August Birthday = Pool Party!
If you have an August birthday, and unless you live somewhere like Northern Wisconsin, it’s going to be ridiculously hot. That narrows down the outdoor party options to one… pool party. You can obviously do the party indoors like we did last year, but when 25 kids are involved, there’s just not enough room or things to do. (And I’m not laidback enough)
I’m not sure how the beach ball became the focus, but I found some decorations I was really excited about and went with it! Whenever I’m decorating for a party, I like to set up as much as possible in advance so that the day of the party is a little more manageable. I’ll even do a little mockup of the main table to make sure I’m not wasting precious time playing with decorations on the day of the party. This was the first time decorating at another location, so I didn’t have that luxury. They originally told me that I could get in 15 to 20 minutes before the pool opened to start setting up, but the guards said “no” that morning. We sat in the parking lot getting eaten by mosquitos until 11 AM, when we walked in at the same times as our guests. Not cool.
Luckily, everybody was awesome and jumped in to help as much as they could. I’m not one to ask for help setting up a party because I’m so particular about how I want things, but this time, I had no choice. It didn’t end up exactly like I envisioned it, but overall, I think it turned out pretty good!
The Cake
I’ve probably said this a million times before, but I’m not a fan of cake. The term “fluffy” does nothing for me when describing desserts. Dense, on the other hand, is right up my alley… cookies, brownies, ice cream, candy. My kids have inherited my cake aversion, so it’s always my challenge to come up with a dessert the boys will actually eat on their birthday. I came across a post on Pinterest of a brownie/cookie dough layer cake. The post included the recipes for making the brownie layers, cookie dough layers, and ganache from scratch. Two months after our third baby was born? Nope.
So I cheated. I bought three boxes of brownie mix, 6 jars of edible cookie dough, and frosting in a can. Sounds easy, right? It actually ended up being a multiple-night process. I made the brownies, wrapped and froze them. The cookie dough had to soften slightly to be pressed into a cake pan. Then I wrapped and froze those as well. I’m proud to say that I made the ganache from scratch… Only because it consists of chocolate chips and cream in a microwave:)
I used the ganache as the glue between layers, but in hindsight, I should have used it on the top of the cake as well. I had gotten white frosting to use with the intention of covering the entire thing in white for decoration purposes. Instead, mid-frosting, we decided that the exposed layers looked cool.
In addition to the cake, the alternative dessert was these beach ball cake pops. I use cake pops a lot because they’re delicious, but I also LOVE using them as part of the decor. How cute are these??
I tried to find somewhere local to make them, but I didn’t have any luck. I found these on Etsy (link here) and had them shipped. A few of them broke in transit, but still totally worth it. Definitely the thing most commented on.
The other details…
The entire summer was incredibly hot and dry, but of course when it was time for the party, the rain and storms kicked in. The kids were able to swim for a little bit before the lifeguards blew the whistle for thunder. We did pizza and cake during that time, so the day wasn’t a total bust. I wanted to be mad at the guards for calling thunder when nobody else could hear it, but I think it was karma. When I was a lifeguard, I don’t think I ever missed even the tiniest rumble. It doesn’t get any better than having to clear the pool and just relax at the guard table until the “storm passed”.
It wasn’t the easiest detail to spot at the party, but the fruit tray is supposed to look like a beach ball. Subtle but cute:)
The gift box tags were also from Etsy (link here). My favorite part about the birthday party prep was that my son is now old enough to actually help. He helped me fill the gift bags and glue the tags onto them. It doesn’t sound like much, but it was really fun to have an activity like that together, and he was so proud afterward!
The wrapped presents never made it to the pool. We were already carrying way too much stuff over, but I just loved this paper so much. Not only does it look great, but it’s the super thick kind of wrapping paper that dreams are made of.
Cocktail Time
As I’ve mentioned before, I like to have one or two beverage options available for the adults, even at a kid’s birthday party. Our pool doesn’t technically allow alcohol, but we were told that people can find a way around it. For example, we offered beer and just made sure people poured it into solo cups. College, anyone?
The other idea that I went with was jello shots. Another college blast from the past and may seem totally inappropriate, but it was kind of perfect for a pool party. With kids running around, there’s not really an opportunity to stand around and sip a cocktail. These were quick and refreshing:) Between my “semi-homemade” cake and making an effort for “cocktail time”, I felt a little like Sandra Lee prepping for this party… For all you Food Network lovers.
Per usual, it was a crazy busy couple of hours. If I’m being completely honest, I don’t really remember much about the party besides running around like a crazy person along with some jello shots and really good cake. This picture is the only evidence I have that I even saw the birthday boy. I can’t believe my little guy is already 5!
Flawless!!!