I love planning parties. It’s one of my favorite things to do! I love finding any reason big or small to celebrate. Planning parties to me is so fun. I was super excited when Bladen’s 1st birthday party ONE ROCKS was featured on The Hostess with the Mostess blog now 9 years ago. Birthday’s are the best because it’s the one day out of the entire year that is all about you. Last year due to Covid we didn’t gather. This year I was so excited to be able to have a party!

The Venue
I hosted the party at the CUTEST place called Playstreet Museum Highlands Ranch. It’s literally is like Pottery Barn Kids decided to open a play place for kids. I was obsessed with the white and airy aesthetic and darling details. We have visited their open play sessions which they offer by reservation M-F 9am-5pm and saw that they did parties too. We did the do it yourself option which included:
- 20 kids
- Private museum rental for 1 1/2 hours
- Bring your own decorations and food (**no alcohol)
There are three other party packages available you can view here. Rachel Boddie one of the owners of Playstreet Museum Highlands Ranch was the most accommodating. Her and her husband helped:
- Set up the decorations and food
- Checked all of the guests in
- Cut the cake for serving
- Loaded all of the gifts in my car
- Took down the decorations and also loaded my car with everything to take home
As much as I love hosting at home, the aftermath of the party is insane. Moms am I right?! Being able to show up, set up and not have to worry about during and after the party was the best feeling.
I loved how they made the party personal with a Happy Birthday Eero sign on the pizza parlor.

The Cake
When I asked Eero what kind of cake he wanted and he said he wants a stack of pancakes. Which is not surprising because just loves breakfast. We call him the breakfast king! Boy loves himself some iHOP. Surprisingly there is not one BOY breakfast or brunch party on the internet. The only inspiration I could find was girl pajamas and pancakes so I ended up piecing the theme together on my own.
I found my cake inspiration and my original baker retired so I went on a local Facebook group to find a new one. As a creative I love supporting other locals and found Mama Bear Colorado. The images on her Facebook page looked beautiful. I messaged her and she got back to me really quickly. The price for the cake was actually REASONABLE which was another reason why I went with Kim! When I picked up the cake I was blown away. It was absolutely perfect! The cake is a regular cake and then the fondant is wrapped around for the pancake effect.



The Food
I’ve hosted and attended SO many birthday parties for kids where eating is never on the top of the list for kids (besides dessert 😜). Whereas I go to sporting events, the movies, festivals specifically for the food 😂 Usually its a struggle to get my kids to eat the pizza at a friends or their own party. They are usually so excited to just PLAY.
Pizza is usually my go to for kid parties. It’s inexpensive, and a crowd pleaser. However that was not an option for a brunch party. Since the party was hosted at Playstreet Museum Highlands Ranch I didn’t have my kitchen. It wasn’t possible to do pancakes, waffles or other homemade breakfast food without the risk of it being cold. I did look into iHOP however their prices for a stack of pancakes IMO is over priced. I decided to go with french toast sticks! I originally thought I’d Doordash from Burger King but when we went to do a “trial” I found out they didn’t serve past 10:30am. Eero’s party started at 11:30am and needed food to arrive at noon-ish because people also don’t eat right when they show up.
It then dawned on me that Sonic has french toast sticks and they serve breakfast all day! Eero and I did a trial run after we picked up the cake in Parker. They were delicious. I put in the order and my Dad who was in town for the party picked them up for us on the way!
Decor
I will tell you there is NOT a lot of breakfast or brunch party decor readily available to choose from. Anything I found related to a party for this time of day was for adults like brunch with mimosas for a bachelorette. I found the plates, table covers, napkins and adorable miniature milk jugs at Oriental Trading company. I picked up extra blue plates and plasticware from Walmart.
Balloons
Am I the only one who thinks balloons are way over priced? Did you know a 34′ number balloon from Party City is $28?! For ONE balloon! King Soopers and Safeway are not really better either. You can get $1 balloons from the Dollar Store but when you need a lot, that adds up also. I’ve seen this helium kit with not the best reviews from Target for $23.99. I went ahead and got it for the boys birthday photo shoot and used it for their party. It is not the best helium but for the price, I recommend! We used it for two mylar number balloons and for the regular latex.
Party Favors
I am a big fan of usable party favors and know that a lot of things end up in the rubbish anyway. I’ve done small dalmation plushies for Bladen’s fire party when he was three. I’ve also done make your own s’mores kits.

I’ve done personalized snack cups filled with healthy treats!

And as much as I love personalized party favors the reality is also people cancel last minute and things end up being a waste. This time I went with sending everyone home with a mini milk jug. Last minute I wrote their names in case they wanted to use them at the party. Kind of like labeling your red solo cup 🤣. We also sent everyone home with their favorite cereal.



Playstreet Museum Highlands Ranch also has an awesome curated retail section with education-focused imaginative toys and crafts! I make these alphabet crayons that will be sold here soon!
The Itinerary
- Arrived at 11:00am to set up (I was a little stressed to get everything and photos done before 11:30am. However Rachel the owner of Playstreet Museum Highlands Ranch was incredibly helpful.
- 11:15am I took photos of the decor and details. For those who are asking, yes I still do photography for my clients! I offer anything from newborn, maternity, family, headshots, real estate and events! You can DM directly or email to set up!
- 11:30am guests started to arrive and play
- 12:00 set up french toast sticks and syrup
- 12:15 set up a group photo then went straight to the birthday cake
- 12:25 kids ate cake and food
- 12:55 Eero handed out the mini milk jugs and let the kids pick their own cereal to take home
- 1:00pm my car was loaded with gifts and decor
Eero had the best 5th birthday party at Playstreet Museum Highlands Ranch. I couldn’t think of a better place to host his party. Everything was so beautiful and easy. I had so many friends who hadn’t been there and I was happy to introduce them to the best kid place play in South Denver.
I’m off to plan Bladen’s 9th birthday next! I cherish these life milestones forever. I love being a mama. I can also assure you boy mama’s boy parties CAN absolutely be whimsical and fun.
If you have any birthday planning questions, need help planning your next event, or need photography at your party or photoshoot don’t hesitate to reach out! I love love love hearing from you all! I have the best community and so grateful for each and everyone of you!
XOXO,
Erin



I am so happy you are here! I’m a wife and boy mama x2, fashion lover, living in Denver, Colorado.