I love yearly traditions! I have two little girls both born in November, so November shapes up to be a pretty exciting month. This past November we celebrated a two year old and a one year old. I am the most sentimental mama, and I cry at all the things. I wanted to start some birthday traditions that we could do every year with the girls to enjoy each milestone and recognize the wonder of their birth without getting caught up with holidays and parties. These are the things we started with our baby as yearly birthday traditions. I cannot wait for every November!
Personalized Keepsake Box
I order a keepsake box for each of the girls from Etsy at the Dust and Things shop to house a few special items from each year. These have quickly become something so special them (and to me) and they look in their box often.
- A letter from their mama. I write a letter to my daughter every year on their birthday and save it in the box. I hope one day they will enjoy seeing how much we enjoyed watching them grow and how deeply loved they are!
- In the box I save a piece of artwork and a memorable picture from that year. They may seem like scribbles now but I cannot wait to see the collection of photos and art in a few years!
- I let each of them choose something important to them from that time in their life to put in the box. This year my two year old chose to put one of her wubbanubs in the box which is huge for her!
One On One Time
This one seems obvious and easy for some mamas, but for us this was hugely meaningful to the girls and to us. It was also harder to pull off than I would like to admit. We wanted to make the actual day of their birthday special for them with one on one time with both Mom and Dad. For our one year old, this looked like sneaking out to breakfast with just her and taking her to get her favorite blueberry muffin with just mom and dad.
For our two year old, this looked like Mom taking a half day at work and spending all morning bouncing in bouncy houses just me and her. I wanted to shower in a bottle of hand sanitizer afterwards, but she will not remember that. She remembers Mom bouncing around with just her, running from room to room, and laughing every time Mom fell on her “booty.” The more kids we have, the more planning these birthday moments take. But I would not trade these moments for anything.
Track Their Growth
We use birthdays as a time to marvel at how big our girls have gotten since the last year. We measure how tall they are (if they can stand) and we do a painting of their hand and/or foot print. Mama may shed some tears during this part with how fast they are growing, but we will make sure it happens!
Balloon Wake-Up Call
Toddlers love balloons. Forget presents. Balloons are where it’s at! We blow up a bunch of balloons with their favorite color or characters to wake them up showered in balloons. This year’s balloon crew featured lots of orange and lots of Toy Story characters. They actually stayed floating for almost two months, so these provided even more fun than we bargained for.
Birthday Book
I am a book lover and teacher at heart. A birthday book is a MUST. Every year we get the girls a new and different book to give them on their birthday. We write a note in the front, and read the book together as a family. Our family library is always hungry for a new and exciting book! Check out some of our favorite books.
What birthday traditions do you use in your house with your little (or big!) kiddos?
All the best,
Leave a Reply