Strawberry Shortcake Party -2yr- Shortcake Parade

THEME: For our little girl's second birthday, we decided to host a Strawberry Shortcake and friends themed birthday party for her. Since her birthday is at the end of April, we will host it outside in our backyard. If the weather is inclement, we can easily move the festivities inside of our home.

Keeping with the theme of the birthday, we will have a special Strawberry Shortcake sundress with matching aligator bow clips made for our little girl in turquoise and pink colors. The fabric will show Strawberry Shortcake having tea and will boast the words Tea for Two." We thought this was very appropriate since Tea is the name of Apple Dumpling's pet turtle and Apple Dumpling is Strawberry Shortcake's little sister and of coarse will be one of our little girl's friends attending the birthday!  

INVITATIONS: I have made special invitations for each of our 6 little "Strawberry Shortcake's" guests. In the invitation will have announced that there will be parade where the birthday girl will be "Grand Marshall." In keeping with our little girl's naptime we plan to begin the party at 11 a.m. and end at 2:30 p.m. so that after the party ends our little girl can take her much needed nap!  

LUNCHEON: Since the birhtday party will be held during lunch time we decided to have lunch planned into the festivities as well. We will serve mini hamburgers entitled "Strawberry Shortcake's Gemma Burger" which will consist of a hamburger on a small white bun served with ketchup.

To accompany the burger we will also serve a choice of baked french fries and\or baked sweet potato fries entitled "Mint Tulip's Fries." For beverages I will make a homemade berry punch entitled" Apple Dumpling's Punch which will be made with lemonade, and rasberry and lemon sorbets; water, entitled Orange Blossom's Water;" and "Blueberry Muffin's Whole Milk.  

ACTIVITIES: When the kids first arrive we will escort them to our backyard where they will be escorted to their seats.  

DECORATIONS: The table where the children will eat will have a Strawberry Shortcake tablecloth with matching napkins and plates for lunch and for their dessert. I will use the take and toss plastic covered cups with straws for the kids since most will be under 5 and to avoid major messes these cups are what our birthday girl is most familiar with. Each cup will have a Strawberry Shortcake sticker on it! The table will also have homemade turquoise and pink flowers made out of tissue paper. In the center of the table will be a special Strawberry Shortcake Story to be told as the guests arrive by the Birthday Girl's Mommy.  

Next to their seats will be their homemade pastel colored sash which can be sealed with a special Strawberry Shortcake ribbon pin also homemade; homemade pastel Easter hat with matching ribbon tied around it; and a Strawberry Shortcake blowout to be used in the Strawberry Shortcake Parade. Each sash too will have the name of Strawberry Shortcake's friends. For example the menu boasted of such food entries from Orange Blossom Apple Dumpling and the like... so therefore each sash will boast these character names as well for the Parade.  

ACTIVITIES: Once everyone has located their hat sash and blow-out all will line up near the birthday girl's swing set where the birthday girl's Daddy and she (birthday girl will be on Daddy's shoulders!) will come out from nowhere to form the parade where the birtday girl will be the Grand Marshall and parade around her background with her Daddy and friends. All of her little friends will parade in back of her Daddy and will dance blow their blow-outs and clap to the music of Strawberry Shortcake and the "A Berry Happy Birthday" song provided from the internet.

After lunch there will be activities including playing with a pastel ball which is the birthday girl's favorite activity or playing on the birthday girl's swingset or coloring Strawberry Shortcake images at the Activity Table or finally playing "Place the Strawberry" on Strawberry Shortcake's nose. Once all have particiated that would like to participate all will receive a Welch's fruit pack to snack on before the individual little Birthday strawberry shortcake cupcakes arrive with individual Strawberry sundae cups.  

CAKE & FAVORS: The cupcakes will be homemade with a vanilla poundcake topped with homemade whipped cream and topped with a sliced strawberry with a little toothpick of Strawberry Shortcake on top. Each cupcake will be placed in a Strawberry Shortcake cupcake paper holder.

After cake and ice cream the party will end with Strawberry Shortcake cardboard boxes each containing homemade multi-colored sprinkled sugar cookies in the shape of strawberries in each box with a thank-you birthday note from the Birthday Girl. The Birthday Girl will thank each of her frieds for coming and have them sing Strawberry Shorcake's "The Cookie Song" as a final good-bye. At the end of the hand-out will read a popular Strawberry Shortcake quote: "Life is Delicious!" "