To Party or Not to Party...

Esther's 2nd Birthday

We've always thrown fun parties for our girls' birthdays. Not because we had them growing up or anything, but just for the sake of celebrating our babies! We invite both sides of our family and our close friends. We have food and decorations to match a chosen theme. It's always hectic, but a good time. I LOVE planning and putting together parties. I love watching all the kids run around while the adults try and have some sort of conversation. It's just all so fun!!

And it's all just so expensive. Truly, even if you're trying to be as frugal as possible (which I generally am), it always ends up costing a pretty penny. And really, although the gatherings are fun, the kids aren't going to remember each individual party, especially the early ones. I've often thought these things, but the love of party planning has always trumped my rational thinking. I had a great conversation with my bestie, Adrienne, about this and left feeling a little convicted.

Abigail's 1st Birthday

In our attempts to be intentional, I'm caught wondering if a party for each kid every year is a good idea. While we love each of our beauties, maybe three parties a year is a bit much! I'm left with two thoughts on how to correct this. One idea is to have one party for all children, even though their birthdays are pretty spread out: January, April, and August. I like this one because our sweet January baby will never have the luxury of a fun, outdoor party (which is how I, a December baby, always suffered.). The second option is to have a first birthday party and then not another party until the child can help plan and choose who she wants to invite. Adrienne made the good point that the first birthday is a big deal - almost like a 'Hey! We survived! Come celebrate with us!' Totally there! That first year is so full of crazy that a big celebration at the end is totally warranted. I also like that we'd save some money not throwing one each year that the girls won't even remember.


I'm still not sure what the solution is for our family. I have a little bit of time to think about it and pray through it. How does your family celebrate birthdays?