All kids are so different, and so throwing a one-size-fits-all kind of party for any one of my kids would be to ignore all of the wonderful things that makes each one of them the unique human they are. That’s why, for Neva’s birthday this year, we decided to take her love of basketball to another level and throw her a bball party complete with Spalding décor, sporty theme colours, and a yummy basketball cake. It was so fun and she really felt like the MVP… just playing on the sport talk ;)

Well, the weather didn’t throw us any favours, but we still managed to have a fantastic time. That’s one of the great things about kids and their insistence on having fun: nothing will stop them from throwing around a ball, having great laughs, and eating outstanding cake. Neva and her friends are so low maintenance, it didn’t take much to keep them happy. Here’s what went down…

We had some of our very own amazing talent show up for the party and keep the kids well stimulated. Marie-Claude Blais from @ateliergourmandine came by to help set up and decorate the party venue. We went with an orange, black, and white vibe to really accentuate the whole basketball theme. Even the food was chosen to match the event – from Cheetos to carrot sticks we really stalked the place with fun items reminiscent of game time. I’m also a big fan of keeping a healthy balance when it comes to food, so even though it was a kids party, we made sure to offer oranges and apples alongside all of the sugary sweets.

All of our family and friends came to join in the celebration and one amazing way to capture the moment was with the photo booth station. After the kids set up for a fun pic, they get to print it out and tac it to a cork board. By the end of the party we had quite the collage. It was so sweet.

@CakeCouturemtl outdid themselves with an outstanding basketball cake and scrumptious cupcakes. We almost didn’t want to cut into the sculpture, but we are so glad we did because it tasted fantastic!

@LaDiperie ice cream is one of our homegrown local favourite ice creams. We love the custom effect to that perfect soft serve – and one amazing service they offer is to set up shoppe at your event! So, obviously I got a little table set up and each kid got to order their favourite dip. Along with the dipping flavours (milk chocolate, white chocolate, caramel…), you also get to choose the toppings, like Oreo, pretzel, sprinkles, I mean, the choices are endless. Needless to say, the station was a hit.

If that weren’t enough, @doughnatsmtl hit it out of the park (wait, that’s a baseball reference, but anyway), with their custom basketball doughnuts. Here’s the thing about the bite-size artistic doughnuts, they aren’t just beautiful, and insta worthy, they are also sensational. I am not a sweets person, but I really have to say, that whenever a Doughnats is around, I kind of, maybe, always, have a little bite or two.

For the activities we wanted to keep it simple because kids just kind of want to play with each other when they get together. They don’t need much to do as long as they have each other. Having said that, once you meet Michelle, @TheBeadLady, you will never be able to throw a party without her ever again. She is the main attraction and this lady does it all. She brought face painting, sparkly tattoos (one even had my blogger signature!), and for the main event, bracelet making. The kids obviously love arts and crafts and had a blast colouring, but it’s Michelle is just so cool and calm, she just makes the party go off without a hitch… the kids love her!

When the kids left, they all got their very own basketball loot bag made by @lootbagladymtl - I can plan a million little details, but take that loot bag off my plate and I’m a happier woman. She just makes it so simple and added all the cutest little trinkets that kids actually enjoy, including bubble gum! it was on theme, it was in budget, and it wasn’t thrown in the garbage within thirty seconds of opening, which is always a plus! lol!

I love seeing my baby enjoy a special day all about her. It’s so fun to spend time planning an event for my each one of my kids. It’s a time I have to sit back for a moment and think about what Neva is super into at the moment and how I can highlight it to make her dream come true. Even if it is as simple as a little basketball game and some ice cream. We all got together and celebrated another special year of my little girl who is growing up way too fast. It was a rainy day, but Neva, you sure did shine. xoxo