A Penguin and Polar Bear Party

We combined the family birthday parties for James and Sophia again this year and chose a theme that would coordinate well.  It was perfect, actually.  Sophia LOVES penguins and polar bears (even though they reside on opposite poles of the earth) was a great choice for Jimmy.  Plus, decorating for a winter-themed party in February is absolutely ideal.

We chose a date in the middle of their actual birthdays and I set to work incorporating little details along the way.  There were probably many more penguin decorations than polar bears, but that was because I would be using them again the following weekend for Sophia's FRIEND penguin party.

We hung tissue paper pom poms around the house to simulate snowballs and and blew up white balloons and black balloons using a left-over helium tank in the basement.  Jack helped me turn those balloons into polar bears and penguins and the kids had an absolute blast running around the house with them throughout the party. 

I bought some simple white carnations and baby's breath flowers to use throughout the house and they lasted for more than two weeks!  The evergreen branches and pine cones were leftover from a Christmas wreath that I had just disassembled the week before.

A winter-themed party would not be complete without a few powdered donuts!

Sophia chose strategic locations for the balloons before the party started.

Obviously, she loved the penguins ones the best.

The penguin and polar bear picture was a special find online for only $4, which I then framed and used a a focal decoration on the usual birthday canvas.

Polar bear paw cupcakes!

I made a large igloo cakes for Sophia (she chose the pink candle):

And a smaller one for Jimmy:

The snowflake lights (on clearance after Christmas) were the perfect addition to the snowscape.

The SNOW wreath for the front door was made using leftover snowflakes and a pair of the girls' old tights.  I stretched them over a form and then painted glitter letters on them.  The look on Sophia's face while she waited for the guests just set the mood for the event.

We feasted on homemade mac and cheese with ham and bacon, a large salad, fruit and the most delicious pineapple frothy punch ever!  With full bellies, we migrated to the living room so that the guests of honor could open their gifts.

Notice that we used the homemade penguin wrapping paper for Sophia's gifts:

Grandpa gave Jimmy this stuffed sloth, that we later named Simon, and Jimmy has slept with him every night since ...

The firefighter costume from Aunt Minnie was a HUGE hit!

A mermaid tail blanket and a #8 tiara for the birthday girl:

Ready to sing happy birthday!

I hope that all of their wishes come true!