First Birthday Party Recap - Onederful You

It's already been a few weeks since C's first birthday party and I am still feeling grateful for all of the support and love that surrounded us. When I was first thinking about a party theme for him, my mind kept drawing blank. I feel like a theme for the first birthday party can be tough because it's hard to really know what your little one is really into. And let's face it, most first birthday parties are for the parents and the family to celebrate.

Since C has gone through so much in his first year with his cleft journey I really wanted something that was simple and focused on celebrating him. Sure there are a lot of cute ideas out there, but when I was getting inspiration a lot of it didn't feel right.

You all know I love a good Pinterest inspired party, and putting parties together is kind of my thing, or at least something that I enjoy. We still had an amazing little celebration for him but I decided to take a less is more approach and focus on things that we already have and making the focus be about how (w)onederful he is.

Most of you know that we have a little tree farm (if you can consider it that) and these trees have been an integral part for our family. I thought it would be cute to take some of the tree clippings and make a little banner out of it to give the decor an extra touch. I picked up this one balloon that was perfect to hang above it.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that we went to a local flea market where I scored a few finds. This little wooden crate I picked up that we used for his first birthday shoot, and this old paint ladder I got that was perfect to highlight his monthly pictures. I've also turned it into our advent calendar for the season, so stay tuned for that.

This little table was a piece that we've had for awhile that we originally had our tv on in our bedroom. Over the years my style and taste has changed and I really wasn't feeling it for my bedroom. I didn't want to get rid of it because I knew it would come in handy again. We used it for C's baby dedication back in July and it happened to be the hottest day, ever. No really, it broke a bunch of records and was beyond hot. Anyway, this little table had some wear and tear to it and almost melted that day. You can probably see some glue dripping on it in those pictures. I decided to give it a little tlc with sanding some areas down, giving it a fresh coat of paint, and using drawer pulls from a previous house that we renovated that was part of the original kitchen. It became the perfect little piece to display his cake on. If it was long enough, I would consider keeping it as a buffet in my dining room.

Who doesn't love a good sweet treat at a party? I always thought donut boards were so cute but I didn't want to spend a lot of money on them. What's the next best thing? You make it yourself. And in all honesty, would it even be a party if I didn't give Eric a project to do? The answer is, no. I gave him the direction, dimensions, what I was going for, and the amazing guy that his is executed it for me. My sister hand painted the lettering for us and I love how these came out. We also had to break out the cupcake holder my father in-law made for A's first birthday, because at this point, it's now a tradition to use.

Since C has a November birthday the weather around here is already cold at that point. I love having an outdoor party, and maybe one year we'll get lucky, but more than likely his parties will be indoors. It was funny to see all the changing light in the room throughout the day and it was already dark outside by the time we sang happy birthday to him.

My sister made his cake for him which I was so happy about because she is amazing at making cakes. She says she doesn't enjoy it, but she's so good at it. I was very thankful she was on board with making his. And guess what? He LOVED it. Here's the proof. He cried when we took it away to cut up.

I couldn't resist getting him this little crown and adorable onesie. I think he looked just as handsome as ever. I was so thankful he got in a great nap that day and was so happy after he woke up. It was so cute to see him with all the attention on him celebrating this amazing milestone birthday. Motherhood has a tricky way of allowing us to feel so many emotions at once. I've said it before that it can be such a joy and a struggle to see our little ones grow. I am so incredibly proud of my little guy and so thankful for everyone who celebrated with us both near and far to share in his special day. 

Woodland Themed Birthday Party

It was no surprise to me when my oldest son wanted another outdoor animal inspired party. Some of you might remember last year how we had a reptile party for him with a bunch of real reptile friends that came for a visit. I'm pretty sure he would have this same type of party over and over again each year if he could. It will be interesting to see when he changes his mind or wants something completely different.

He has been an animal lover ever since he was little and would ask us at two years old if we could get a cow. While there are still no cows around here (I think that's one animal we won't be getting), we have expanded our furry, and prickly friends. You might remember how this spring we added our rabbit, Hoppy, and our hedgehog, Flower, to the family. Since the hedgehog is technically his, he wanted to incorporate her into the party, which I thought was a cute idea.

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We kept the decor pretty simple which felt like it was just enough to give it some added touches. A lot of these ideas I have recycled from his first birthday camping party and his reptile party. If there was anything else that I needed I just went to the backyard which made it really convenient. Some sticks in a mason jar make for an easy and simple center piece. I also made a pinecone garland that we strung along our ever famous pallets.

The stump seats are always a big hit with the kids, and really what I've learned is, regardless of all the things you have setup for them to do, most of the time they just want to run around and have fun with each other. I forgot to take pictures of them but we did have a giant jenga for everyone to play and also a big connect four. Since we have a lot of land to explore the kids wanted to go on a nature walk that Eric and some of the parents went on with the kids.

We also kept the food very basic and kid friendly. There are a lot of really cute food ideas if you take a look on Pinterest, but the birthday boy wanted chick fil a nuggets and pizza, so that's what he got.  We also broke out the pretzel bar again which is quickly becoming another favorite of mine. This time around we had mini pretzels for the kids and they were a hit. My mom did make this fun hedgehog cheese ball with pretzel sticks as the quills that came out really cute.

My sister also made his cake which turned our amazing and I am still obsessing over. She does such a good job with things. Remember how she also made C's baby dedication cake? I think she needs to just make all of my cakes from now on. We also had some cupcakes for the kids to enjoy that we put on the cupcake stand my father in-law made for A's first birthday. I seriously love how much use this has gotten. I feel like it needs to be a tradition now and I also have to use it for C's first birthday, which will be here before I know it. You guys, I'm not sure I can handle him being one just yet.

The kids were all excited to see the hedgehog so we sat them around the stumps and A and I did a little presentation about her and shared some facts with the kids and parents. He's wearing this six shirt that was the perfect birthday shirt for him. I love how he still wears it now since it isn't a typical birthday shirt. We also let the kids come up and get a chance to pet the hedgehog or hold her if they wanted to. I know there are some kids in his class still talking about her and I'm pretty sure a few of them asked their parents if they could get one.

I'm not sure about your little ones but my guys are always so excited to see what the goods are in their party bags. Actually, I'm kind of convinced that it's not even really what's in the party bag, but the fact that they actually get one. Anyway, I found these adorable woodland treat bags that I could not pass up. They were a hit with the kids and they all enjoyed deciding which animal they wanted to pick.

I was so thankful for a day of beautiful weather and a time for him to enjoy celebrating with his friends. Do you throw parties at your house or do you typically have them at another place?

A Carnival Celebration For The Birthday Boy

My oh my, how the time flies around here. Today my sweet little nugget wakes up a four year old and I'm not sure how my mama heart feels about it. It can be such a catch 22 to see our kids grow. We had so much fun celebrating him at his carnival birthday party this weekend.

Ever since my sister and I took the boys to a carnival earlier on in the summer he was asking for a carnival party. I thought, ok, I think we can work with this. I actually had a lot of fun planning this, as I do with all of their parties. Most of you know I enjoy a good Pinterest inspired party and I'm not even mad about it. I think when people think about parties like that they start assuming dollar signs ($$$). Yes, parties can be expensive but if you plan them right they don't have to be. 

Of course what it all comes down to, regardless of backdrops, feature walls, or themed food, is the fun and smiles that the kids have. On the other hand, if you also enjoy all those things (like I do) then you can incorporate them by using things that you already have or getting creative with the concepts.

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Last week I was rsvping to someone else's party when it dawned on me, oh shoot, we have nugget's party this weekend! For some reason it felt like I had soooo much more time to get everything together. I always had the general idea and theme for what we were doing, but aside from a few amazon purchases (thank God for them), I had nothing else prepared. I usually work well under pressure so I knew I could pull it off, but it wasn't without a few trips to the dollar store and amazon packages arriving everyday. I picked up this four shirt for him (that came with one day shipping) that he looked so cute wearing. I am happy to say, this time around there were no extreme late nights for me and everything came together really quickly.

What I learned through planning his party is that a lot of people are confused about what a carnival is and what a circus is. If you look up carnival parties online to get some inspiration, all of the sudden you see that people have elephants and big tops at the party, and I'm like, hold up, since when did a carnival ever have animals?? I don't know about you, but the carnivals around here are all about the food, rides, and games. Now that we have that cleared up, I'm going to focus on things that are relatable to a carnival.

Remember those wood pallets I stained for C's baby dedication? Well surprise, surprise, here they are again. I warned you all that they will probably be at most of our parties. They worked out perfectly here for a focal point on our food/dessert table. I took some basic string and strung it across them and then used clothes pins to secure bags of popcorn and cotton candy across them. Everyone got to take one as they wanted and I loved how it transformed the table decor.

I also used popcorn holders for decor around his party with yellow tissue paper to look like popcorn. I took the larger popcorn holders (all of this was found at the dollar store) and did centerpieces for the tables with tickets, candy, and balloons in them. We had typical carnival food, hot dogs, hamburgers, corn dogs, french fries, along with some sandwiches and other sides.

We had games for the kids they could play and win prizes for that also served as some of the things for their party bags, which were also popcorn holders by the way. My father in-law made this awesome wheel that spun around and the kids got to pick the color they thought it would land on. I recycled the baby's empty formula containers and made a can toss game out of them. We also had a bean bag toss that was fun and hung from the trees. One of my favorites though was old bottles we found that we recycled and used these ring toss rings for a bottle toss game. But, I think the one thing that really gave the feel like we were at a carnival were these multi-color pennant flags that we strung all throughout the backyard. I love them so much that I keep joking with Eric that we should just leave them up for the rest of the summer.

The weather ended up being beautiful, which I am so thankful for. I forgot to take a picture of it but we also had rubber ducks (all taken from the kids toy box) that we wrote numbers on the bottom and had floating in a little pool for the kids to pick and match the numbers. We also had some other yard games for the kids to play that the adults also jumped in on and had some fun with as well. We used our bounce house that also makes an appearance at most parties and had water balloons for the kids that they went nuts over. The best part was seeing him happy and enjoying all the fun.

We tried for a cute family pic but the cotton candy and a sneaky little brother that kept pulling party hats off made it interesting.

To my sweet birthday boy, you have been melting our hearts ever since you came into this world. There's something about your personality that is so genuine and caring. You have been rocking your new role as a big brother and have become so independent these last few months. I'm to blame for part of that as a lot of my attention has been on your baby brother. Through it all you have been so caring and most of the times (hence most of the times) you are understanding about it. You still give amazing hugs and such sweet kisses that melt my heart over and over again.

You love riding your quad and most people can't believe how well you handle it and that you started riding when you were three. Often times I think you are wise beyond years. You observe so much around you and know when to pull back and when to step up to things. You pick and choose the right moments to be extra loud, like when others are sleeping ;) and tell some of the most animated and amazing stories. You love playing uno and dominos and I have to laugh because when I was your age I'm not even sure I knew what both of those were. Your smile lights up the room and your infectious giggle brings a smile to everyone's face. I pray that God would continue to pour out his blessings upon you, that you would always keep Him first in your life, and that you would always remain as sweet as you are. Dream big my baby boy.

Reptile Birthday Party-Happy 5th My Sweet, Boy

When my little guy first said he wanted to have a reptile party, I thought, ok, that's a little different but so fitting for him. I knew I could make it happen so we quickly agreed on the theme. I did what most people do and headed to Pinterest to get some ideas and see what others were sharing. I love utilizing Pinterest for inspiration, but sometimes it's not always easy to recreate certain looks (I've had a few Pinterest fails in my day) or certain items you're looking for can't be found.

If you've been following this little space of mine then you know A loves all types of critters. It seems like more often than not I find him with something in his hand or he's off trying to catch something. He really seems to have no fear and I haven't figured out if that's a good thing or a bad thing just yet.

We wanted to make his 5th birthday extra special for him so we decided we would have someone come to the house that could bring along all his favorites. You know, snakes, lizards, a baby alligator, just the everyday household friends. We went with Rizzo's Reptiles and could not have been happier. Jesse made his day so special and he's still talking about how he's the only one of his friends that's ever had an alligator at their party.

I'm not going to lie, I had a lot of fun planning his party too and I know that some of these things the five year olds didn't care about, but I love adding in small details that made it just as special for me to be able to put a personalized touch on things. 

If you've been a reader since wayyyy back when, eekk going on five years now since I started this blog after A was born, then you might recognize some of the ideas and decor from his first birthday. We had a camping theme for him and I incorporated a lot of the same ideas into his reptile party. My father in-law made this wooden cake tower for him for his first birthday and we've stored it and used it several times since. It was so special to be able to pull it out again and have it there for his fifth birthday.

We kept the menu simple but had fun with some food themes. I love some good food themes. My friend Becky from PaperieOffPark created the gator-ade labels for me and all the food tent cards. She also did them for little nugget's shark themed party and I am always impressed with how they come out!

Ok, so let's talk about the day. If you caught my insta stories then you saw some behind the scenes fun. We decided to wait and tell him the day of his party that he would actually be having live reptiles there with him. I had a complete fail moment when I thought I was taping his reaction but I don't know what in the world my pregnancy brain did and I got two seconds of him running away all excited to tell his little friends that a snake was coming. Let's just say he was sooo excited and felt like the star of the day, as he should.

We've had so much rain over here lately that I was worried about his party because little nugget's was a wash out. Thankfully we could not have been blessed with a better weekend for his party. It was sunny and in the low 70's and perfect for being outside. We had the bounce house set up for him, stumps set out for all of his friends to sit on during the reptile presentation, corn hole out in the backyard for anyone to play with, and plenty of tables for the adults to sit and relax at.

We put together a head table for him and his friends to sit at and enjoy lunch and then had separate food tables and a cake table set up.

Overall we really couldn't have asked for things to go any better. I got to sit and catch up with some of my friends while the kids played, everyone left with full bellies, and plenty of goodies in their goodie bags.

I still can't believe that my little man is five today. It's crazy how quickly the years go by.  I'm trying to eat up every moment that I can with him. Even on those crazy days when we still have meltdowns and are trying to work through our feelings. A, we know that God has big plans for you. You are such a smart, creative, and amazing little man that doesn't miss a beat. I've said it before but your memory seriously blows my mind and the things you think of far exceed your years. We pray that God will continue to instill passions and desires in your heart that will be utilized for amazing things as you continue to grow older and mature. Keep shining and never let anyone dull your confidence. We love you more than you will ever know!