To party? Or not to party?

Nathan's turning 2 in a couple months and we're trying to decide whether or not to throw him a party. It's always great to gather friends and family and anyone who knows me well knows I love planning a party!  I crammed way more people than were probably legally allowed into my tiny NYC apartments over the years every Christmas. And by far, one of the main reasons I am so excited to own a house one day is simply so I can host parties. (I already know how I'd decorate the table for Christmas!)

We threw him an amazing party for his 1st birthday (Ok, ok, THREE amazing parties!!) but that was his first birthday, that's a huge milestone!! We wanted all of our friends and family there with us so we could scream out "Look, we survived!!! All 3 of us are still alive!!"

We ordered decorations, I made a homemade cake, our families helped cook an insane amount of food. And we had a great time. But it was a lot of work, not to mention a lot of money! And he got so many toys!! Which he definitely didn't need because he already had SO MANY toys!!!

We all have a few extra special birthdays. Our first, 13th, 16th, 21st... even the big 30 deserves an extra special party. But for the others, I like the idea of simple celebrations at home with immediate family. When I look back through old family albums, those are the pictures I see. Those are the memories I have. Sitting at the dining room table, everyone wearing a pointy party hat, and the birthday boy or girl at the head of the table blowing out the candles.

Soon enough he will be in school and the big parties will make their return but for now, we think we're going to keep things simple. One party at home with my family and one in NY with Will's family. And the funny thing is, I'm just as excited for that as I was for the big party last year. Because it's going to be my little man's birthday and that will always be one of the best days of the year, no matter how we choose to celebrate it.