Drips and Drops Ice Cream Party

Tate’s drips and drops ice cream party took place yesterday afternoon and she had such a great time celebrating being two!  Since September is still pretty hot here in Texas, a drips and drops party with ice cream and water activities, sounded like a great way to entertain a group of two year olds.

We sent ice cream cone shaped invitations to Tate’s playgroup friends a couple of weeks ago but due to illnesses and other commitments, only three friends were able to come {which may have suited Tate perfectly since crowds tend to overwhelm her}.

On the day of the party, I strung an ice cream cone garland, made with my cutting machine, on the door …

… and when guests arrived, we went outside for the drops part of the party. I hung beach balls from a backyard tree …

… and set out simple snacks on a little child-sized picnic table.

The kids played in the sprinkler …

… and the kiddie pool, getting really wet and having a lot of fun.  I had extra beach balls that they could throw around and play with.  

Tate looked so cute in her dollar store birthday swimsuit and tutu.

After lots of water play, the little ones changed into dry clothes {a birthday dress that matched the party colors for the birthday girl} …

… Tate opened gifts, and they all sat at the table for the drips portion of the party, the ice cream!

I decorated the table very simply in the theme colors: lime green, purple, and turquoise.  I placed balloons and tulle down the center of the table …

… and placed white paper mats and a paper frame for toddler artwork at each place setting.  I used ice cream cones to hold crayons.

Besides water bottles wrapped in coordinating scrapbook paper, there were no other creative details.  When kids are small, I like to keep it simple and kid-friendly, adding details that they’ll actually use and appreciate rather than overwhelming them with too much.

I used the cake as the centerpiece and elevated it on a plexiglass stand I found last week at a liquidation sale.  The cake was the perfect size for this group of kids, with enough cupcakes for everyone.  {If you’re hosting a large party, you can make an extra batch of decorated cupcakes.}

Tate wore her ice cream cone headband  and endured the singing.  She’s not a big fan of having all the attention on her.

The ice cream push pops were the biggest hit.  I alternated lime sherbet and vanilla ice cream …

… and served them on a vinyl embellished tray.

It was a simple detail but made it much easier to serve them and looked cute too.

The little ones thought the push pops were delicious!

Guests left with their towel favors in hand and Tate talked about her party for a while after.  Such fun to watch our little munchkin celebrate with her friends!