Happy 2nd Birthday to my sweet baby James! I cannot believe he is two years old! We love you so much James and so proud of the boy you are becoming. May you always be smart, kind, cuddly, silly, and sweet as you are today. We decided on a train theme for his 2nd birthday because he LOVES trains. We drive Jimmy to the train every morning just so he can see the ‘choo choos.’  He gets so excited with each train passing; his eyes light up! It’s also one of his go-to favorite toys everyday.

I really enjoy planning a party and now that we have our own home it’s easier to host and decorate. We have a place to store all the materials and it’s more convenient to start the process when you have a home base rather than traveling to another location (usually one of our parent’s homes).  For inspiration, I always head to Pinterest.  Creating a board with a variety of pins is so helpful and keeps me on track.  When the party is being executed, I will go back to my board to see what exactly I wanted to do with each item and I can even show others who are willing to help and they will know what to do! It’s always so exciting to see my vision come to life.

The sign ideas were found on Pinterest and created by my mom.  I sent her the pictures so she had an idea of what I envisioned and I let her choose the materials she wanted to use. They came out perfect and such a big hit!

Trains were placed throughout the house. A wooden train and it’s track were set up on the coffee table. The weather brightened up and became warmer so we moved the party outdoors and played some lawn games, went on nature walks, and used the swing set!

 

The table was set up for the kids. I was inspired by Monika Hibbs’ tablescape she created for her son’s Transformers party and just revamped it for trains. Favors were conductor hats and train whistles. Railroad crossing signs with James’ initials were added to the chocolate covered oreos and train cutouts topped the cupcakes. The train cake was customized with the baker at Whole Foods and our James train toy was the cherry on top! I love a homemade birthday party and wanted to keep the decor simple. I am so happy with how it turned out and I have already begun planning the next event : Henry’s 1st Birthday!!!

Straws + Cupcake Toppers : Amazon

Plates : Target

Train Cake : Whole Foods

James Train Topper : Target

Homemade Signs : Made by My Mom 🙂

Happy Birthday sign : Target