Free Birthday Party

Free birthday parties work best for the 2 and under set. It is important for the child to have no pre-conceived notions about what a birthday party should entail, and no abilities to differentiate between new and used toys.

Ingrid happens to possess these qualities, and so she was an excellent candidate for a free birthday party this year. We knew that we weren't going to invite people over for her birthday, so we went to Downtown Disney for a family day last weekend instead. On her actual birthday, after a lunch of homemade macaroni and cheese (a favorite with Ingrid) and green beans, we took about 45 minutes (all this was accomplished on Jessie's lunch break) to have a little cake and presents celebration.

We started out with our favorite,

made from scratch, "Black Joe" cake

(yes, there was coffee in the 2-year old's

birthday cake)

with homemade peanut butter icing.

Then we progressed to the gifts, most of which had been handed down to us from friends a few months ago, and had been stored in the garage in anticipation of this day.

Some were pulled out of a large Williams Sonoma bag

some were wrapped in pink paper

and the last one was covered with a sheet

and unveiled after all the others

had been opened and appreciated

All have been thoroughly enjoyed ever since.