Live in the Moment - Birthdays

My son is turning 2!
And this year he understands that all the attention will be on him.

Meanwhile, I am trying to plan a party for 20 adults and several toddlers to celebrate.

How do I make sure that we both enjoy this moment, as he gets older?

1. Spend quality one on one time. I decided to come home early from work on my sons birthday to spend some time focused on him, without any distractions, like getting dinner ready.

2. I am planning group activities for his party to divert some of the attention from him (at least temporarily). Giving out goodie bags while your child is opening presents, helps distract the other kids temporarily and gives them something to play with, other than the new toys.

3. Take lots of pictures, to capture the moment for the future.

4. Birthdays are a reminder to me to go through his keepsake box and organize the last year's scraps and memories. I also make a photo book, with my favorite pictures from the last year.

5. Ask for help. Most of the guests are family, so they volunteered to help setup, with food and cleanup. When people are asked to help out, they are usually very willing, so do not be shy. You can not do it all by yourself and stay sane.

6. Quiet time - the day after the event I am trying not to schedule anything, so we can focus on cleaning up and taking time to enjoy the new friends (and toys) we have.

In the end, remember to be flexible and enjoy the moment. Even if no one breaks the piñata and you have to dump it out by hand (speaking from experience), they will still have fun.