Today my little man turned 4 years old! In our current world, where we have to social distance with COVID-19 and we are unable to host a big birthday bash like last year, we had to get a little creative to make his big day feel exciting.
One thing that made the entire birthday special was that Joey planned it with us and I let him take the lead!
He helped me shop online for his birthday decorations from Amazon and we went to the bakery together at Save-On-Foods to design his themed cake. He was so excited to see everything we planned together and he was not disappointed we could not have a party at our house again this year.
I was so impressed by how resilient and understanding he was being about having a different style of birthday this year. Truthfully, I was a bit upset that I could not plan a big bash as I love hosting parties and celebrating with all our friends and family. However, in this current environment, we must think outside the box, and I hope that by sharing how we are celebrating Joey turning 4 years old, you will find some inspiration for your own child’s birthday during a pandemic.
This year, Joey’s birthday is on a Monday, so I took the opportunity to fill the entire weekend with activities. As it is almost Christmas, we were able to incorporate some holiday fun into the celebrations.
On Friday, we kicked off the fun by ordering a special dinner from a local restaurant in our area through Skip-the-Dishes. Then, on Saturday afternoon, we went for a family walk and explored some new nature trails. Joey really enjoyed the walk because there are a lot of different tree carvings by a local artisan.
On Saturday evening, we went to see the PNE WinterLights, Vancouver’s only drive-thru holiday experience.
We enjoyed a safe, holiday experience from the warmth of our car along a 2-kilometre route. We were even treated to some delicious hot apple cider and mini donuts.
We drove through nine enchanted lands filled with glowing lights to discover Santa, with special characters and festive performers to help you along your way. The drive-through experience lasted about 30 minutes, which was the perfect amount of time with a 4 year old.
Check my Instagram @taliadavispr for some behind-the-scenes video clips!
We especially loved the Merry & Bright Forest lit up in dazzling colours, the Polar North display where they had an iceberg cave, igloos, polar bears, seals and penguins. They also had a 50-foot purple Christmas tree to show us the way to Santa and his dancing elves in Candy Cane Lane.
Joey was so excited that Santa Clause was waving to him from his sleigh for his birthday weekend!
On Sunday, despite the rain, we picked up a special birthday gift for Joey from family – a new digger for his construction themed birthday! You can buy a similar one for your own child from Bass Pro Shops.
When Joey went to bed on Sunday night, my husband Ryan and I decorated the house with balloons and streamers. We wanted our son to wake-up to a celebration just for him – and he woke up extra early! He was so excited about the happy birthday sign that he almost missed seeing his big present waiting beside the tree… a brand-new Mongoose big boy bike from Canadian Tire.
After he played with his new toys, it was time to get ready to celebrate with his friends at daycare. He wore his new birthday clothes from Carter’s, and we had a birthday boy badge to pin on his shirt.
Then we headed off to daycare and picked up his birthday cake from Save-On-Foods along the way. They have a ton of cake options to choose from, but you have to order at least 24 hours in advance from the store. We designed a construction themed birthday cake and picked up matching plates and napkins.
We also bought a build-your-own toolbox activity for him to do with his friends from Amazon. I bought the fire truck version of these favor boxes last year and loved them!
Our daycare said it would be fine to bring in these items, if we did not open any of the packages so they could wipe everything down. If you want to host a birthday party for your child at daycare, I would encourage you to ask them what’s possible. I was very happy to compromise and Joey felt like he had a birthday party with all his friends.
Before he came home from daycare, I put a sign in our front yard that said “Honk it’s Joey’s 4th Birthday” so our neighbours could celebrate with him too. I am sure we will be going for a bike ride this evening to test out this big present and continuing the fun for his big day.
Overall, Joey had a wonderful birthday and despite the COVID-19 restrictions we currently have in place, we were able to get creative and celebrate his birthday in a unique way.
