What a world to turn Two in – Wyatt’s Horse Themed Birthday Party

It has taken me a long time to write this, and I debated back and fourth if it would be a good idea. Seeing so many people have to cancel special events in light of our effort to flatten the curve, it made me feel terrible that we got to celebrate Wyatt just before the lock down was announced.

Why, I am posting this now, well, if I don’t I won’t ever get around to it. It might also be a great distraction for those looking for a change to the normal news.

Yay or Neigh

We kept this party small, I was not that into parties this year, losing my dad at the beginning of the year is still a tender subject, and he was always a big supporter of the kids parties and always made the effort to see them on their special day. He was so happy to meet Wyatt when he was born, and I was grateful to every month after that. When his first birthday party rolled around I was so happy he could be there. Cancer has a way of making you panic about special occassions, it can really mess with your mind. That is why I feel for those that have to push out their weddings with a family member who is not well, or a party where the great grandparents can attended, you never know when next a special occasion will be attended by all the people you love.

Wyatt’s Horse Themed Party

I never imagined my boy would be so obsessed with horses. Out of his many loves, I knew this would be the most age appropriate and something different.

Honestly I did not want to go overboard with this party. No extra crazy decor, just some nods to the theme. When choosing a horse theme for a boy, you must note there is very few off the shelf items to purchase. Thinking out the box I visited our local SPCA thrift stores in kloof and bought a bunch of horse toys. They were perfect, not too girly and a variety of colours.

The venue

By chance I stumbled across Winsome View Animal Farm – we had never visited and I did all my research based online. It looked perfect, I loved their vibe and how open it was with beautiful country views. They also have a closed off area for the party, which I loved, as I knew the kids could not run off on their own and would stay in the party area.

The team at Winsome were very professional from the start with clear information on what they offer and optional extras. We choose their farm theme set up which included the appropriate table cloth covers, hay bails and they even had a saddle set up. Included in our package was horse rides for the kids and a tour of the farm.

On arrival we were helped with set, really really magic and helpful staff on hand. We were under the shaded trees in the playground section which was perfect for the hot day.

There playground is set out in the open work a large grass area to let the kids run and burn all that energy. Most of the animals on the farm are rescues with most being free roaming. The farm is set in Summerveld, the Mecca for horses in KZN and where the jockey academy is based.

For more info on the farm visit:

https://www.winsomeview.co.za

All the yummy!

I relied heavily on the baked goods to convey the theme, there were also no sweets at the party.

Nita the whizz from Sprinkles Confectionery made the adorable horse cake, cake pops, horse cakesicles and rice crispie treats hay bails.

You can find more from Nita here:

https://www.instagram.com/sprinkles_confectioners/

Is it even a birthday party if you don’t have biscuits from Artful Biscuit Co. – Gen is a real artist with the most unbelievable talent when it comes to creating edible art.

To see more from Gen, go here

https://www.instagram.com/artfulbiscuitco/

What about the “food food”, you know the savory goodies? This year we had a few vegan guests, so the first person I thought of was my food friend Liezl of Jireh Vegan Cafe, Liezl normally has a food stall at the Shongweni Farmer’s Market. Gosh her food was beautiful and so delicious too!

When we are back to our new normal you need to visit Liezl at the market.

https://www.instagram.com/jireh_vegan_cafe/