justjoslyn

Two weeks ago, my friend Emily was in town with her two kids, as she and her family currently live in North Carolina.  We tried to schedule a time to get together, all four of us — Jill, Emily, Amy, and myself — and it just so happened that we were all available February 8, which was Jill’s daughter Caitlyn’s first birthday, and only one day after Emily’s daughter’s third birthday (I tried to write that in the least confusing way, but I don’t think it mattered).  Needless to say, we all met at Jill’s Palatine residence and had a fun birthday party honoring the baby girls in our lives!  The following pictures depict only a few of the sublime moments we experienced together at the party, some of which represent “inside jokes” that will only really be funny if you were there.  I love knowing that I have friends who are cool parents with cool kids and are still cool to be around after almost a decade of friendship.  And so, here are 9 items I have deduced must be included in your party plans in order to be ultimately successful:

#1) A Cooperative Game of Candy Land: It’s important to realize that you cannot get better at Candy Land, that the cards are random and you do not need to get mad if you lose. Luckily, these kids did a wonderful job following this concept and played in sweet harmony together.

#2) Cute, Preferrably Chubby-Cheeked Babies:  For me, babies are very important to making a party successful.  Some of my friends tend to disagree with me and insist that this opinion will change after I have my own children, but until then — the more babies at a party the merrier!

 #3) DOGS: As long as the dog is calm, no larger than 80 pounds, and could care less that its home has recently been invaded by twice the amount of children and three times the amount of adults.

 #4) Paparazzi:  If your guests are made to feel as important as celebrities, then you have thrown a successful party. Because, who doesn’t want to feel as if every move they make is picture-worthy?

#5) Sk8er boys with great hair (or no hair):  I guess this is a preferential statement. I prefer the mountain man look, but during this specific party, I know a few ladies who really dug Josh’s hair and atleast one lady who really loves this bald man.

#6) Mothers and daughters:  What a blessing to see at any party. Witnessing a beautiful relationship between a mother and her daughter reminds guests of the important bond that exists betwen that relationship and how much influence a strong woman can make in the life of child.

 #7) A Host with the Most: Make sure you have a designated host for your party, and if you are smart, it would be a mild-mannered, cooperative, enthusiastic, almost-three-year-old little boy who is more than willing to share all of his toys with his guests.  Jackson did an excellent job hosting his sister and Tyler’s birthday party (sans a brief crying fit, most likely due to the stress of all the responsibility he was feeling).

#8) A little sorcery or witch craft: This is an inside joke — No, I normally do not condone practicing black magic at parties, but at this particular party, it was awfully cute watching Josh wave his sister’s plastic star wand around and I laughed like crazy when Cory suggested he was practicing witch craft in the other room.

 #9) Best Friends:  What else can I say? A party without friends who love you and have stuck by you is really no fun, so…make sure you invite them to your party.