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Happy Birthday, Dash! An Airplane Birthday Party

February 16, 2015 By Kelle

There once was a boy who was born on Valentine’s Day. He took his first breaths in a quiet room and was handed to his mama who stared at him deep into the hours of the night. He purred like a kitten when she kissed his cheeks, and when she traced his hand, his tiny fingers curled around hers. “Forever my Valentine,” the mama thought, and she went to bed with a magic smile.

Soon the boy grew into his first smile, a crooked little grin that made the hearts of his mama and daddy flutter. Frog-leg kicks turned into knees on tile, and away the boy went, crawling toward adventure. He wanted to see beyond the view he was given, so he climbed above the chairs and shelves to see the world afar. He liked what he saw, so higher he climbed. “Forever my curious Valentine,” the mama thought.

Silky baby hair thickened into a fuzzy tuft of curls. And up, up, up went the boy, stretching taller while away, away, away his curiosity grew. He ran toward adventure–things that move, things that make noise, things that boom and roar and soar. “Airplane!” he shouted at tiny specks in the sky, their distant rumble catching his attention before anyone else heard them. “Forever my curious, adventurous Valentine,” the mama thought.

And that’s how an airplane birthday party came to be.
Two years of adventures and enough love to fuel a flight to eternity.

Happy Birthday to our curious little pilot.

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This was such a fun party to plan and celebrate.

Some photos from our day (party details and source info at the end of the post):

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Lainey dug through her closet and found a white shirt and blue jumper that made a great flight attendant outfit. The exits are here, here and here.

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The outfit he wore home from the hospital. His head would take up that entire sweater now.

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I put chocolate pudding between the two cake layers, and while it made for a delicious cake, it was a nightmare to decorate. Pudding kept sliding out, frosting wouldn’t stick and the sides caved in all over. I almost threw out the entire thing and started over, but thankfully my mother was here. Her specialty in life is finding humor in struggle and patching things up with a laugh. “It’s fine, it’s fine, it’s fine,” she says. “Don’t add more work for yourself. Make do where you can.”

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Easy peasy party decorations: homemade paper airplanes strung on fishing line with big fluffs of cotton filling (thread a big needle and string it through everything–wrap it around the cotton fluffs several times to keep them from slipping down).

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Airplane tatts.

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We decorated cardboard suitcases with vintage travel stickers, an activity even the littlest kids enjoyed.

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Detroit sticker–Michigan kids representin’.

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The kids flew glider planes down a paper runway in the driveway, and we chalked off where they landed to see whose plane flew the greatest distance. Dash had more fun chasing them all.

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I’m happy to report no one was hurt when Dash took the pinata stick.

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We lit up the whole runway of candles on his cake because adventurous boys like blowing out lots of candles.

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I love this moment my father-in-law captured. Lainey’s celebratory expression. And also my finger is not on fire–it’s a sun spot.

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We recounted all the details from the day he was born this weekend–looked at pictures, retold the story, held him close and thanked our lucky stars that he came to be, that he is ours. And then off he ran to find more adventure. “Forever my Valentine,” the mama thought, and she went to bed with a magic smile.

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******************************

Party Details and Sources:

*kid’s pilot hat
*pilot plastic wings pin set
*airplane cookie cutter and cloud cookie cutter
*runway for plane launch: black bulletin board paper and yellow duct tape; foam glider planes from Target
*cardboard suitcases (I hot glued some brown grosgrain ribbon on for “straps”)
*vintage luggage labels: this book of stickers, this pack of large stickers and my favorite, this tin of several different sizes of airline and travel stickers
*cake decorations: Southwest toy plane set
*mylar airplane balloon and latex cloud balloons
*kids aviator sunglasses: Children’s Place

Filed Under: Parties 48 Comments

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Comments

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  1. MollyBea Williams says:
    February 16, 2015 at 1:34 pm

    You throw some amazing parties. Happy Monday.

    Reply
  2. Jessica Orlowicz says:
    February 16, 2015 at 1:39 pm

    Why aren’t you a party planner? You kill it every time! Every.little.detail.

    Reply
  3. Alicia D says:
    February 16, 2015 at 1:41 pm

    So cute!! I can’t believe how big he is… man, time flies (get it? LOL)

    Reply
  4. Jhan says:
    February 16, 2015 at 1:53 pm

    SUCH a great theme! I love that you went all out for this. ๐Ÿ˜€

    Reply
  5. Stephanie says:
    February 16, 2015 at 2:31 pm

    Wow!! Such a fun party, your ideas are so creative! My daughter is also a Valentine baby, she turned 4 this year ๐Ÿ™‚ Savannah Georgia has it’s coldest weather of the year in February, so outside parties are always out of the question. Thanks for sharing the cuteness!

    P.S. You could most definitely write children’s books.

    P.S.S. You look fantastic!

    Reply
  6. Argyrie says:
    February 16, 2015 at 2:33 pm

    He’s destined to become a pilot! Fabulous, original birthday theme. Love Lainey as the cute flight attendant! As a former travel agent I really loved this birthday post.

    Reply
  7. Bethany says:
    February 16, 2015 at 2:47 pm

    So beautifully written. Love his party details!!

    Reply
  8. mrc-w says:
    February 16, 2015 at 3:19 pm

    I love your parties! Happy Birthday to little Dash!! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  9. siteseer says:
    February 16, 2015 at 3:31 pm

    You tell an amazing story

    Reply
  10. The Rohman Family says:
    February 16, 2015 at 3:35 pm

    What a great party! Sounds like we have similar Moms…I once threw out a queen size Ralph Lauren comforter when the baby threw up on it. There she was, dragging it out of the trash can, had it cleaned up and fresh as new in no time. Love Moms.

    Reply
  11. The Izzard Family Blog says:
    February 16, 2015 at 3:40 pm

    So clever and perfect! Happy birthday to your baby boy!

    Reply
  12. Reenie says:
    February 16, 2015 at 3:55 pm

    Kelle ~ you always have the cutest themed parties and everything was absolutely adorable. Dash’s outfit… Laney’s ~ too cute!!

    Happy Birthday Dash!!

    Reply
  13. raeskorner.info says:
    February 16, 2015 at 4:10 pm

    This was such an adorable theme! I adore that last picture of Dash. He’s such a cutie!

    Reply
  14. Debby says:
    February 16, 2015 at 5:02 pm

    I love your parties. Every detail is spectacular. Dash is a handsome pilot.

    Reply
  15. Stephanie Carruthers says:
    February 16, 2015 at 5:13 pm

    OMG you’re the reason I feel inadequate as a parent. Just kidding. But holy cow how do you have the time to throw these amazing parties? Your kids are so lucky.

    Reply
  16. Megan Landmeier says:
    February 16, 2015 at 5:43 pm

    You do the best parties!!

    Reply
  17. Debby says:
    February 16, 2015 at 6:15 pm

    I love your parties. Every detail is spectacular. Dash is a handsome pilot.

    Reply
  18. Becky says:
    February 16, 2015 at 7:48 pm

    what a party! Wish my grandson was younger but have passed your blog on to my niece for her son. I would love to know how Dash ate that cake with green frosting in a “white shirt” and the next photo he still had on the shirt and no frosting- except I’m assuming photo may have been took before. Love your mom with the “we will fix the cake”. Kellie, thank you for always sharing your ideas and your children with us. I find it hard to believe Dash is two. Becky in NC

    Reply
  19. Stacey says:
    February 16, 2015 at 9:30 pm

    Happy Birthday to your adorable baby boy!! I love all the candles because, “adventurous boys like blowing out lots of candles.” How perfect and how true!!

    Reply
  20. Pmd5678 says:
    February 16, 2015 at 9:31 pm

    Wow Kelle what an amazing job putting all the stuff together for Dash’s party.You amaze me with what you come up with.Your kids are NEVER going to forget your awesome birthday party’s you threw for them.They going to talking about them in their adult hood.

    Reply
  21. Jen Bratanch says:
    February 16, 2015 at 9:48 pm

    How cute is that!!

    Reply
  22. Angella says:
    February 16, 2015 at 9:56 pm

    Awesome party! Happy birthday Dash! I love seeing him grow through your blog. My youngest is just 3 months younger than him and I feel like you articulate so much of what I feel and can’t put into words. Thanks so much for sharing!

    Reply
  23. Danielle H. says:
    February 16, 2015 at 10:10 pm

    Your parties never cease to amaze me. Great job!

    Reply
  24. Jeanie says:
    February 17, 2015 at 12:28 am

    Happy birthday, Dash! You look so handsome in your pilot outfit. Kelle, once again you outdid yourself. I’m always in awe at your talent for having the best parties!

    Reply
  25. Sabrina Steyling says:
    February 17, 2015 at 12:39 am

    Kelle, I LOVE THIS! What an awesome idea! My aunt used to be a flight attendant for TWA so the little wings brought back memories for me. Happy 2nd Birthday, Dash, and many, many more! <3

    Reply
  26. Deborah says:
    February 17, 2015 at 1:43 am

    I think you should write a children’s book with this as a theme. Love it.

    Reply
  27. Lori says:
    February 17, 2015 at 2:34 am

    Happy Birthday, Dash! What a handsome little pilot you are! And your big sis, Lainey is a sweet flight attendant!
    Kelle, your parties are obviously legendary! I agree, you might want to consider a career as a party planner–in your “spare” time–haha!
    Seriously, I wish I had been your neighbor when I was a kiddo, lol. Great job!

    Reply
  28. Ginny says:
    February 17, 2015 at 2:44 am

    So beautiful. So wonderful. So you. Well done, mama!

    Reply
  29. Miggy says:
    February 17, 2015 at 3:32 am

    Dude.
    Like…dude.

    I bow to your party planning genius.

    My fav. were the airplane ticket invitations…did you do those yourself? Every detail was amazeballs.

    Reply
  30. PapillionMom says:
    February 17, 2015 at 4:02 am

    Oh my goodness…Lainey is not a little kid anymore! I know this is a post about Dash’s birthday, but wow..the first picture of her in this post–she looks so grown up! Anyways, great party…sure it was tons of fun ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  31. Heidi says:
    February 17, 2015 at 7:38 am

    Well, if that isn’t the cutest party! Happy birthday, Dash!

    Reply
  32. jeni says:
    February 17, 2015 at 1:55 pm

    Dash’s party looked so fun and so special! But the best part is how eloquently you write. You could turn your post into a children’s book, Kelle. As a 5th grade language arts teacher and mommy of 2 littles, I would love to be able to share your talents with words with all of my kids. Just a thought ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Reply
  33. Phyllis says:
    February 17, 2015 at 2:12 pm

    Where did the invitations and tickets come from or did you make them?

    Reply
  34. Mandi Wolfswinkel says:
    February 17, 2015 at 3:02 pm

    Too cute. ๐Ÿ™‚ What fun memories!!

    Reply
  35. Jenna Richards says:
    February 17, 2015 at 4:34 pm

    Gosh, I can’t believe he’s two!

    What an amazing party. ๐Ÿ™‚

    Jenna at Tinyfootsteps xx

    Reply
  36. Lexie Loo, Lily, Liam, and Dylan Too! says:
    February 17, 2015 at 8:32 pm

    What a great party! It looks like he (and everyone else) had so much fun!

    Reply
  37. Sonia LifeLoveandHiccups says:
    February 17, 2015 at 10:00 pm

    Oh my ovaries – absolute perfection!!! xx

    Reply
  38. Diane says:
    February 18, 2015 at 2:28 pm

    You really should be a party planner. Really, you should consider it!

    Reply
  39. Colette says:
    February 18, 2015 at 4:17 pm

    A good tip for icing or decorating cakes with fillings like this is to freeze them first then decorate… this has saved me many many tears believe me…lol It works great, the cake defrost at room temperature and tastes great and your one less stressful job down! Great photos, glad you all had a fab day!

    Reply
  40. Sarah Gatling says:
    February 18, 2015 at 7:03 pm

    This post made my heart smile. SO much fun inspiration here.

    Reply
  41. Sarah Gatling says:
    February 18, 2015 at 7:04 pm

    Also, if your finger were on fire…coolest party trick ever!

    Reply
  42. mrsmegwilson says:
    February 18, 2015 at 7:24 pm

    On just about every picture I kept thinking to myself and saying out loud (to no one in particular) “that’s so cool!” Such a creative birthday party!

    Reply
  43. SK Bell says:
    February 18, 2015 at 10:33 pm

    This is too precious! I wonder if this might be a good idea for my little guy’s second birthday in a few months! =]

    Reply
  44. Kate says:
    February 20, 2015 at 5:48 am

    Love your zest for life and the joy you find in taking note and celebrating your beautiful children. This party is amazing but the way you captured your son really took my breath away….thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  45. Lois Hudson says:
    February 24, 2015 at 4:36 pm

    Hey Kelle…Love the party. Wondering where you got your polka dot pants? They are pretty great and since I’m pretty much never out shopping I’d love to know. Thanks!!

    Reply
  46. HollyM says:
    March 1, 2015 at 5:14 am

    Where did you get the invitation and where did you get the paper stuff for the party, the in flight service snack bag things and drink covers with your son’s name and logo on them?
    Thanks,
    Holly

    Reply
  47. Roshena says:
    August 28, 2016 at 9:25 pm

    LOVE THIS! Q: How did you do the buckles on the carrying cases?

    Reply
    • Kelle says:
      August 30, 2016 at 9:28 am

      Just hot glued brown ribbon and little buckles to look like real buckles.

      Reply

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โ€œOne of the most emotionally stirring books Iโ€™ve ever readโ€ฆ.a reminder that a motherโ€™s love for her child is a powerful, eternal, unshakable force.โ€
Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman
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