On January 19, 2017, Laney arrived into the world at 12:37pm and changed our lives forever. We watched her grow that year from a newborn to an infant to a toddler. And now, 4 years later, she has officially graduated from toddlerhood.
Laney loves birthdays! Her 3rd birthday was her first year choosing a theme: donuts. And not but one day after that birthday, she decided she wanted a Target birthday for when she turned 4. Below are 2 pictures of Laney days after her 3rd birthday spending some birthday money at Target.
Well here we are. One year later and she stayed true to her word. Personally, it’s a proud mom moment because I love Target too! It was a big week for our big girl! She turned 4, completed her private school observation and had her birthday party. With the pandemic, we didn’t want to rob her from having a party so we kept it small and opted to have it outside at our neighborhood playground. It was a great day and the thank you’s Laney continued to give us afterward was the cherry on top.
These Are A Few Of Her Favorite Things
Invitations
When it came time to start planning Laney’s party, I couldn’t find an invitation that matched what I was picturing in my head. Then a good friend from college, Ali, who enjoys playing on PhotoShop in her free time offered to make what I was looking for. It turned out so great! Ali is also a fellow mom blogger — you can find her here.
Party Table
Headband | Bullseye | Balloon Arch | Balloon Tape | Electric Balloon Pump
All of our paper products were from Hobby Lobby.
Cake
Funfetti Cake | Vanilla Frosting | Red Candy Melts
Laney’s cake was a labor of love. She loves to help me in the kitchen especially when there is batter to stir and a spoon to lick. Though I could’ve ordered an Insta worthy Target cake that was professionally done, I was proud of what I managed to put together. Instead of just one box of cake mix, I used two to give the cake more height with 3 layers. This also meant I needed two containers of frosting. For the Target symbols, I used red candy melts. This was 
my first time working with them but it was fairly easy once I got the hang of it! Simply melt the colored chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and then pour into a Ziploc bag. For an easy pour, place the bag inside of a cup with the opening turned inside out over the edge the cup. Once in the bag, seal and cut a tiny tip off of a corner of the bag. Then on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, create the shape you are going for. It took me a couple tries to figure out how to steady my hand. Don’t squeeze — it makes the chocolate ripple. Instead just let gravity pull the chocolate from he bag with light pressure to create smooth lines. I made Target logos with this technique in different sizes and then left them for about 10 minutes to set up. You can also put them in the fridge to speed along the process, but I opted to go the room temperature route. Once set, they peel right off of the paper and then you can place them on your cake. This went better than expected and I definitely plan to use candy melts for future baking endeavors.
Party Favors
Cups | Cup Cozy | Crinkle Paper | Dove Chocolate | Bath Bomb
Bullseye Stickers were given to us by a Target employee and the Disney rubber ducks are from Bullseye’s Playground, which haven’t been added online to link.
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