2-2-Choo-Choo

Thatbaby has been looking forward to his Choo Choo Birthday party for longer than he was looking forward to his actual birthday.

  Sunday he got all dolled up so we could head to his party.  Due to his love for all things train, we held it at the Model Railroad Museum.  And gave it a train theme.  I ordered a printable pack from nickwilljack and used it to set the stage. 

We invited all of Thatbaby's friends and had quite a turnout.  He was so happy to see all of them.

It was fun to see him really come out of his shell around a group of kids he knew.  He can be a little nervous and clingy, but in a place he knew and loved, surrounded by people he knew and loved, he really bloomed.  He took his friends to his favorite parts of the museum, welcomed them in and showed them the train table, played with them, and was generally very independent.

And the kids really seemed to have a great time.  It didn't hurt that we had our own train tables, dedicated just to the party.

And our own window into the model trains so they didn't have to go far to watch the choo choos going past.

They also got to run around the museum and see even more trains.  They especially loved running back and forth between the toy train room and the party room.  There was lots of yelling, pushing of buttons and screaming "Thomas! Thomas!"

I kept the food very kid friendly, and very trained themed.  Even the containers.  Which is one of my proudest accomplishments.

The Food Train!

We had "Station House Sandwiches" - Soy Butter and Jelly sandwiches in train shapes.  (One of Thatbaby's daycare classmates has both nut and seed allergies, which makes peanut butter and sunbutter off limits.  If you're looking for a nut-free alternative for your child, Wow Butter is a big hit in our house)

Train Wheel Pasta Salad - Pasta Wheels with tomatoes, cucumber, basil, and mozzarella tossed with Caesar dressing.

"Depot Dip and Veggies" - carrots, celery, and cilantro chive yogurt dip.  (Thatbaby's new favorite Trader Joes find)

Caboose Kabobs with pears, apples, and grapes.

And instead of the ever so popular candy buffets, we did a popcorn buffet!  Because Thatbaby loves popcorn.  I mixed up a couple flavors and let the guests mix and match.  Thatbaby snacked on this throughout the party.

And to drink we had water and "Diesel Fuel" - blackberry lemonade.

And of course, it wouldn't be a party without cake!  Last year I made the cake, this year I ordered it from Elizabethan Desserts, our favorite local bakery.

Thatbaby has been singing Happy Birthday all week.  "Happy Birthday dear mommy daddy"  "Happy Birthday dear cereal"  and so on.  But he was overjoyed when his friends all gathered around to sing happy birthday to him!

Blowing out the candles.

And then eating it.   The cake was a big hit.  All the guests loved it, so maybe our favorite bakery is going to become the favorite bakery for a lot of other people.  By the way - this cake is supposed to feed "15-20 people."  It fed 52.  And we had leftovers.

We sent each of the kids home with a little train-themed goody bag.

They each got a bandana, a train whistle, a conductor's hat, and a personalized little wooden train with their name on it.

And Thatbaby didn't leave empty handed either.   We have such thoughtful and generous friends.  And it was so wonderful to be able to share his choo choo birthday with them!