We almost didn’t have an “official” party for Sloan. After last year’s extravaganza, Sid and I questioned whether to throw a bash for our 2-year-old. But, after thinking it over, we decided to pull one off! Realizing that you only turn 2 once, we went ahead and made plans.

Selecting it out of a few contenders, Sidney decided to go with a Sesame Street theme. Sloan loves Elmo and Abby so we knew she would dig it. We went back and forth between having her party on Saturday, March 16, or Sunday, March 17 (her actual birthday), ultimately opting for the latter and setting a 2 p.m. start time. We would be hosting the party at our house.

We threw a Sesame Street party and dressed the part.

The weekend prior to her birthday, we picked out decorations and ordered the cake at Coccadotts. Sidney brought in a photo of how she wanted the cake to look and they responded by making us something even better.

Thanks to Coccadotts for making a beautiful cake.

Sloan “invited” a few of her best girlfriends (and parents) to be her guests of honor at the party. Sidney’s sisters, nephews, niece, brother-in-law, and a teaching friend also attended. Best of all, Sloan’s four grandparents were all there. By the time 2:15 p.m. rolled around, we had a total of 20 people in attendance.

The majority of the party took place in the backyard. The brand new jungle gym that was fully constructed just hours prior to the bash was broken in by Sloan and her friends. But the shiny new addition to our backyard wasn’t the only source of entertainment. Thanks to Heroes for Hire, the attendees had a lot more to do. A bounce house was inflated, Anna and Elsa from “Frozen” made an appearance (making it 22 people at the party), and a glitter tattoo station was set up.

Sloan had a great time on her new jungle gym with Jacqueline and Stevie Blair.

Let me tell you, if you need to add a fun element to your party, don’t hesitate contacting Heroes for Hire. The princesses were absolutely incredible! Not only did they play their parts perfectly but they showered Sloan with attention and did such a nice job applying the glitter tattoos to the toddlers who were brave enough (Sloan wasn’t) to get one.

Heroes For Hire really made Sloan’s birthday party special. Highly recommend!

The party eventually transitioned inside for lunch. The grandpas grilled hot dogs that attendees could pair with various sides. People ate while enjoying the Sesame Street décor and the Sloan slideshow that looped on the living room TV.

Sid’s dad (left) and my dad (right) worked together to grill hot dogs.

It was now time for the signature part of any birthday party. With Sloan at the head of the table, we placed her birthday cake in front of her and everyone started singing. She immediately put her head down in what might have been a slight show of embarrassment. But any trace of uneasiness evaporated within seconds as a big smile spread across her face. Thanks to some assistance from her cousin, the candles were blown out and cake was served.

Sloan happily blew out the candles on her birthday cake.

After everyone finished with their cake, we moved forward with presents. Sloan was originally going to open them inside but it was such a beautiful and sunny afternoon that we took all the gifts outside. With everyone watching, Sloan tore open her presents. She couldn’t contain her excitement and started playing with some of her new toys right there on the grass.

Sloan opening presents outside as her guests look on.

The toddlers savored the final minutes of the party playing on the sun-drenched jungle gym and bounce house. As attendees left, we breathed a sigh of relief that everything went smoothly and that Sloan had an awesome time.

Sloan and Jacqueline playing with Sloan’s new ice cream cart.

Thanks to my wife for organizing the party and all the grandparents for helping us prepare for it. What a way to start Sloan’s next rotation around the sun. Don’t Blink.