Party Central.....Toddler Style!!

“What party theme do you want for your birthday this year, punkin boo?” This is the question that I presented to Kariah as her second birthday was approaching. For those of you who have seen and heard Kariah’s passion for “reading” and animated storytelling, it should come as no surprise that she made one of her favorite authors the guest of honor…or rather, gave him the honor of being her party theme! And her answer was...(drum roll please)....screamed at the top of her two year-old lungs...:










“Dr. Seuss!!!!!!!!!!”

None other than the rhyming genius and engineer of a reality of strange shaped objects and obscure characters himself! This was a far cry from the Princess Tea Party that I threw for Kimora’s third birthday last March, but Kariah’s request made me appreciate the unique individuality of each of my precious children for probably the one millionth time this year! Speaking of a rhyming genius, Ciahnna found that she could make Dr. Seuss’ rhymes sound like raps if she read them in just the right way. In her words, they were still a little “dopey sounding” and a bit “wack”, but her performance was quite entertaining to us nonetheless, particularly to the birthday girl and the younger party guests! While Ciahnna was showing off her rapping skills, Acaijah was dressed up as the Cat in the Hat, which was also a party hit, as you can imagine. We had a photo area set up where the kids could get their picture taken with the Cat in front of a Dr. Seussy-looking background (you know, we drew some Whos and a makeshift Whoville with those buildings and stairs that would be impossible to actually construct three-dimensionally!).

Everything from the invitations to the food to the games to the craft fell in line with the Dr. Seuss theme. We played a partnered relay that we called “Thing 1 and Thing 2 Relay” and also pin the tail on the elephant (the elephant from Horton Hears a Who). We had a station set up where kids could go fishing for paper fish with paper clips on them that they caught using fishing rods with magnets on the ends (from One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish). Our dining room was decked out with a banner that read, “Kariah I Am” instead of “Sam I Am”. “Kariah I Am” doesn’t rhyme, of course…but we thought it was cute anyway! Kimora and Kariah had their hair fixed like Cindy Loo Who for the party, which was absolutely adorable. For the craft, the children (and some adults ;) ) made crazy hats with party hats, feathers, sequins, etc., reminiscent of The Five Hundred Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins.

Of course, the food had to honor the chosen theme, too! We had little sandwiches cut in the shapes of letters for Dr. Seuss' ABCs. The highlight of lunch was the green eggs and ham! However, the ham was actually tofu ham, but the kids didn’t know the difference…they were too enthralled with the green color!! We polished off lunch with a cake that looked like the cake on a rake in The Cat in the Hat.

We stated on the invitations that gifts aren’t necessary but that we would appreciate a donation to help buy books for the Atlanta Children's Shelter "Read to Me" program. Many people made donations AND bought Kariah gifts, which wasn’t the idea!!!! But thank you all for coming and for your generosity. Your presence and your children’s presence at Kariah’s birthday party is what made the event a celebration! Special thanks to all of you who helped me pull off this special party for Kariah (*ahem, ahem* mom, Jamal, sissies, and Miss Kimora *wink, wink*). The day was an absolute HIT with the adults, the children, and most importantly, the birthday girl herself.

Happy Birthday Kariah Chanel, and many more!!! Perhaps Dr. Seuss said it best with, "Oh, the places you'll go!" Love you big much - Mommy