{Party of Two… Monkeys!}

{Preface: I love birthday parties. LOVE. It’s my thing… and I pour my heart and soul into it. More so than I did my own wedding, if I’m honest. So—to me—this is a really big deal.}

Here’s a little fun fact: my sister was born two days shy of my fourth birthday. (Talk about stealing someone’s thunder!) The next 4-5-6 years, we then proceeded to share our birthday parties. Because—really—how could you have two birthday parties within a week of each other?! (As we got older this was exactly what happened… but by that point we were helping with the planning, had fewer guests, and usually wanted them “out” somewhere.) I don’t remember being upset about it, but there are many a photo with a pout or a sneer across my little face as I watch my sister blow out her candles or open her presents. So I must not have been over the moon about it either. Ahhh, you gotta love sibling rivalry, no?!

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Imagine the irony of then deciding to have a joint birthday party for my kids! In retrospect, I realize now why my mom did it. It wasn’t because she was lazy, or  didn’t care. There’s a lot that seems to go into it… finances, schedule, and guests… just to name a few. I hemmed and hawed for a long time on what to do for the boys here.* Finally, I decided that it made more sense to throw a joint party as well. Here’s why:

T I M I N G

The boys’ birth dates fall three weeks apart. In the summer. It’s a crazy time of year for us to begin with… and having two parties in the mix is somewhat overwhelming to me. Not to mention that just like my sister and I growing up, the boys friends seem to be siblings with each other. So not only are we taking the pressure off ourselves, we also aren’t asking our friends and their kids to come to two parties just a couple of weeks apart.

Also, like I said above, I love parties. This means I pour my all into it. The invitations, the decor, the favors… all usually hand-crafted and made with lots of love. I was worried I would get through the first party and have nothing left for the second party.

We decided to have the party in-between the two birth dates, and that means we can still make their actual birthdays as special as they are!

G U E S T S

Many of our guests have children that would come to  both parties, regardless. But we also have several close friends who have kiddos much closer to Pint-Sized Picasso’s age—making it more appropriate to invite them to his party, were they separate. To say that this wouldn’t go over well with Mini Michelangelo is a gross understatement. Just another reason that we feel that we should combine the parties.

Also, many of our guests have to travel to celebrate with us. It’s simply not fair to make them wage battle against summer traffic twice.

F I N A N C E S

I’m not sure if I will win on this one… but ideally, with one party, we will have less cash outlay. (Same decorations, same food, etc.) That said… I’ve already compromised this by renting a hall. Our tentative guest list is more than I can fit in my home, and after last year where we had Mini Michelangelo’s party outside on the hottest. day. of. the. summer, I need to know (and I need my guests to know!) that there will be air conditioning galore! That said, the benefits of renting a hall far outweigh the negatives and the cost. (I hope!)

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Even though I know my above reasons are valid, I still have some concerns. (It’s a new world to me, this whole joint party thing!) I want to balance it out, make it special, and create an environment for everyone to have fun. Here are just a few of my worries:

S P E C I A L  D A Y S  F O R  S P E C I A L  B O Y S

We missed Pint-Sized Picasso’s first birthday… which is a really, really big deal. Anyone who misses their child’s first birthday would tell you that. But add in the Korean culture that we try so hard to keep alive for them, and it makes a sore spot even more sensitive. We missed his Dol. There’s no changing that… but we sure can try to make his first birthday with us just as special.

At the same time, I don’t want Mini to feel any less special because of circumstances outside our control. We’ve got some plans in place to avoid that such as separate cakes and activities that tailor to each kid. And obviously, their friends will be separate too. (And maybe the invitations…) But I’m hoping that as the plans come together, they will see that this party was built around them, and not feel short-changed.

T H E M E

I’m very, very big on party themes. Just ask anyone who has been to a party of ours… I may have been told that I go over the top. (Like I said, I LOVE birthdays!) We’ve done a mad scientist party, a super hero party, a train party, and a water party. Now I find myself struggling to find a theme that fits them both. Just for giggles, a humorous excerpt from a recent car ride:

Mini: “I don’t understand why we need a theme… Here’s the theme, ‘Spencer. Is. AWESOME.'”
Me: “I don’t know if we can create a whole party around that… especially not a joint party.”
Mini: “Mama, it’s just the way of the world. He’ll learn.”
{Ahhh… to be young and confident!}

Needless to say, we’re not going with the theme of “awesome,” but we haven’t quite nailed it down yet either. I was pulling hard for a lego/ninjago theme (as much as I dislike commercial themes) but I have lost that battle. I thought that the younger one could have the focus more on legos and the older one could have the focus more on ninjago. But it was not to be. As much as it hurts me to say it… I think we are going with a “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle” theme (oh, peer pressure… you slay me!) and I’m scrambling for how to make that appropriate for a two-year-old. (Ideas are welcome.)

P R E S E N T S

I can’t be the only one who suffers from this dilemma… I don’t want our guests to feel that they need to bring presents for both boys. Some will since they are there for both of them, but really… this seems like a lot to ask. (And manage to squeeze into our already overflowing play area.) And Mini is at an awkward age where it is aaaalll about the presents. Oy. I’m hoping for a moment of enlightenment to hit soon. (Again, ideas are welcome.)

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All in all, I think that this is the way to go. No… I know this is the way to go. Once I wrap my mind around a theme appropriate for both. (That somehow revolves around the reptile guy we have coming.) And hopefully, there will not be a pout or sneer to be found on either of their faces!

Does anyone have experience in throwing joint sibling parties? Do you think this is do-able? Or am I crazy for even trying? 

* Not to mention I spent hours scouring the internet for ideas. Why does it seem that most joint parties are for twins, or boy-girl siblings? Am I that far off base here? Sometimes the internet can make you very unsure.