Train Party Success...

LOVE PLANNING PARTIES!

I ALWAYS start the party planning process with the cake!!!-- OF COURSE!  So the reality of a train cake pulled through this weekend.  It was a cake (and a party) that I had planned in my mind for about 2 months.  So I am very excited to say --it pleased the birthday boy and his party guests!  And the cake creator!  It ONLY took about 4 ½ hours… uff… ONLY??  (=not including the baking).  But it was worth every minute when I discovered where my child was in the a.m. of his party = Sitting quietly in the “off limits” room observing HIS cake for about 45 minutes… I trusted that Isaac wouldn’t ruin it… Trevor’s fingerprint was already evidence of why it was placed into the off limits area to begin with!

Actually, when Isaac got home from daycare on Friday and the cake creation was almost complete he asked where the “toy trains” were… I had previously made a cake with a track that had toy Thomas the Tank Engine trains on top of it… I didn't want a "Thomas" birthday party -- I figured he was "too old" for that.  I was somewhat sad that he wanted “toys” on top, over the train I had created out of fondant the night before for him, but it only took him about 5 minutes and he came back and sweetly told me it was “Perfect”!!! So nice! (Marshmallow Fondant recipe from wilton.com!!! = so much better than the “other” stuff!)

Other than the cake!...

Whenever we are deciding to go out to eat Isaac ALWAYS begs, “Where the train goes round!”  So, it was a pretty easy decision to have the 5 year old’s birthday party at Happy Joe’s Pizza Parlor.  It has an electric train that rides the rails built on shelves-- near the ceiling of the restaurant. 

The invitation was a collage of his pictures taken by train exhibits at Storybookland at Wylie Park in Aberdeen, SD that I made on snapfish.com... and stated, “Clickety, Clack” you are invited… etc. 

We put favors together with: Train Whistles, Railroad Crossing Gum (both from Oriental Trading Company), tokens for “games” at Happy Joe’s, and of course some candy!  Luckily the train whistles weren’t used as much as I had imagined!!  Saved all of our ears!!!  But I hope they enjoy them at home!

Well, onto devouring leftover cake. --for a while! and writing thank yous! –Just a hint from me!..when I address the invitations, I also address the thank you’s!  That saves SOOOOO much time!  ;)  Isaac is still practicing writing his name! So the thank you’s are “personalized” with his signature (some have "extra letters"...cuz he is a perfectionist, like his mom??!... and rewrites a random letter somewhere else, if he didn't like the first one--cutie!).  Thank you's are a very important feature to teach your child gratitude! 

I have another cake to think about now.. 22 days after the last birthday!.. Can’t believe my kids are getting older – when I am clearing not aging at all!!! lol