I attended and photographed a very special event this past weekend. It was a birthday party of my very own little monkey who turned 4!
It was a challenge to come up with the perfect theme because Ian wasn’t in love with any particular activities or sports — unless doing things-you’re-not-supposed-to is an activity! 😉
So one day while showering (is that TMI?!!), I remembered how Ian and I play Ice Cream Stand and Lemonade Stand at home. Sometimes with real food items and sometimes with plastic toys or cut out drawings. (When they are real food items, we actually give him money! He comes up with the price, sales tactic and marketing, aka a beautiful sign, so I figure a quarter is worth rewarding his entrepreneurial spirit.)
Once I had a theme, everything else just fell into place!
Ian and Mia helped paint and decorate the stand.
The entire stand is DIY a la my husband! I drew a picture of what I envisioned and he did the rest! My only requirement was that it can be disassembled. I was, and still am, utterly impressed with how it turned out!
Most of the pieces are from Lowes and things we already had in our house, like the antique white paint and the wooden crates.
I have always wanted to put lanterns up in a tree for photos, but I decided on these colorful flowers from Oriental Trading Company, which were more unique and cost only $6 for a dozen!
My chalkboard from Holly McCaig Designs was the perfect finishing touch!
It was a sunny and hot day… perfect for a pool party with an ice cream theme!
Ian took his role seriously. He took everyone’s order, instructed his patrons where the toppings were and was very polite.
There were toppings to suit everyone: fresh fruit (strawberries, blueberries), crumbled cookies (Vanilla, Oreos), traditional toppings (sprinkles, chocolate syrup), and cereal.
Not all toppings are shown here. I was busy enjoying the party. It’s tough to be the mom of the birthday boy, the host of the party AND the event photographer! 🙂
I bought retro bendy striped straws with accordian flamingos for ice cream floats. Who knew straws could be so festive and fun?!!
You know you’ve enjoyed your ice cream cone when there is evidence on your chin, in your hair and on your shirt! Tee hee.
Happy 4th birthday to my sweet boy and funny monkey, Ian!!!
I know I can’t stop you from growing up, but I can take lots and LOTS of photos to capture all your stages. I love you!!!
~Mom
