Birthday.

Oh my, I am in full planning mode. I have a board set up on Pinterest with loads of party ideas, but I've narrowed down and selected our theme (do you Pin? if not, you totally should. best idea in the world ever. no exaggeration. okay maybe a little cuz I think cars are pretty damn terrific, but I heart Pinterest). I wanted to do something this year that Ben was interested in, so I was choosing from trains, trucks/cars and Elmo. I gathered ideas on all of those themes before I decided to do Sesame Street. Not clever or unique at all but I know it's something he'll love. I saved my ideas on the trains and cars/trucks for future parties. :)

I'm having a hard time deciding my guest list this year. Last year I decided to keep it mostly family, low stress and simple. This year I thought it would be fun to invite more friends and have more of a traditional "party" with games, prizes, etc. The problem I'm having is most of the people I know with kids Ben's age aren't what I'd call close friends. I'd love to include them, but how do I do it in a way that isn't making them feel like I'm inviting them for another gift? I want to put the invite out there in a very casual, no stress, please-don't-RSVP-yes-because-you-think-you'll-hurt-my-feelings way. So save me a bit of headache here. If you're reading this and would like to come to Ben's party - please consider yourself invited and let me know that you want to come. Ha ha.

In other related news, this is the first year I've started Christmas shopping early. It started in Chicago where I picked up a few things along the way. It seems every time I go to the store, I find one or two items to toss in my basket. Last year was awful. Between buying/making decorations for Ben's party, I also had to buy presents for his birthday AND Christmas shop. It was a very tight month indeed and would have completely sucked if not for my super generous mama. Note to self: next time you think you want to have a baby, pay attention to what part of the year said baby will be born. NO. MORE. WINTER. BABIES.

I'm very excited for Ben's birthday. Last year he was sort of "uhhh... what?" with the whole thing. He wasn't super excited to rip the paper off of any presents, which totally bummed me out. He did love destroying his cake, so I'm interested to see how it goes this year. My sister in law tells the story of Connor's 2nd birthday where he asked for a napkin. Ha ha.

So there's the gist of my post: who do I invite and how do I tactfully include those acquaintances in a no pressure way? Any tips?