Issue #17: How We Celebrate Birthdays from One Year Olds to YES Days (Plus Our Go-To Gifts!)

The saying really is true: the days are long but the years are short

Extra special birthday wishes to our sweet newly four and nine year olds this weekend (just babes above!). We wish you all the love and laughter in the world, today and always. Never stop shining and celebrating. We love you!

Tis the season for birthdays in both our households this week! Liz’s littlest turns four today and Amelia’s oldest turns nine tomorrow! With birthdays on the brain and both us mamas feeling a mixture of equal parts nostalgia and love, and overwhelm and gratitude, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to reflect. We’re sharing our own personal birthday thoughts, traditions, and memories.

And because at the end of the day, we’re all drowning in gift-giving dilemmas too, we pulled together our favorite go-to birthday gifts. These are perfect for your littles, your tween girls, and your crazy kindergarten boys in between. We hope you enjoy!

*This issue is jam-packed with birthday memories and lots of gift ideas at the end - if your email cuts it off, click the prompt at the end to read it in full.

Birthday Moments To Remember

Amelia: My kids’ first birthdays have always felt like major milestones. My husband and I jokingly high five each other on the morning of our kids’ first birthdays. It’s our small way of celebrating making it through that all-consuming first year. There’s so much growth that happens for everyone involved. You’re getting to know this brand new little person while also adjusting to a completely new version of life. It all moves so fast, which is why I love how the first birthday invites a pause. A chance to reflect on just how far we’ve all come.

My daughter’s first birthday fell just a week after we returned from a month in Italy for my husband’s sabbatical (a trip that ended with me breaking my foot!). It was one of those moments that reminds you how little in life goes according to plan. We considered canceling the party but chose to move forward and celebrate. It turned out to be exactly what we needed: a small, love-filled celebration with the people who had supported us through that first year.

My son’s first birthday was in February 2020, just a month before the world shut down. We celebrated at one of my favorite places in the city, Minni, the children’s art studio in the South End. Surrounded by family and friends, it felt like a celebration of our new life as a family of four. It was also the last time I saw my extended family for six months. That memory of all of us together, mask-free and laughing, feels especially precious now.

Liz: Birthdays bring me so, so much joy, I find such warmth in reflecting back at the years and their growth, and celebrating my sweet boys, embracing and indulging in their excitement. I have a lot of fondness and happy emotions looking back (and forward) on their birthdays, for my boys - and for myself! But that being said, the first few years of motherhood contained a lot of major life changes for our family, several relocations, and a pandemic, and so, many of my boys’ birthdays memories so far are paired with other big events, making them stand out even more so in my mind.

My oldest, Bode’s first birthday was just a couple of days before we moved to San Francisco, and it was just my husband and me. I remember seeing others throw massive first birthday bashes for their babies and having conflicting emotions about how intimate our little family gathering was, but looking back, it was just us and just wonderful. We ordered our favorite local pizza in Portland, Oregon, and I made Funfetti cupcakes, and we cheered our sweet little one year old, with baby #2 already growing in my belly.

Bode’s 3rd birthday was in the early days of COVID and we Zoomed with family members across the country. His 5th birthday was our first after moving back to the east coast and we hosted a gathering for friends and family - and a huge shark fin cake! We still laugh at its size!

And we’ll never forget his memorable 6th birthday with actual reptiles all over my house!

My sweet and sassy middle boy’s 3rd birthday was right before another relocation, with moving boxes filling up the background of all birthday pics. Quite possibly my favorite theme we’ve ever done was for his 4th birthday, inspired by his favorite book, Dragons Love Tacos but with our own spin… Dragons Love Birthday Cake.

And my third boy, my baby, who shares a birthday with our wedding anniversary, will forever make a special day all the more brilliant.

How We Celebrate

Amelia: My daughter loves a birthday party, and since she’s a summer baby, most of her celebrations have been at playgrounds and parks around the city. In a world full of action-packed indoor birthday spots, I love the old-school charm of bringing balloons and sidewalk chalk, and setting up a table in the Public Garden with some food, drinks, and cupcakes. It’s simple in all the best ways, and it still feels just as special!

Speaking of food, one little food tradition we’ve kept for birthday parties is making rainbow fruit kebabs. It started with my mom decorating the handles of each kebab skewer in colorful twisted yarn for my daughter’s first birthday, and we’ve loved having those bright, beautiful kebabs at parties ever since.

Hot take: I really don’t love birthday party goodie bags. They’re usually filled with tiny toys that kids play with for a moment and then lose or toss. That said, my kids love receiving them, and my kids look forward to including them in their birthday celebrations. We’ve tried our best to stick with things that feel at least somewhat useful: small notepads, fun, erasable pens, rainbow pencils, bookmarks.

My son, on the other hand, has opted for a YES Day with family instead of a birthday party the past few years. He chooses one activity before lunch, picks the lunch spot, and then picks the activity afterward. It’s his dream day, start to finish. With a winter birthday, we’ve made it a little tradition to visit Assembly Row on his special day. We spend time at Legoland, have lunch at Shake Shack, and catch a movie. It’s simple, fun, and feels very him!

Liz: After years of celebrating with just our immediate family when we lived so far away, and often in the midst of COVID, I was eager and excited to throw bigger birthday parties once we returned to the east coast. And I don’t regret them in the slightest! We’ve had fun themes (sharks! real reptiles! dragons! pokemon!) and will continue to consider a big party for the next couple of years, especially for my younger two sons as they enter school. But as the boys get older, I love the idea of letting creativity take over and finding more unique and memorable ways to celebrate (aka my older son’s YES day this year).

And I’m right there with Amelia with my dislike for goodie bags! The last few celebrations, I’ve skipped them and instead, we’ve gifted each attendee with a couple special cookies decorated to match the theme. They’re insanely adorable, the kids devour them and parents thank me every time.

*Ariella Rose is the amazingly talented baker I work with for these cookies! I can’t sing her praises enough.

Birthday Traditions

Amelia: One of my favorite birthday traditions comes from my own childhood: decorating the kitchen as a family (minus the celebrant!) the night before someone’s big day. It’s such a fun ritual. The three of us work hard to make homemade signs, hang streamers and decorations to surprise the birthday kid in the morning.

On the morning of the birthday, we always make “unicorn pancakes” (topped with chocolate chips!) and serve them on a special birthday plate (see above!) my mom had made when they were first born. We round out the birthday morning with giving the birthday boy/girl thoughtful cards (my husband writes the best ones!).

When it comes to dinner, we always let the birthday boy/girl choose what they’d like to eat. I’m always flattered when they request a specific home cooked meal, but more often than not, they choose a family dinner at Otto Pizza (which, honestly, is a nice bonus for us parents: no cooking!).

Over the past few years, I’ve started letting my kids choose their birthday cake theme. It’s not always my aesthetic… but I’m reminding myself that’s not the point. It’s more fun (and meaningful) to let their little personalities and interests shine through the cake.

When my kids were really little, we’d read Happy Birthday Bunny together at bedtime on the night of their birthday. I have the sweetest memories of snuggling up with them in the rocking chair, reading about the little bunny’s special day. This book also makes a perfect first (or second!) birthday gift for a friend’s little one.

A sweet grandparent tradition: my dad sends festive, themed balloons every year right before their birthday, which has become a little treat the kids really look forward to.

Liz: As each birthday rolls around, a key component is their sweet celebratory treat! As someone with a major sweet tooth, and who loves to bake, I put a lot of thought (and often effort) into my son’s cakes each year. I’ve done both - baked them myself and decorated them creatively, and I’ve ordered amazingly created ones as well. Either way, the cake (or cupcakes!) are a big deal - I find it so immensely classic and fun. We’ve had a Micky Mouse cake I decorated heavily with fondant (warning: beware of black fondant), and a strawberry ice cream pie when that was specifically requested. We’ve had a four foot long snake cake with multicolored M&M’s that my mom put together (God Bless Gigi!) and a gem cake that was honestly stunning. We’ve created edible Lego pieces to decorate my son’s 5th birthday cake and a grocery store purchased Pokemon cake that was colorful, thick with frosting and downright delicious. (Amelia: I’m soo impressed and inspired by this. I can’t wait to see what you do for Gus’s cake today!)

I also love and aspire to the idea of writing birthday letters. I haven’t done this with any regularity, but the idea is there and well, maybe this is the year I commit :)

What We’re Gifting (Gifts That Actually Take The Cake!)

Amelia: The hunt for the perfect gift (or at least a thoughtful one) is something I genuinely enjoy. I usually go for something that can be used over and over or that encourages open-ended play.

For early elementary kids (I’m thinking kindergarten-2nd grade), I’ve been gifting the first book in a few different fun books series. Some recent favorites include Zoey and Sassafras, Mia Mayhem, Sophie Mouse, InvestiGators, Dragon Masters, Who Would Win?. National Geographic Kids: Weird But True is also a huge hit.

No surprise to any of my friends: I’m a huge fan of giving art supplies. Ooly is a favorite brand. Their color-changing markers and pastel-colored pencils are always a hit! I like to pair art supplies with a sketchbook (perfect combo!).

For middle elementary kids (2nd-4th grade), I often gift: The Wild Robot, Pax, and anything by Kate DiCamillo (Because of Winn-Dixie, The Tale of Despereaux, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane).

And a few other non-book, non-art supply favorites: a Connect 4 set, a kid-friendly camera, paint by stickers book, or a travel journal with fun pens (especially if there’s an exciting upcoming trip!).

Liz: I love having a solid handful of go-to gift ideas in my back pocket, easy to rely on whenever those birthday invites start stacking up. I like feeling confident about their durability, enjoyability, and parent approval, and even better about the ease in purchasing them, eliminating as much brain work as possible.

For my oldest son’s friends (think 7-9 years old), we love to gift Gear Bots, Snap Circuits, or a Silent Basketball. We also are personally obsessed with this little 3D puzzle game and have bought it several times to gift.

Another great option: a gift card to your local bookstore and/or ice cream shop! The birthday kiddo can have a special outing and pick out exactly what they’d like, and you support local - win win. We’ve been on the receiving end of this, and it may sound simple, but has brought a lot of joy to my boys. (Amelia: These kinds of gifts are always a hit with my kids too…proof that simple really is best!)

For my middle son and his crazy kindergarten buddies, we love the race car version of Gear Bots, or often gift a Lego project (the 3-in-1 boxes are a go-to favorite, like here, here and here).

Card games are also a frequent choice, and we recently had fun with this silly game during a long car ride.

Last but not least, for my sweet little guy and all other little toddlers out there, I love Duplos (can you tell we’re a big Lego family ha!), and these Melissa and Doug puzzle boxes are a classic.

I also often do a truck themed book with a couple Hot Wheel cars for guaranteed success with little boys.

In terms of books, I adore Paper Pie (formally Usborne) picture books and activity books for all ages. From their dry-erase books to their older sticker books, my sons have gone wild for them all.

And my all-time favorite gift for the newly one or two year in your life: Melissa and Doug’s ice cream set. It’s a hit every time. I’ve honestly bought it too many times to count and my oldest son can still be found playing with it at times. (Amelia: We had this too!! I second the recommendation!)

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Here’s a few past newsletter issues you may have missed…

• The Lessons Liz Learned From Her Recent Hospital Experience

• Spring and Summer Style Fun From Lots of Chic Mamas

• Our First Coffee Catch Up Installment with the Inspiring Elizabeth White Cook

Rose:

Amelia - A few roses this week: kindergarten graduation yesterday!, hosting my parents for al fresco dinners a couple of nights, picking up a bouquet of peonies, and getting back to wearing dresses daily again! (Liz: Yes to dresses!!)

Liz - Amid a hefty bout of stress (see my “Thorn”), the sun was out and shining, making things a bit brighter! My summer linen pants made a return to my life, as did iced coffee and well, lovely weather really, really does make a difference. Summer is here, dare I say!? (Amelia: Amen. This warm weather has felt like such a gift!)

Thorn:

Amelia - This school year has hands down been my favorite for so many reasons, and it feels bittersweet to see it come to an end. I’m continuing to lean into the gratitude that my kids are growing and thriving and letting that happiness lead the way (although, TBH, this isn’t easy for me). (Liz: I love this mentality! So many emotions this time of year and I so understand what you’re feeling! It often feels cliche and corny… but gratitude all the way.)

Liz - Between an unexpected solo parenting stretch, losing internet in our neighborhood for awhile (aka my to-do list, and work and school emails piled up by the minute without any ability to cross them off), and my youngest falling, kicking off a day long bloody nose (that included a doctors visit to confirm cauterization wasn’t necessary), I was feeling a tad rung out to say the least this week. (Amelia: You definitely deserve a break from all the doctor and hospital visits!)

Bud:

Amelia - My daughter’s birthday is tomorrow! We’re celebrating with my parents, and it also marks the start of summer break. I’m definitely ready for a break from those very early bus mornings!

Liz - It’s my sweet little guy’s 4th birthday today! We’ll be celebrating him this weekend (I’ll most likely shed happy tears) and we have a couple end of the school year festivities kicking off as well, including my kindergartener’s musical performance (aka cue more happy tears). I’m really excited for this weekend to celebrate my boys in so many ways… including my husband as WE cheers to 10 years married today as well :) (Amelia: LOTS to celebrating in your house today!)

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