Elliott’s Third Fire Truck Birthday Party

Since Elliott is already 3.5 years old, I figured I better get his third birthday party on the blog before he turns 4!  We pushed his birthday party back a little bit, so we had it over the summer, and he had so much fun!  It was the first year I think he really knew what a birthday was, and he wanted to have another party right after this one was over.  I guess that’s a sign of a good party, right?

I always had the best birthday parties growing up!  My mom went all out, and they were always so much fun.  My friends still talk about my parties to this day, and it’s been many, many years since my last official birthday party.  So it sounds like they were pretty epic, right?  Trust me, they were!

This year, Elliott wanted to have a fire truck birthday party, so I started planning right away.  I always try to create a fun dessert table with the theme, so I started gathering my thoughts.  I planned the party in about 3 months, and I only worked on the decorations a few weeks ahead of time, but in the end it all came together so nice.  I think Elliott had a lot of fun, and that’s really all that matters!

Invitation: Obviously, invitations are my jam!  I really wanted it to look like a firehose script for his name, so that was the main focus of creating the invitation for me.  I used the blue stripes for the background to add a little dimension, and of course it needed a fire hydrant, fire truck, and the backside had black spots like a Dalmatian dog.  A red envelope finished off the design.  It turned out so cute!

Backdrop: For his first birthday, I really wanted to do a balloon garland for the backdrop, but we ran out of time.  So for this party, it was a must try.  Luckily for me, my husband was a pro at this, and it came together really fast.  It was so fun, and I definitely plan to make another one for the next party if I can.

Along with the garland, I created a black cityscape with flames coming out of the windows.  That was a total DIY job.  My husband cut out the city with an x-acto knife.  I created some yellow and gray windows to make it look like some lights were on and some were off, and my mom helped make the fire out of tissue paper.  For the fire, you simply cut the tissue paper into some rectangles, put them together and staple the bottom.  Then just fluff it out.  It’s really simple, and it doesn’t have to be perfect at all.  We cut little slits under the windows and pushed the fire through the holes.  Easy peasy!!

Table decor: I found this super cute large fire truck cutout at Party City!  It was the perfect addition to the front of the table.  I secured it with glue dots, so it wouldn’t fall down.

Tables should always have different heights to display the food, so we used platters, cake stands, and wooden boxes to add height.  I’ve had these wooden boxes for a while, and they work perfectly every time!  I ordered an acrylic cupcake stand for the cupcakes in the middle, and I had a strobe light to put on the top.  In a few of the wooden boxes, we placed some red flashing lights as well, which just added a little more fun to the table.

Food: Oh my goodness, we had some desserts!  We served pizza from a local shop, but then mama had to set out and bake ALL of the desserts, except for the decorated sugar cookies and cookie cake.  I love to bake, so narrowing down my ideas is always a struggle.  I know I go overboard, and we had way too much leftover, but it was so much fun to make so many things.

The thing I am most proud of is the dog cake.  That thing was a labor of love, and I honestly didn’t know if I could do it.  I’ve never shaped a cake before, but I really wanted to try, and it worked!  It came together pretty easily, and it tasted pretty delicious if I say so myself.  Isn’t it just the cutest cake ever?

Party Favors: We love giving out party favors, and I know kids love getting surprises to take home.  I always try to find things that go with the theme of the party, so fire truck themed items were definitely on my radar.  In the bag, each child received a firefighter badge, fireman’s hat, an extinguisher that you can fill with water, and it actually squirts!  Also, there were two fire trucks that roll, two slap bracelets, a couple of party blowers, and a fire truck box filled with animal crackers, ring pops and a fireman’s hat sucker, which is just the cutest!

I loved the idea of adopting a fire dog, so I purchased these dogs from Oriental Trading Company, and they were PERFECT!  They’re a good size and a fun little party favor for the kids.  I made these cute signs for the table, and every kiddo got to select their pup, name them, and adopt them to bring home.

Outside fun: We had a blowup waterslide, pools, and a few games set up.  Luckily the ran held off just long enough for us to enjoy the outside before the party ended.

Elliott had such a fun time for his third birthday, and I’m already starting to think about what we may do for his 4th.  It’s still early, but we’ll see.  I’m so glad he loved it. He has really been showing us just how much he knows these days, and sometimes it’s hard to remember he is only 3!  From knowing and recognizing letters and numbers, knowing right and left, to critical thinking and figuring things out on his own, it’s been pretty impressive watching him grow already.  He surprises us all the time with just how much he knows and understands.

Elliott is such a sweet kid and is so well-behaved and always so happy.  It’s definitely a fun stage right now, and I am loving it!  We are looking forward to what his next year brings.