potatoes in olive oil and kosher or sea salt
10:30 a.m. Warm up taco meat from fridge in roaster
10:45 a.m. Put baked potatoes in the oven on 500 degrees, cooking each side for 30 minutes - then put them in the roaster on warm
10:50 a.m. Make corn in deep pan skillet and transfer to crockpot
11:05 a.m. Make fruit kabobs
11:15 a.m. Warm up queso in mini crockpot
11:30 Set out loaded baked potato condiments
Shredded cheese
Queso
Salsa
Bacon crumbles
Sour cream
Salt
Pepper
Butter
11:40 a.m. Make veggie peace sign tray
11:45 a.m. Make cheese, pickle wrap, and cracker tray
11:50 a.m. Set out drinks
12 p.m. Party & lunch begins
12:45 p.m. Open presents
1:00 p.m. Cake & ice cream
We loved celebrating that sweet girl and will always cherish that groovy day!!