lessons learned:
1) i am not the sort of blogger who looks super cool in photos. obviously.
2) no matter how much thought/effort/love you put into making a felt birthday crown for the guest of honor, she will not want to wear it. make it anyway.
3) lots of aunts, uncles, and cousins at the party is a lot of fun. grandparents too.
4) it is impossible to be both photographer and party hostess at the same time. ask someone else to take pictures. (thank you, k.)
5) attaching fun fabric to a wall is a cheap and easy way to make a photobooth. (trendy? yes. but i am not yet tired of them. are you?)
6) you should probably iron the fabric first.
7) anything in miniature is a big hit. first there were the tiny balloon invitations. and tiny paper crowns for all the guests to wear. and then. then there was dessert...
8) tiny ice cream cones + tiny toppings (mini gummi bears, mini chocolate chips, mini m&m's, and sprinkles) should be a requirement at every party. they are just the right size for the littlest ones and adults can have seconds (thirds? fourths?) if they want to. as an added bonus, they require zero baking or cake decorating skills.
9) you can still put a candle in an ice cream cone.
10) if your camera battery dies in the middle of "happy birthday", a do-over is totally acceptable.
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