Cars, Trains, and Planes– Hooray! Cole’s 2nd Birthday Party!

Our sweet Coley Boley turned TWO this weekend! Really now, where does the time go?! We had the most wonderful day celebrating our favorite little bubba with a party that was inspired by his favorite things– vehicles!

Cars, trains, planes, and construction vehicles were woven throughout all of the decor and even the food! We’re excited to share all the details below.

Isaac designed this adorable invitation (front on the left, back on the right). As always, we uploaded the design to Paperless Post and e-mailed it to our guests so that we could track everything online.

Our veggie train made the perfect centerpiece for the table! I found the idea for the train on Pinterest and it was the very first thing I saved to Cole’s birthday party inspiration board (along with lots of other adorable vehicle-related party ideas!). I adapted the train design slightly and filled the peppers with our favorite veggies, french onion dip, and spinach hummus. Armed with my handy glue gun, I put together this simple train track using popsicle sticks the morning of the party, and it was the perfect spot for the peppers! We used this astroturf rug I found on sale at our local grocery store, as our table cloth. I have a feeling we’ll find plenty of ways to use this rug for future parties and decor.

This lemony bacon and pea pasta salad was wheely good and easy to make- give it a try!

We made stop light skewers with fresh honeydew, pineapple and watermelon. They were a big hit with the kids!

We like to get our paper plates, napkins and cutlery at the Dollar Store– I feel like that is one of the biggest ah-ha realizations I’ve ever had for party planning!

We served Honda Ham Sandwiches and Toyota Turkey Sandwiches, made with the car cookie cutters from this adorable set. A huge thank you to Kitchen Kaboodle for having these in stock and saving my hiney at the last minute!

I recently bought this corrugated planter from Home Goods because I knew it would be so versatile (planter, ice bucket, etc.). I turned it upside down to add a little height to our table and it was the perfect place for our Spare Parts Snacks! Since so much of what we served was handmade, we went the store-bought route with this snack mix– it’s all about finding balance when you’re hosting a party!

Isaac used the different vehicles from Cole’s invitations to whip up these sweet little menu cards.

We cleaned one of Cole’s dump trucks and used it to serve the Spare Parts Snacks.

My mom added the wheels from the pasta salad to the car sandwiches and they were a perfect fit!

On our dessert table we placed Cole’s cake, a giant 2, and stoplight caramel chocolate pretzel rods our lovely neighbor makes. Isaac constructed the 2 using cardboard and tape. He then spray painted it black and added the road lines with white acrylic paint.

I made Cole’s two layer Oreo “dump truck cake” as he affectionately dubbed it, by doubling this recipe (though I made up my own simple chocolate frosting) and this as inspiration.

Unfortunately I didn’t have my camera near by when Cole saw his cake for the very first time. His eyes grew so wide and he squealed, “Oooooh, dump truck cake! Happy birthday to you!” We took some photos later and I let him steal a few bites of Oreo from the back of the dump truck– the perks of being the birthday boy!

We made sure to incorporate these darling drawings Isle made for Cole in the decor as well. The first is her pushing him in the stroller next to a tractor and the second is a train in the rain.

I always like to include framed photos of the birthday boy (or girl) in the decor. We printed a handful of favorites of Cole driving or playing with his favorite vehicles to go with the theme. Not only do the photos add a nostalgic touch, but it is so fun to see our guests smiling as they pause to look at them!

We brought out various vehicle toys from Cole’s room for the kids to enjoy, and also blew up black and white balloons and sprinkled them around the house. Balloons are another great Dollar Store addition that are a must for us at every children’s party– the kiddos always LOVE the balloons and play with them nonstop.

Keeping on theme, we searched for drinks that had vehicles printed on the label or were at least reminiscent of vehicles! It’s all about the details, right?!

We set up a few simple DIY activities for the kids. The first was a decorate your own airplane station. It took no time at all to make these darling little clothespin and popsicle stick airplanes (thank you, glue gun!). We covered the table with kraft paper, and set out the airplanes and washable markers. The kids went to town creating their own designs!

We also set up a little racing ramp. Isaac made the ramp from cardboard and spray paint, and propped it up on a plastic tub. It was so cute hearing the kids giggle as their cars raced down the ramp– and sometimes clear off the porch!

Cole thoroughly enjoyed opening each and every one of the thoughtful gifts our loved ones brought him. He stopped to admire everything– his own genuine way of expressing gratitude. It was the sweetest!

Just like last year, Isla used her own money (from her piggy bank and by doing extra chores) to buy Cole a birthday present. She chose a sweet little tractor toy with a detachable trailer, and like the bear she got him last year, it has quickly become one of his very favorite things!

I think the very best part of Cole’s birthday party was the fact that he totally understood the celebration was for him, and he was SO excited! When we started singing to him and he saw the candles sparkling atop his cake, he could not stop beaming!!!

We had originally planned to host Cole’s birthday party at Grauntie and Gruncle’s, so that the kids had lots of space to run and play in all the cars. The weather had other plans, however, and it poured most of the morning, causing us to make a last minute change and host the party at home. It worked out absolutely perfectly, however, and the rain even stopped towards the end of the party so that the kids could go outside and play!

And speaking of cars, we actually got Cole a Power Wheels Jeep for his birthday, but given the wet weather and how much excitement we already had going on, we decided to wait to give it to him. There is sun in the forecast in the next few days, so we’re thinking it would be a great time for him to take his first ride! We’ll be sure to post an update!

Happy, happy birthday, to our precious car-loving Cole! The joy you have brought our hearts in the last two years is immeasurable. Thank you for your snuggly hugs, your silly dance moves, your hearty giggle, and your ever cheerful spirit. We are so grateful for you, and we are elated to experience another year together!

See Cole’s Baby Bear First Birthday Party HERE.