We decided earlier that we would be having a small party at home for Noah this year. A small party meant our immediate families, a few relatives, and some friends. But when I finished the guestlist, the number totaled to 70. That’s still a lot for a small party. I planned on inviting them to our house by batch: families for lunch, relatives for merienda, and friends for dinner. That sounded not too practical as I knew I’d end up very tired and would be spending more. Then, I thought of getting a hotel suite and just inviting them over. That didn’t seem convenient to everyone but would be cheaper for us.

And then I remembered how Noah enjoyed the Jollibee mascot at his cousin Jam’s 1st Birthday Party. It was the first time that I really witnessed him have fun at a birthday party. Actually, that weekend he enjoyed three birthday parties that made me decide to finally schedule a kiddie party at Jollibee. So we did.

There were  70 guests and most of them were family, relatives, Joshua’s bandmates, my best friend’s family plus my mom’s friends at church. This was a “small” party so I wasn’t able to invite our churchmates and most of my friends. (Ang dami pa rin! Sorry, guys. Bawi kami sa 7th Birthday party. Planado na. Haha! Joke.)

Venue. We made the reservations at Jollibee Pioneer Center. We opted for this branch because it’s the nearest I know that has a lot of parking space. It’s more convenient to everyone in our guestlist.

Date. Noah’s 3rd birthday fell on a Friday, November but since we would be in Bangkok until the 10th, the party would have to be next week– November 17. It’s also the 30th Wedding Anniversary of Joshua’s parents. Plus, my mom would be visiting from Bangkok so the date would just be perfect. I really wanted her to be there on Noah’s birthday. 🙂

Theme. The party planner in me kicked in once again. I don’t remember when I decided on a LEGO-theme party but that’s what he had. I discussed this with the Jollibee manager and she said it was okay.

Party planning always excites me. I always go overboard. My husband told me to keep it simple unlike the Noah’s Ark-themed party I planned for Noah’s dedication. I realized that planning a “small” party was more challenging. I had to make do with a budget so I limited the number of guests and relied on DIYs. I enjoyed every second of planning and actually doing the rest of the party stuff. I was tempted to order from the US but the tutorials and blogs of other party mommies were enough. So yeah, kinarir ko talaga.

I sent out a Save-The-Date first:

 

For this year, Noah’s caricature is a minifig I asked his Ninang Ying of Aileen O. Fantasy Art and That Girl to draw Noah as a Lego mini figure.

I planned on making an invitation but I only got to finishing the prototype so I created an event invitation instead on Facebook:

Before I created this Facebook event, I sent out an SMS invitation to the guests:

Hindi naman obvious na LEGO theme party, no? Text pa lang. LOL!

Because one of the party planning lessons I learned before, I decided to hire a professional photographer. I hired Shampoo Shots Creative Studio two days before the event and good thing he was available that day. He lives near the venue so getting him was a good idea. Thank you Shampoo! Check out his Facebook Page.

 

 

For other creative costumes for your child, try searching for the best on the Internet. You can make your own but it’s better if you buy one from a reliable company.

Thank you to everyone who came. Thank you for the gifts. Noah had a blast! Joshua and I did too! We are so grateful for your BUILDING new memories with us. When I said LEGO have fun, you really did.  The party was a brick-building fun! Our Little Builder will someday see these posts and he’ll say, “Those guys rocked at building LEGOs!” Hahaha!

[nggallery id=9]

Thank you God for another year you’ve added to our son Noah’s life.
We continue to offer him to you.
May your name be lifted high in his life.
Our family will forever serve you Lord.

_________________________

 I always thank my God for you because of his grace
given you in Christ Jesus.
1 Corinthians 1:4