On Monday, Hermione turned two! I can hardly believe my tiny little baby has grown into this amazing, smart, curious, loving, hilarious little girl. It truly feels like yesterday that she was placed on my chest and our love story began. Over the past two years my heart has opened up in ways I never dreamed possible. I love this little angel with all of my heart and soul and cannot remember what life was like without her. All of the pregnancy woes, sleepless nights, and endless days are more than worth it when compared to the joy Hermione brings to our family. To celebrate her birthday we had a ballerina party at her beloved dance school, Dance with Miss Rachel. We decked the studio out in pink and gold glitter perfectly suited for a two year old. All of her little friends came to join in the fun and everyone had a blast dancing and celebrating with the birthday girl!
Most of the pink and gold glitter party decor was sourced from Etsy:
Prettiest Print Shop: Invitations and Signage
Glitterati Gilt Guide: Sequin Hangers
Petite Cadeau: Muslin star favor bags
Stephanie Shives Studio: Party Horns and Mini “2” and star balloons with fringe
Crafts and the City: Tulle pom pom and painted block centerpieces
Sucre Shop: Plates and utensils
Perfectionate: Felt photo booth props
Imagination Kids: Wooden star wands
Jelly Bean by Kelly: Photo Booth backdrop
For party favors each little dance got an Atsuyo et Akiko tutu and a magic wand which they also wore and played with at the party. Friends have been telling me their kids have insisted on wearing their tutus to school and even sleeping in them- I guess they were a hit!
Before Miss Rachel's dance class began the guests were treated to a performance by a real ballerina! One of Hermione's babysitters, Juliana was kind enough to perform a little bit of the Nutcracker to the kid's delight!
All of the food was lovingly made my my dear friend Aimee of Sun In Bloom, and I have to say she truly outdid herself. Even the omnivores in the crowd couldn't stop commenting on how delicious all of the vegan, gluten free, organic food was. The menu consisted of two different pizzas, a quinoa pasta salad with roasted veggies, sunflower seed hummus and crudite and for dessert chocolate and vanilla cupcakes with fresh berries. The cupcakes with fresh berries were an especially huge hit. Hermione certainly helped herself to more than a few! To drink we had fresh gingerade and a delicious green smoothie. Hermione is never one to say no to a green smoothie!As an extra special treat, Megan Huylo of Downtown Epicure made custom vegan ice cream cups with flavors named after Hermione! MiMi That's Good-a salted chocolate walnut and Hermione's Whirled-a dreamy strawberry shortcake. We have a few extra of these decadent treats in our freezer and I have been enjoying them after dinner. So, so good! Instead of having a birthday cake and singing "Happy Birthday" at her party, Doug and I have started a tradition of having cake after dinner on her actual birthday, just the three of us. Hermione can get a bit overwhelmed at times and a large group of people singing to her would only upset her. This year, we took her to Hudson Eats at Brookfield Place for dinner and had our cake there. It was the perfect end to her birthday celebrations. Well, almost end...we have so many presents to open we may be still working our way through them until she is 3!
I couldn't possibly have dreamed of a better way to celebrate Hermione turning two. The party was filled with love, laughter, friends and family...just as it should be.
xoxo Hermione and Mommy
