Pure Joy Home

Summertime means lost of backyard parties at our house!  We absolutely LOVE hosting and entertaining at our home and because we only get to really enjoy our backyard for part of the year, I’ll take any excuse to have friends over and enjoy it!

Brian and Grace have summer birthdays and I really wanted to throw them a classic backyard birthday, think water balloon toss, pin the tail on the donkey, pinata, etc… the way parties were when we were growing up! It took a little convincing for Brian because he initially wanted a trampoline park but the mention of water balloons got him good. All Grace wanted was to have her friends over and a rainbow cake so she was an easy sell.

We went a little crazy and decided to throw them each their own party, on the same day. I had Grace’s birthday party from 11-1 and Brian’s party from 3-5. I did this because I wanted each of them to feel special and be able to enjoy their own friends, plus, I don’t think it would go over well to have a bunch of 6 year old boys throwing water balloons at the 4 year old girls.

Also, I want to note that we invited Brian’s whole kindergarten class for his party and we strategically planned it for the weekend before school let out. We knew once summer started it would be hard to collect RSVP’s and people would be traveling. It turned out to be an awesome end-of-school party for the kids, and parents!

For Grace, we invited all the girls in her class because she did not want boys 🙅🏼‍♀️

decor, food, activities and tips for hosting a successful backyard birthday party

We used all of the party decor from the Spritz line at Target.  For Grace, we went with a mermaid theme and for Brian, we went with a general sports theme.  The kits were so great as it gave you everything you needed to throw a party, but also have the flexibility to just order what you need in case you don’t want everything in the collection.  

Spritz Mermaid Birthday Party Collection

no. 1 Mermaid Paper Straws | no. 2 Mermaid Party Banner | no. 3 Mermaid Napkins | no. 4 Mermaid Pinata | no. 5 Mermaid Dinner Plate | no. 6 Mermaid Foil Balloon | no. 7 Mermaid Tablecloth/Backdrop | no. 8 Pin The Tail On The Mermaid Game | no. 9 Mermaid Treat Bags | no. 10 Mermaid Princess Costume

The Schedule for Grace’s Party

The girls started to arrive at 11 and we had two bounce houses set up. We own both of these and use them regularly throughout the summer. Little Tykes Bounce House and/or Little Tykes Inflatable Slide/Bouncer. They were such a hit for both birthday parties! I feel like renting a big one for the day costs just as much if not more than owning one so it makes more sense to just buy it. We let the girls play on the bouncy houses and swing set until about 11:45. My mom was there to help and she set up a cute little craft for the girls to do. She ordered these crowns off of Amazon and had the girls color them with markers and use glitter with glue sticks. This was kind of a come-and-go activity, but all the girls eventually flocked over.

At 12:00 the pizza was delivered and we had all the girls sit around our table on the deck, we also added a 6-foot table to the end to allow for more seating. I had lemonade and water, watermelon slices, chips and cheese puffs out as well.

At around 12:30 we headed over the piñata! The girls each got to swing the bat and at the end Brian had to open it up and let Grace take the last swing.  Afterwards, we shuffled the girls over for cake! I picked up cupcakes from our local grocery store that had rainbow frosting and we sang happy birthday to Grace 🎂

One o’clock hit and people started exiting, and it was time to turn over the decor for Brian’s party!

Spritz Sports Birthday Party Collection 

no. 1 Sports Dinner Plate | no. 2 Sports Whirls | no. 3 Sports Club Gift Bag | no. 4 Beach Ball Pinata | no. 5 Sports Photo Kit | no. 6 Sports Tablecloth | no. 7 Cracker Jack Original Caramel Coated Popcorn & Peanuts | no. 8 Sports Lunch Napkin

Brian’s Backyard Birthday Party

Brian’s party was a little easier to host because the kids were just that much older and didn’t need as much supervision. Also, it turned out to be a BEAUTIFUL day 🙏🏻 so I texted everyone who RSVP’ed and asked them to bring a bathing suit and towel. One of our bounce house slides has “water capabilities” so you can attach a sprinkler to it. This was SUCH a hit!!!

Also, for Brian’s party there wasn’t so much of a schedule as the kids were just SO happy playing on the bounce houses so we just let them run around and have fun. We did interrupt them twice, once for a water balloon toss and once for the piñata which they REALLY loved. And of course for pizza and cake.

This party turned out SO great because all the parents ended up staying and I was prepared with a couple nice “adult food” snacks like a big cheese plate (all cheeses, fruit and crackers from Trader Joe’s) and a crudite plate with spinach and artichoke dip. We also served beer and wine and all the parents had a great time! It kind of turned out to be an end-of-year, kindergarten graduation, birthday bash and it was just a lot of fun!!

CLASSIC BACKYARD GAMES FOR KIDS

• Dance Party – just play their favorite tunes in the background!
• Egg Toss
• Capture The Flag
• Water Balloon Toss
• Simon Says
• Obstacle Course
• Red Light, Green Light
• Corn Hole
• Beach Ball Toss