I’m not a crafty girl so I’m not going to compete!

Last month you all know Ava turned 2 years old.

The month leading up to her birthday I contemplated having a kids party for her and some of her friends over (well actually my friends kids who have become her friends).

I also contemplated making tons of different “pretty” appetizers and buying decorations to make it the most special birthday party ever.

I’m not kidding when I say I snapped photos of things I wanted to do for her birthday party, and how I wanted the Minnie Mouse Oh-TWOdles theme to play out.

I was super excited and couldn’t wait to get things planned out…

AND THEN…

I found out I was pregnant. Well that wasn’t the turning point, it was the first trimester morning sickness that forced me to change all my plans and scratch just about everything I had organized. I would not make homemade minnie mouse cupcakes, I would not cover the kitchen with tons of minnie mouse ears, and I definitely wasn’t having a kid party on top of a family party.

Don’t get me wrong, I really was upset about it but it just couldn’t happen

I’m sorry Ava, but reality struck. I chose napping on the couch when Ava napped, I chose watching Mickey mouse to entertain Ava when she was awake and when my stomach wouldn’t allow me to move from a seated/lying position. I chose my health and resting as much as possible over throwing a big time & money consuming party.

I also chose not to be like any of those Pinterest do it yourself moms out there and I ordered dinner for my family and I ordered a Carvel Ice cream cake for dessert. I did manage to buy some minnie mouse plates, cups and a few hanging decorations that cost me about $20 and you know what????

Ava LOVED it. She smiled so big when she saw the plates & hanging minnie mouse decorations. She went on to play with all her toys and have fun with her cousins. She really could’ve cared less if I had done anything else and it made me happy to see her happy.

Sometimes we compare ourselves to others. I compared myself to people that have the time and energy to put such amazing thought into parties and get creative with all the little details and decorations. That’s not me. I’m not crafty. I’m not artistic. So why put the pressure on myself to do that??

I’ve always been a plain jane and I enjoy the company of family and friends more then the materialistic part of life. I hope I can rub that off on Ava too because sometimes simple things make you happy.

It’s not the size of the party it’s the love that you are surrounded by!

This is quite a random post for you today, but I feel the need to share it with you because it is an example of how I try to preach a healthy lifestyle for my family. I chose to listen to my body & rest over trying to make a 2 year old birthday extravagant and I am so happy with the way it turned out