Yo Gabba Gabba - Leah's 2nd Birthday Party

After weeks of preparation, Leah's big party day had finally arrived! For the past several months, Leah has been obsessed with Yo Gabba Gabba. She would watch it constantly and always yell "Gabba Mom, Gabba!" She knows all of the character's names and would sing and dance to all of the songs. She was crazy for it, so naturally we (when I say we, I mean "I") decided to plan her party around this theme. After a few weeks with her party plans in full swing, Leah proceeds to tell me she doesn't like Yo Gabba Gabba anymore. What?! No Leah - you HAVE to like Gabba for a bit longer! She has moved on to bigger things like Dora, Mickey Mouse Club House and Oso.  Oh well - she is 2, she changes her mind at least 30 times a day. Of course, she probably still does like Gabba (at least a little). Once she saw some of the decorations for her party and the cute "Foofah" dress I ordered, she seemed to get back on board. Phew.

It's funny how much work goes into party planning and then it is all over in a matter of hours. Thanks to Pinterest and Etsy, I was able to get plenty of birthday ideas! After all of the planning, errands, crafts, DIY projects, baking, cooking, and shopping I felt like I put a ton of effort into her big day (and I loved every minute of it). But then when it all came together for her party, I felt it didn't look like the grand vision that I had in my head. Do you think Leah cares about any of it? Probably not, but I had fun with whole planning process. As a busy full time working mom, I had to squeeze in time here and there to get stuff done for her party.

The invitation

Party Poms (that I could have used Jaime's assistance with - her's always come out awesome)!

"Muno" Chocolate Covered Pretzels (pinterest)

The finished product

Chocolate covered Oreos

Pretzel Buttons

Gabba Napkin Rings

Gabba Centerpieces with balloons attached

The day before her party I had the day off so I could finish making all of the food and run various last minute errands. We decided to do pizza for the party to make things easy. Rob was really sick on Friday and was down for the count the entire day, so it was up to me to take care of everything. The day of Leah's party was a bright, sunny day. Everything went pretty smooth and I think the birthday girl had a blast.

The Birthday Girl in her Foofah dress

Sweets Table

Birthday Cake (http://cscbakeshop.com/)

Leah's Muno Smash Cake (http://cscbakeshop.com/)

Gabba Cookies (http://www.sweetthoughtscookies.com/ - I would highly recommend)

Yummy Cupcakes

Treat Boxes for the kiddies

Plex Mix and Muno Pretzels

We had a special guest come and make an appearance at the party. Plex! I was a bit nervous because I wasn't 100% sure what I signed up for when I booked the appearance. Would it be lame? Weird? Creepy? I didn't know exactly what he would be doing at the party. In the end, I think he ended up being a hit with the kids. He did a few games and dances and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Leah took a few minutes to warm up, but she after a short time, she was right in the mix dancing and having fun.

Even though at times I complain how much work goes into planning a party, I think it is worth it in the end. Leah had a great time. Thank you to ALL of our friends and family for helping make Leah's big day so special!!