Rainbow Birthday Parties: Head-to-Head

I may have been overambitious and my expectations may have been stress-inducing, but Mia's two birthday parties were fun -- and now they are done.  They both had their special moments (some more happy than others):


In this corner: Birthday Party #1

Our house was packed with family, and the noise was deafening.  Mia was gracious and polite -- except for when she wasn't. 

She did remember to say a sweet Thank You to each gift-giver, which is always a relief.

Lauren didn't feel too left out, mostly because she inserted herself helpfully into every situation.

And the cake was a success! 

(Quite a time-consuming success, but that still counts.  Plus, it was goooood despite the obscene amounts of buttercream frosting required for assembly.)

All around, it was a great party, don't you think?


And in this corner: Birthday Party #2

The bouncy house was mostly deserted (but still, the noise was deafening), and a wonderful handful of kids showed up to play with us.



Sweet, playful Jacqui

 Unfortunately, they were greeted by a sickly birthday girl.  We almost didn't bring her to her own party, but when she declared perfect health, we succumbed, thankfully.  Because how bad is it to host a party where there's no birthday girl?  What would that even look like?  As it was, she laid on her daddy's shoulder the entire time.

Mia's friends had a GREAT party!

The lone boy: handsome Cameron

Mia, on the other hand, fell asleep in a quiet party room.

And the cake? 

Yum!  Much simpler to make, and just as sweetly fun. 

So what do you think?  Which party wins?  The family party with a stacked up rainbow cake?  Or the friends party with a no-show birthday girl?

Either way -- I have a lot of leftover cake!