Little Monster’s Ballerina Dinofour Birthday

Little Monster’s 4th birthday request for a ballerina dinofour (dinosaur) theme could have been a challenge, but everything aligned perfectly!

As fate had it, the Sacramento Zoo had opened up Dino Don’s Dinosaur Safari at the end of October. Erick happened to stumble across it during our search for something to do as COVID once again started to put a damper on plans for a party.

Little Monster – Ballerina Dinofour

Little Monster had been asking and asking for a ballerina birthday since we started celebrating birthdays for family members back in March. The request would pop up every time someone had a birthday celebration, be it a dinner or a mini-gathering. And then…we started watching the newest season of Camp Cretaceous and suddenly it was a request for a ballerina dinosaur birthday.

Since our plans were to go hang out at the zoo and then do a family dinner, we weren’t really going to decorate much beyond the table we’d be serving cake at (unlike her Jingle Twos party, where we went all out). Which meant that her desired theme would be reflected more in her outfit than anything else.

I stumbled across this cute tutu dress with a holographic scale top which matched perfectly with the tail I made for Little Monster. If you want to make a dino tail, they’re SUPER easy! I followed this tutorial from Andrea’s Notebook. I found the twinkle tiara (because every ballerina needs a tiara!) at Dollar Tree and cut the dino frill out from a scaley holographic paper I found at Joann’s. Being the middle of December, it was wet and cold from some recent rain storms we were having, so rain boots had to substitute slippers and a warm coat was necessary.

I’m hoping I can set up a photo session for her full ensemble before February is over to capture her whole look. At least, I caught a few pictures of it here and there.

Dino Don’s Dinosaurs Greet Little Monster

These dinosaurs were so cool! They were placed all throughout the zoo, so as you walked all around, you’d turn a corner and see a new dino. You would watch them as they would blink and roar and breath. The details were beyond impressive. We got to enjoy them all decked out in festive attire for the holidays, which made for some rather amusing scenes. I’d love to go back before the dinos go away to see them again.

Discovering Sacramento Zoo

Even if the dinosaurs hadn’t been present, the zoo was just as fun! Little Monster got a real up close encounter with the lions, fed the giraffes and admired a variety of animals. I liked how informative the signs were and I learned quite a bit, even about animals I thought I knew well. There was a vet clinic where you could watch the check-ups and procedures done on the animals. They even had a boa on the table when we swung by. The caretakers were very chatty and loved sharing about the animals and gave lots of tips for what to check out when. Plus, because of the rain, a lot of the animals were quite active.

Cake, Presents & a Piñata

We hit up the Sacramento Old Spaghetti Factory for her birthday dinner and then returned home for cake and fun. Once more, her treats were made by our beloved SweetArts bakery, who were happy to oblige when we needed to change the ballerina into a t-rex with a tutu. Some Jurassic Park “favor” eggs were given to Monster and Boo as an activity. We even found a mini t-rex shaped piñata to whack at Walmart that week. Little Monster opened her gifts, we sang “Happy Birthday” and then let them give the piñata a go. It was rather laid back, but an extremely fun birthday.

I cannot believe she is four years old already!