Theo and June are two. I keep saying it out loud to see if it sounds real yet. It doesn't.
Last year for their first birthday, we did a tiny thing at home with just grandparents, because I was one month back at work and running on fumes. This year I wanted something a little bigger, but I also knew my limits. Two-year-olds don't need a bounce house. They need snacks, bubbles, and a nap by 1 p.m. So we planned around that.
The setting: our shared backyard
Our duplex has a backyard that we share with the neighbors on the other side, a retired couple named Rosa and Walt. It's not big, maybe 30 by 40 feet, with a patchy lawn, a lemon tree, and a concrete patio. Before we planned anything, I knocked on their door and asked if they'd mind us using the whole yard for a Saturday morning. Rosa immediately offered to lend us their folding table and asked if she could come. Of course she could. She's basically a third grandma at this point.
The guest list
We kept it to people the twins actually know:
- Dan's parents, who drove down from Sacramento
- My mom from San Jose
- My sister and her boyfriend
- Two families from daycare with kids around the same age
- Rosa and Walt
That was 14 adults and 5 kids, including ours. Enough to feel like a party, small enough that I could actually talk to people.
Timing is everything
We did 10 a.m. to noon. That's after breakfast and before nap, which is the only window where both twins are reliably in a decent mood. It also meant brunch food instead of a full lunch, which was cheaper and easier. By 12:15 everyone was gone and both twins were asleep in their cribs. I call that a perfect event.
What we did
Not much, on purpose.
- Bubbles. I bought a bubble machine and a gallon of solution. It ran nonstop for two hours. It was the single best party purchase I've ever made.
- A "sandbox" bin. A big plastic storage tub filled with play sand, shovels and cups. The kids sat in it for forty minutes.
- Sidewalk chalk on the patio. The adults drew too.
- Balloons, tied low to the fence so the kids could bat at them.
No games, no organized anything. Two-year-olds don't do organized.
The food
I made two big breakfast casseroles the night before, one with sausage and one veggie. Dan's mom brought a fruit salad. My mom brought a big tray of mini muffins. We had coffee in a borrowed carafe, orange juice, and a cooler of sparkling water.
For the cake, I did one small smash cake each (a simple vanilla sheet cake, cut into two rounds and frosted) plus a store-bought sheet cake for everyone else. June took one careful bite of hers and then pushed it away to eat a strawberry. Theo put his whole face in it. That photo is going on our fridge for the next decade.
The budget
I set a limit of $250. Here's where it landed:
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Casserole ingredients (eggs, sausage, bread, cheese, veggies) | $48 |
| Sheet cake from the grocery bakery | $32 |
| Smash cake ingredients | $12 |
| Coffee, juice, sparkling water | $28 |
| Bubble machine and solution | $34 |
| Play sand and a storage tub | $22 |
| Balloons, chalk, plates, napkins | $26 |
| Small thank-you gift for Rosa and Walt | $8 |
| Total | $210 |
We came in $40 under, which I celebrated privately in the spreadsheet that night. The bubble machine and sandbox bin will get a whole summer's use, so I barely count them as party costs.
What I'd do differently
Not much. I'd set up the day before instead of at 8 a.m. that morning, because I was still tying balloons when the first guests walked through the side gate. I'd also ask guests not to bring gifts. People brought them anyway, and our small duplex is now full of new toys that I'll quietly rotate into storage.
Two years
After everyone left and the twins were down, Dan and I sat on the back steps with the leftover coffee and looked at the chalk drawings all over the patio. Two years ago this week, I was in the hospital holding two tiny people and wondering how on earth we'd manage. We did. Mostly with casseroles and spreadsheets and a lot of help.
Happy birthday, Theo and June.
