red, white and TWO! {Hudson's 2nd Birthday}

Oh, what a fun theme this was!!I wanted something classic and all-boy...just like our sweet Hudson...and one day while picking up his room, this fun vintage plane caught my eye...My dear friend Heidi gave it to me when we found out we were having a boy - I just love this little plane - and suddenly I had it. A twist on the classic red, white, and blue...red, white and TWO! Perfect. And since Hudson's birthday is just a couple of weeks before the 4th of July I knew the decor would be super easy.My favorite birthday boy! Oh, how I love you, Hudson!I love setting the mood for any party from the moment the guests walk through the door... I also try to incorporate many of the items we already own and just give them a little twist - you'll see lots of that throughout this party, like these paper fan decorations (the "blue" matching set to the red ones from Hudson's Dr. Seuss 1st birthday). And the cute bunting...anders ruff DIY printables!...and the aqua blue "H" from his bedroom that Lance spray painted red for me.One of my most favorites recent finds was this gorgeous vintage pane window. I'd been looking for one with glass for a while and I couldn't believe my luck when I found this one on the way back from our trip to Sea World. When I was setting up Hudson's party table, I wanted a deep, navy runner to anchor the lighter blue and all the red and white pieces but I didn't want to spend a lot of money on something I probably wouldn't use very often.

As I was shopping my house (please tell me you do that too??), Hudson's nap mat from MDO caught my eye. It was the perfect shade with the cutest red/white piping AND it was monogramed to boot! Lucky for me it was monogramed on both sides so I simply took the pillow insert and the mat out, flipped it over and voila! If you look closely you can see a hint of the velcro strap in the center, but for a "free runner" I could overlook that little detail *wink*And the blue polka dot display...organizing bins from Hudson's closet turned upside down. Let's talk goodies!Marshmallow pops, of course!
My littles love these and would eat them every day if I let them. A simple Italian Cream cake with a fun little bunting I made using anders ruff DIY printables. Chocolate dipped pretzels...salty & sweet...yum!
Some healthy treats too! Fresh-picked blueberries...
A yummy berry trifle......even cuter served in my vintage mini bundt pans! {someone liked them...a lot!} My friend Bridgette, who just started a cake business, was so sweet to make Hudson some yummy treats like these star-shaped cookies... Cookie pops (my littles gobbled these up!)...These DELICIOUS cupcakes...so fluffy and did I mention DELICIOUS? And a scrumptious vanilla almond cake with raspberry filling and buttercream frosting that had everyone wishing they'd eaten dessert first (pics below).
ThANk YoU, Bridgette!!

Add 2 little candles and it was Cake Time! But first, how about a hat? Not just any hat...a
Lulu & Co. party hat! (a little shameless self-promotion *wink*) No way jose! Definitely NOT into party hats today. Boo!Make a wish...a BIG one!Cookies...Cupcakes...Cake - Oh my!
the ups and downs of cake...just keepin' it real folks ;) Did someone say presents??? What???!!! My very own Thomas choo choo?! Woo hoo! How did you know it was what I always wanted, Daddy??!Our little familyHanging out with the grands...
(while holding on to that "cow" movie! No way he was letting go of that prized possession!)More hugs from aunts, cousin, and great grandma...Quite possibly one of my favorite family pictures ever...Hudson enamored with his great grandma Lea (Memema)...this one just melts my heart. Party Favors!
When I found these cute nautical mini trivets at Michaels, I knew they'd be perfect for the party favors I envisioned......Mini smores kits for TWO!!
Hudson LOVES smores and he'll actually sit still long enough to help me make them :)...I tweaked one of the blank printables from anders ruff to make the custom labels. LOVE diy printables! My cute little assistant wasted no time passing these out and telling everyone how to make them "put one graham cracker down, add the chocolate, plop the marshmallow down, add another cracker, SMASH it down and put it in the microwave for 15 seconds. Sooo easy peasy" HA! She makes me laugh every.single.day. Cracker jacks too...an ode to simpler times. So that's it...a fun little red, white and TWO party on our favorite little guy's birthDAY.I think he had fun... {We did!}Happy 2nd Birthday, Hudson!We love you more than you'll ever know!

Resources~
Hudson's Jon Jon: Prissy Peacock
Grace's Dress: TaDa! Creations
Party Hats: Lulu & Co.
Printables: Anders Ruff
Paper Fan Decorations & Blue Polka Dot Napkins: Party City
Paper Lanterns: Dollar Tree
Polka Dot Melamine Plates, Flower Buckets, & Striped Paper Plates: Target
Striped Nautical Mini Trivets: Michaels