I began planning Kendall’s 2nd birthday party a couple months ago when he learned the word “house.” Not as in the “house” we live in, but like BOUNCE “house.” He begs me to go to the “house” every day. I’ve been taking him to a local Pump It Up Jr. almost every week since last summer, and it’s the perfect, nearly 100% toddler proofed play escape. He doesn’t so much bounce in the bounce house as he does run around, try to play with the blowers, and fight with other kids for the lone Cozy Coupe, but he still loves it. And lately he’s been doing a lot of bouncing and hopping and, ultimately, falling at home, so the bounce house seemed like a logical place to confine  him and a multitude of toddlers and exhausted parents for his party (and you can see why the huge ass trampoline seemed like a good idea at the time, too). Screw the park this year. The park is too much freaking work. I don’t have the energy to host a party and hover below my child as he peers precariously over the side of a metal slide.
The invitations I found at TinyPrints.com were PERFECT! The colors matched the decor already provided by PIU Jr. and I loved how playful they are.
I honestly didn’t put too much effort into this party, but I still think it turned out great. I owe a lot to the excellent staff at Pump It Up Jr. Everything went very smoothly. They helped set up and we didn’t even have to clean up. I tell you, I was crazy to do it all on our own at the park last year. I also loved the peace of mind that came from knowing it didn’t matter if it rained. Last year I thought we’d have to abandon the party altogether to start building an ark, and the day of the party we ended up with a puddle the size of a small lake in the middle of the park pavilion.
Kendall was dying to get inside the entire 15 minutes before the party started. It was everything we could do to keep him from breaking in. Oh, and how amazing is that shirt?! CafePress.com totally hooked us up with that, and you’ll want to stay tuned because I’m going to announce a sweet little giveaway at the bottom of this post.
I wish I had more pictures to document the fun, but trying to capture toddlers on film is about as challenging as photographing the Loch Ness Monster. Â All I’ve got are blurs and shadows of what may or may not be a kid running by.
I did manage to snag this beauty at the end of the bouncing portion, though. I will love it and cherish it and use it’s powers possibly for evil when Kendall is a teenager.
He is always digging around in there these days. I don’t know what to do to make him stop. He thinks it hilarious, no matter how I react. And, “You’re going to get made fun of for that!” just doesn’t seem to make sense to him yet.
After the bouncing came to an end, we headed to the party room, which was just fantastic. I didn’t have to spend any money on table cloths or fancy plates and cups. The room was cute as-is, and I had leftover plates from last year. They provided cutlery and napkins. I did bring the banner I made for Kendall’s birthday last year. I hope to hang it every year until he voices his disgust for it.
I also reused the homemade cupcake stand from last year. (I hope to get a tutorial up for that soon. It’s super easy and inexpensive.) Â And, running with the ball theme from the invites, I made Oreo Truffle Balls, dipped in Wilton colored candy melts to make red, green and yellow balls to sit on top of the cupcakes, which were a Cake Mix Doctor recipe for red-velvet with Bakerella cream cheese frosting. Not entirely homemade, and not entirely aesthetically pleasing, but they were a huge hit, especially with the birthday boy.
Pure cupcake bliss!
The favors were one of the best parts of the party. BornFree hooked me up with enough of their newly released, BPA free Twist n Pop straw cups for all the kids! I had them waiting, full of ice water, next to their pizza when they filed in. A HUGE thanks to BornFree. They were such a hit.
So after all of that, when the herd of toddlers cleared the room and the last Oreo ball was demolished, we were left with nothing but a 2 year old. Yay us for 2 whole years as parents!
I know you stuck around to the end of the post because you really loved seeing all my terribly grainy and blurry pictures (I keep telling my husband that grown up bloggers have MUCH nicer cameras), not at all to hear about the kick ass giveaway CafePress.com is hosting, right? But hey, you’re here anyway, so I might as well tell you about it.  So, if you don’t know already, you can get TONS of cool personalized gifts at CafePress. They hooked me up with an organic cotton t-shirt for myself and Kendall, and I got to peruse through all the fantastic designs to find the two that suited us the best.
Kendall’s “Danger, 2 year old” shirt could not be more appropriate since he’s quite the running wrecking ball these days, and I think “Keep Calm And Carry On” should be every toddler mom’s mantra. The quality of the shirts is excellent (American Apparel), but I will say they run super small. Kendall’s rocking a 4T and I’m in a large. That’s a size up from what we both normally wear.
Cafe Press is giving away an organic kid’s shirt and organic adult shirt (total value approx. $52) to one lucky commenter. You can choose from any of the designs they have. Nothing special you have to do here, just comment below. I’ll draw a random winner next Monday, May 10th.
Thanks for sticking around for all the birthday fun!
Contest is closed! Winner is comment #34, as chose by Random.org. Congrats, Jill!
Available now: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
159 comments
Looked like a beautiful party! I need to check out those oreo balls.
great shirts and a great party! Happy birthday, k!
Happy Birthday!! 🙂 looked like a really fun party! and the shirts were adorable.
LOVE the party favor idea! So original
The party looks like it was an awesome time! I’m looking forward to hearing more about the cupcake stand… Oh, and the Born Free straw cups, when are those gonna be out? I got Amelia a normal Born Free cup that she hates but she loves straw cups and I’d like to try those with her. =)
Looks like a great party!!
I totally agree having a party at home is too much work! Never again!
Your party looked amazing, and Kendall is so stinkin’ cute.
Happy Birthday Kendall! I love those shirts! 🙂
This must be why my parents had my bday party at the roller rink (yeah 80s!) so often. Keep the mess contained! Well that, and my neon skate laces looked wicked cool in the lights.
Love seeing the pictures and getting ideas for J’s second birthday (in a whole ‘nother year, thank the sweet baby Jesus!)
So maybe I shouldn’t have planned my daughter’s first b-day party at a park pavillion at the end of May? Ruh roh. 🙂
That looks like SO MUCH FUN.
I cannot believe he is two already!
Jill the party looked awesome and can I just say, THANK YOU for not doing it all yourself. I need more examples of people in my life right now NOT doing every single little tiny or huge damned thing themselves. I adore you.
And I want the shirts.
happy birthday, k! love the shirts:)
what a great party! love his shirt!
That looks (exhausting) like so much fun! I love the cupcake stand. I definitely need a tutorial for that!
Hi Jill, looks like it was a great party!
It just occurred to me that you are THE Jill whose wedding I coveted during my planning process on the Knot. I had even emailed you about how you made your programs LOL! I am so glad to have found this blog- you are definitely worth reading! 🙂
Hey Christy! So glad you found me, too. How funny. Thanks for reading!
Fun looking party, looks much less stressful then our 2 year old party! 🙂
Love those Born-Free cups — how are they with leaking and straw stuff? 🙂
Happy Birthday buddy!
Really, I haven’t noticed any issues other than if he completely turns it upside down and shakes. And now that I have a sippy straw cleaner (similar to the Dr. Browns cleaners) I think it won’t be any issue keeping it clean. Thanks!
We had such a good time at the party … and yeah, I’m pretty sure a padded bouncy room should be distributed with every newborn. I could have stored it in the garage until he was mobile. It would have TOTALLY been worth parking my car in the driveway for the first year 😉
Happy Birthday Kendall!
I know. If I had lots of cash monies and a big house, I’d just have an entirely padded/bouncy room. So glad you guys came!
The party looks like it was awesome! Props to you and happy birthday to Kendall! I’ll wait patiently for the cupcake stand tutorial. Thanks.
We had a great time! Amelia is obsessed with her new cup 🙂
I wish Amelia was in the group shot but she was not having it. Love that picture!
Thanks again for inviting us, it was great!
Turtle was looking at this post with me and started yelling “CUPCAKE!!! CUPCAKE!!!”
Looks like a great time!
I love the cupcake stand. Such a cute idea with the Born Free cups!
Great idea for a party !! Way better than hosting in your house (which I’ve done once and will never do again) Can’t believe he’s already 2 !
I think I might actually win this. Just let me know when you need my address. We had a pump it up party last year and I will never have one at home again! Thanks for sharing you celebrations with us.
What a great party location. I love your shirts.
I love the cupcakes. So creative and they look super easy. I’m keeping those in mind…although since we’re going on baby girl #2, I’d have to do them in pink and brown maybe 🙂
Looks like the party was a blast! I am so sorry we missed it…now I need to go check out those cups for my boys, how cool are those!?!
Thanks for sharing, sounds like it was much less stressful than last year!
Looks like tons of fun! And I love the homemade tiered cupcake holder!
The party looked like it was a blast! And yes, displaying that nose-picking photo at his 16th birthday party is a MUST.
I covet your tshirt – I definitely need to repeat that phrase to myself more often!
Happy Birthday Kendall! OMG I love both of your shirts – perfect for the party! Can’t wait to see the cupcake tutorial!
Looks like a very successful party! And I was cracking up at the group picture with Kendall picking his nose! That will be a classic!
I have yet to introduce my 18 month old to the bounce house…I’ll have to keep this idea in mind for his next birthday!
LOVE! Super cute party, got some good ideas 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
Happy Birthday Kendall!! Such an AWESOME idea!! I wish we had one of those places around here. Very nice favors too! And I could go for one of those cupcakes right about now, yum.
Very cute party…and I love the shirts!
Love the party! and I love Cafepress.
Thank you having us at Kendall’s awesome party! Drew (and us) enjoyed it and had a great time playing with Kendall and the other kids!
Looks like a great party! How did you make your banner? I made my son’s and tied ribbon between each one, which was fine, but spaced very close together.
Happy Birthday Kendall!
Thanks! I just folded over the top of each triangle and sewed it to make a casing at the top, then I strung each triangle on to the rope. I didn’t do anything to space it.
Great party! Love the cupcake stand and can’t wait to see the tutorial to make my own.
Happy Birthday Kendall! 🙂
What a great party idea! We have a similar place here called Monkey Joes and Jake loves it!
I love your shirts! I just ordered a cute custom shirt from cafepress last week and there are still so many more I want so I hope I win 😛
Love it!!! Looks like it was a super-fun birthday party!
I would love a pair of shirts!
Looks like a great party! Wish we had one of those places around there for my little guy’s upcoming 2nd birthday!
I love Kendall’s shirt. I have a two year old myself and really need to get one of those.
Thanks!
Looks like it was a blast! Kendall looks like he had soooo much fun :). We will definitely be checking out some bounce houses when the summer heat starts rolling in :p.
Awww, looks like fun was had by all! I love the idea to put colored oreo balls on top of the cupcakes. I can’t believe K is TWO!
Love the shirts! Looks like it was a great party!
Ooo comfy tshirts! Haha, I love Kendall’s – it’s hilarious! He looks like he is getting to be so big! Happy Birthday to Kendall, and congrats for pulling off party #2!
Looks like a super cute party! I wish we had one of these places near us. I’d love to bring my nephews (and our baby … soon enough!)
Love the shirts! Hooray for a giveaway!
Happy birthday Kendall! Looks like the party was a huge hit. We’re totally doing something like that next year for birthday #2 – Momma was pooped after this year’s huge “The first birthday party” event!
I don’t think my first comment went through….
Great party, love the cupcakes!
Thanks for the giveaway!
Super cute party!!
what a cute idea–and a great way to wear out all those kiddos! i’ve made cake truffles before, but oreo ones sound totally delicious!
I am so jealous of the bouncy house place! We have nothing like that over here!
Happy belated Birthday to that beautiful boy of yours. love you!
Happy Birthday Kendall!!!
Looks like y’all had a blast! I’ve been following your blog since before you were pregnant, and I can’t believe Kendall’s already 2.
I love the shirts!! What a terrific party. We’re hosting our daughter’s first birthday at our house in early July and I’m already hyperventilating over it. I think I need to tattoo your shirt saying on my hand so I remember. 🙂
Also? Kick ass party favors! WTG Born Free!!!
I have 2 boys- 4 and 2- so thats 6 birthday parties I have lived through, and let me tell you- Each one of them has pictures like those. lol. The only really decent pic you get it a cake shot. haha.
Thanks for the giveaway chance! and again- Happy Birthday K!!!
What a great party and the shirts are so cute. What would I choose…..? 🙂
Love the party! and love your shirts– I really think I should get the shirts you picked for my cousin who has twin 18 month olds and a 3 year old. I could get the “danger” shirt for the twins’ 2nd birthday and she DEFINITELY needs the “keep calm and carry on” shirt– so priceless!
Cute party! And definatley cute shirts!
Congrats to you on two years of being a parent! Thanks for another opportunity for a great giveaway!
Love the pics (and shirts)!
That place looks awesome! So much fun!
That party looks like so much fun! I’d love to be entered into your drawing.
**Filing this idea away to STEAL it for Maya’s 2nd birthday!
i love your shirts! So cute!
The party looked like fun! I need one of those Danger shirts for my son…he will be 2 at the end of the month.
Yay for easy parties, Happy birthday Kendall!
I love reading your posts! And I love giveaways!
Love the shirts! I have to get my son one for his b-day (or hopefully win one). I also love the Born Free cups. I will have to buy one and try it out! Did they leak or were they pretty good?
We plan on doing an easy party this year as well, probably at Gymboree.
Looks like an amazing party!! (also… yay giveaways!)
🙂
So glad you had an easy party! It looked super fun!
what a fun party! and i love his little shirt! he’s too cute!
Everything looks perfect, we are getting ready for Jackson’s 2nd bday soon and I would love that shirt for him. Thanks so much!
Looks like a blast! I’ll have to keep a place like that in mind when my DS turns 2!
love the invites. We’re doing Brady’s 2nd birthday here at home + praying for no rain! I need to get him a slugger or MVP shirt for his bday this year. Last year he was rookie of the year. = )
Looks like so much fun! I wish we had the Pump it Up Jr. here, my son is still a little small for the regular pump it up. Happy Birthday Kendall!
Great pictures, and what a fun party! I love your cupcake stand too!
I so wish we had a bounce place anywhere near where we live. I’ve still got 6 months to decide but have no clue what to do for a toddler party in the middle of a North Dakota winter. I’m jealous.
The group shot is awesome! There was this kid (Andy L.) in my 3rd grade class who was always mining around in his nose, and lo and behold if he didn’t do it in the class photo! Thanks for the giveaway chance!
I love his shirt, even if I don’t win I think I will have to buy one! Lol!
that shirt you wore is SUPER cute!! Love the cupcakes too!
Looks like a blast! We’re doing a bounce house at home this year, first time I’ve had “outside” help. I can’t wait to not have to be the entertainment!
Looks like a fabulous party! I love both of your t-shirts. 🙂
Happy birthday, Kendall!
Happy Birthday, Kendall! What a great giveaway.
Love that Danger 2 year old pic. Would love to hear how you made the cupcake stand (and the birthday banner).
Happy Birthday, Kendall!
the shirts are both super cute!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KENDALL!
and congratulations on surviving two years! What a fun birthday party…
I LOVE the shirts 🙂
How fun! Love the digging for gold pic! I definitely prefer doing parties on location rather than worry about all the mess myself. Kadence’s first birthday was at our Children’s museum..it was a blast and no set up or clean up!! 🙂
Love the shirts and the picture of Kendall picking his nose. Just found out there’s a Pump It Up in my area, so we might just have to check it out this summer. A great way to avoid dying in the Arizona heat.
I think I deserve to win since I commented on Facebook about how I was sooooooo going to get that shirt for my son’s 2nd bday party! =)
Too cute! I’ll have to check out our Pump It Up!
awesome party idea! looks like it was a blast!
Sounds like the party was a great time! And yay for you for choosing a place to keep all the toddlers contained!
Awesome!!!!
Looks like a lot of fun….wish we had a place like that near us!
My Livvy is turning a year old at the end of May. I hope to have as successful a party as Kendall did!
We decided to skip birthday parties altogether for our soon to be two year old (until she is old enough to want one) and we just take her to Sesame Place and have Elmo sing to her. We did it for her first birthday and we are doing it again this year. The quiet and calm of this works so much better for us.
My kiddo turned two on the 2nd also. Your party makes my pizza and cake in the back yard look pretty pitiful. Although I did make a pretty kick*** Thomas the Train cake 🙂
How the HELL is he 2 already!? Wasn’t it just yesterday I read the announcement that he was officially an outside baby? Not. Possible. But, cute cute cute! Congrats on 2 years of Mommyhood. 🙂
love, love love it! Congrats on making it two years, Mama!
Looks like a great party!
looks like a great party!
My boys love the bounce house! I could use that exact shirt for my fresh 2 year old! ha. My favorite thing about this post? The tiny sliver of pizza next to the yellow born free cup. I don’t know why, I just love it 🙂
Looks like a fun party! Now I feel like a slacker mom. =P
We just attended our 1st bounce house party a few weeks ago, and my 1.5 year old loved it! So much fun! We also love CafePress!
I definitely LOVE that t-shirt – my 2-year-old is totally the same way. Fun birthday party too, we love bounce house parties!
Super cute party! I haven’t been to your blog for awhile, and I just can’t believe how grown up Kendall looks. My daughter turns two at the end of the month – oh, how the time flies!
Love those shirts. So cute. 🙂
Still on the fence about throwing our soon to be two-year-old a party..but this one looks like a lot of fun (and not too much work!).
The party looked great! I love the shirts 🙂
LOVE the bounce house. My best friend did that for her son’s 2nd birthday and it was a blast. Ahh, memories.
Would love the shirts. Could sport them at my daughter’s 2nd birthday party on May 15th.
Wow a bounce house party! That sounds way cooler than what I had as a kid. The party looked great and the shirts were awesome. T minus 8 months to plan for my daughter’s first birthday party.
Sounds like a good time washad by all!! The oreo balls….INSANELY YUMMY…b
Happy birthday to Kendall! The party looks like it was great – I may be stealing some ideas for my K’s 1st birthday in a few months!
Love it – the party and the shirt!
Wait… a Pump It Up JR.? Awesome! I’ll forever be on the lookout for indoor party places since my boy was born in November… I guess you’ll have to think of that too with the new addition? Congrats on the pregnancy AND the successful 2nd birthday party!
looks like a great party!
Glad to hear the party went well. I think you made the best choice for the party location.
The party looked FANTASTIC! I so wish we had a place like that in my hood.
And I love the shirts!! Too cute!
Looks like a great party! Can’t believe he is 2 already!
Wow! 2 already! My son turns 2 in 2 weeks…he loves to jump and bounce as wel1!!
I LOVE YOUR SHIRT!!! They have that quote on a water bottle from papersource.com and I want it so bad, but a shirt would be even better!!
Great party! And I love Cafe Press!
As a soon to be mom, I think I’ll learn the value the “keep calm” mantra very soon!
Wow. That looks like a much easier birthday party than anything I’ll do myself. Mine will be 2 tomorrow. I would love to lock her and her friends in a padded, inflatable space and not let them out until dinner & bedtime too! You are a smart Mommy!
Happy 2nd birthday, Kendall! Enjoy this year as you become a big brother!! 🙂
Cute shirts! Looks like you guys had a blast!
Gosh I wish they had something like a bounce house around me – I could so use it to burn some energy off of these 2 tornados of mine!
Picking your nose on your 2nd birthday = priceless!
I LOVE that picture of Kendall & his friends. I hope that in high school he is still friends with them & you can pull that beauty out!
Looks like you had a great time and everything came together awesome. Looking forward to planning my son’s 1 year bday soon so the shirts would def. come in handy after seeing your cute ones!
Great idea! I’m thinking I will have to do the same for my daughter’s 2nd birthday b/c we have some family that are extremely allergic to cats and we have one. So no parties at home. We also don’t have the option of going to the park since my daughter’s b-day is in January. Not feeling the frostbite and windburnt cheeks here in Illinois for a 2yo’s party. Though that might keep attendance low!
OhMyGOD I LOVE the picture of Kendall with his finger in his nose!!!! Cracked me up!! Just wait until he’s older and you can show it off to his girlfriends ; )
Looks like a great birthday. Congrats with the party!
What a fun party! Looks like the perfect thing for a 2 year old!
So sad we missed it, but it looks like y’all had a GREAT time! Love the shirts too, supa-cute!
looks like a blast! we took our toddler to a ‘bounce house’ for the first time the other day, there was a bouncy room full of blow-up punching bags. he was in HEAVEN!!
Awww, looks like a fantastic party!!
[…] also saw this cute shirt that Baby Rabies found for her little guy. I’m thinking of getting one for […]
[…] a pacifier, he’s used plenty of their cups. The Twist N Pop straw cups BornFree sent for his birthday party have been such a hit. We have 3 that replaced all the other cups in the pantry. I usually keep […]
[…] Our new Trainer and Twist N’Pop colors are so much fun and make awesome party favors! Jill Krause, a BornFree Mom Panel member and blogger took this awesome photo of the Twist N’Pop Cups at her son Kendall’s 2nd birthday party. […]
My son’s birthday is May 14th…. I <3 the water bottle idea!!! He'll be 7 this year & I know my kids can ALWAYS use a new good water bottle. Surely, his friend can too!
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