The twins turned one this past weekend. Like any decent parents, we honored the twins request for a large birthday party. We limited it to relatives - 22 of them, including us - ignoring their insistent demands that we invite their large circle of little friends.
Seriously though, it does seem odd to have a big party for little beings who couldn't care less, who are as entertained by the ribbons as anything that comes inside the wrapping paper, and who would probably be happier just hanging with us than a bunch of semi-strangers who are insistently cooing in their faces. Once you factor in the time involved in prepping for a big gathering - time where you are trying to minimize the time spent catering to the babies so you can actually accomplish something - the whole thing is a bit absurd. Ultimately, it is probably best to admit that the party is essentially for the parents rather than the honorees. It is true, in support of the concept, that turning one is a milestone birthday. In addition, my wife's family has a history of big first birthday parties. In the final analysis, it is as good a reason as any to drink mimosas at 11 a.m. on a Sunday morning.
We went with a Curious George theme and put a lot of time and effort into the whole thing. We made monkey face cupcakes by using black and red frosting for the mouth, nostrils, and eyes, nilla wafers as the base for the mouth and nose, marshmallows for eyeballs, and mini-s'more cookies for ears. We made five different quiches with primate-themed names, such as "the Jane Goodall", and hung stuffed monkeys from the chandaliers and other various spots. Unfortunately, we ran out of time to do a stuffed monkey recreation of the infamous ether sniffing scene from "Curious George Gets a Job." Just as well, as that one would have gone unappreciated by the vast majority of attendees anyway. In the end, it was definitely a worthwhile endeavor as the weather was awesome, the guests had a lot of fun, and the babies eventually warmed up to the crowd and had a good time.
Seriously though, it does seem odd to have a big party for little beings who couldn't care less, who are as entertained by the ribbons as anything that comes inside the wrapping paper, and who would probably be happier just hanging with us than a bunch of semi-strangers who are insistently cooing in their faces. Once you factor in the time involved in prepping for a big gathering - time where you are trying to minimize the time spent catering to the babies so you can actually accomplish something - the whole thing is a bit absurd. Ultimately, it is probably best to admit that the party is essentially for the parents rather than the honorees. It is true, in support of the concept, that turning one is a milestone birthday. In addition, my wife's family has a history of big first birthday parties. In the final analysis, it is as good a reason as any to drink mimosas at 11 a.m. on a Sunday morning.
We went with a Curious George theme and put a lot of time and effort into the whole thing. We made monkey face cupcakes by using black and red frosting for the mouth, nostrils, and eyes, nilla wafers as the base for the mouth and nose, marshmallows for eyeballs, and mini-s'more cookies for ears. We made five different quiches with primate-themed names, such as "the Jane Goodall", and hung stuffed monkeys from the chandaliers and other various spots. Unfortunately, we ran out of time to do a stuffed monkey recreation of the infamous ether sniffing scene from "Curious George Gets a Job." Just as well, as that one would have gone unappreciated by the vast majority of attendees anyway. In the end, it was definitely a worthwhile endeavor as the weather was awesome, the guests had a lot of fun, and the babies eventually warmed up to the crowd and had a good time.
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