A Dino-mite First Birthday

Well, it has happened. Our bouncing baby boy is now ONE!

As most of you know, or at least now you will, I love birthdays. Next to Christmas, they are my favorite celebrations. I've had a blast planning an executing birthday parties for my daughter, and of course, I had to do the same for my sweet boy.

I went back and forth with themes and upon sifting through some ideas with my daughter, I was finally able to settle on one. In truth, she insisted that he have an orange dinosaur cake...so, dinosaurs it was.

Here is a look at his big day!

The Attire

July is hot. I wanted something cute and comfortable. I ran across this adorable outfit and knew it was the one.

::via::

This boy is dino-mite!

The Food

I had a blast pulling the food together for his party. I also had some amazing helpers. My mom, mother-in-law and good friend all pitched in to help make the food amazing. Keep in mind, I am all about keeping our celebrations inexpensive and simple. No sense in breaking the bank.

First off, lets talk about the cake. G insisted he have an orange dinosaur cake. This momma tried to deliver. I created a little dino from fondant and plopped him on top of a chocolate iced cake. I used gummy fruit wedges that my hubby helped trim into spikes for the bottom of the cake. This was actually N's smash cake and an overall success. The cupcakes were just simply iced and topped with additional gummy fruit wedges.

My amazing friend, Charity, made this AWESOME watermelon dinosaur head. I had really hoped to do it myself, but time was not on my side. She is such an amazing person and willingly offered to carve this masterpiece. Everyone loved it!

In keeping things simple, I scored these dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets and paired them along side some pizza rolls. My mother-in-law contributed her oh-so-delicious meatballs.

The Décor

Balloons! I have become a huge fan of them. They add wonderful color and always add a festive touch. I used them as some basic decorations on the tables and cake tables. I was able to score some adorable dinosaur masks that I scattered on the tables for the kids' enjoyment. Simple. Cheap. Oh, so cute.

I also set up a book for people to sign on the gift table. I've done this for my daughter as well. It is such a sweet keepsake as people write down thoughtful birthday wishes. I also included a slideshow of pictures of N's first year. ::mommytears::

Overall, I am thrilled with how his party turned out. We had so much fun in coming together to celebrate his precious little life. I am so thankful for everyone that came to share his birthday celebration with us. We are truly blessed.

Linking up for Mommy Moments

A Minnie Mouse Birthday Party

Even now I get a little misty eyed when I think about the fact that my first born is now 3. Time is flying and I can't seem to hold tightly enough. Our beautiful little girl turned 3 a couple weeks ago and I'm proud to say her party seemed to go over pretty well.

When I asked her what kind of birthday party she replied,

"A Minnie Happy Day [Birthday]. The pink Minnie. Not the red one."

I did my best to make her wish come true. I LOVE celebrating birthdays but I refuse to break the bank to do so. With a little preplanning, do-it-yourself projects, and a fairly frugal mindset, we were able to turn out a sweet little get together to celebrate our baby girl turning 3.

The Attire

My mom is an amazing seamstress. A few months ago I had run across a dress that I just knew would be perfect for G on her special day. I sent a picture to my mom and she nailed it yet again!

The Food

G had requested strawberry cake. Easy enough. I added some fresh strawberries to my standard vanilla pound cake and yum! I made a strawberry buttercream to go on top. I also made some confetti style vanilla pound cake cupcakes for those who may not like strawberry the way we do.

I did a simple hotdog bar. We had various toppings, including cheese and chili. They were a big hit.

My mother-in-law graciously made a delicious fruit salad and my mom brought a veggie tray. We also had Mickey Mouse shaped veggie chips that were like by children and adults alike.

The Décor

I went simple yet again. I simple found some plain black pails and filled them with pink and white raffia. We went to a local party store and found some great black and pink balloons that had white polka dots. These tied in with the theme perfectly.

As everyone finished eating, we eventually had the kids make their way outside where we played on the playground and blew bubbles. We opted out of opening presents at the party this year. The last few parties (for little ones) that we've attended have done this in regards to gifts. I must say, it is quite nice. Watching toddlers open gifts can become quite dull for adults and children alike and this allowed for everyone to simply enjoy themselves. We did have her grandparents over later that day to watch her open her gifts. Personally, we found this to be a win-win for everyone.

Overall, it was a wonderful day filled with fun, food, family and friends.

Check out her other birthday parties!

Red Riding Hood

Hello One-derland

A Little Red Riding Hood Birthday Party

Somebody has turned 2!!!

Our gorgeous little redhead has hit yet another milestone. I can’t believe how quickly the time has gone. She has changed so much!

2015

2014

We celebrated with a fairly simple party. I chose a Little Red Riding Hood theme, and with the help of family, it all came together wonderfully.

Here’s a little recap…

The attire:

My mom has always been an amazing seamstress and once again, she did not disappoint. She sewed this adorable dress and cape based off of this idea. She nailed it!

The food:

Black Forest and Triple Berry (raspberry, blueberry and blackberry) Cupcakes

 

//Twigs and Dip//Fruit Tray//Acorns//Labels//

The décor:

I kept it simple. I went with a turquoise and red color theme. I bought some simple galvanized flower buckets from Target and then some coordinating flowers from our local Amish market. I had a box of crayons and these Woodland coloring sheets for the kids to work on at the tables. We also scattered some colorful balloons around the room for the kids to play with.

I also started a tradition for our little girl last year. We request that everyone sign a book with a sweet note to commemorate her birthday.

 

Overall, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. The kids appeared to have a good time and we were left with a lot of sweet memories.

Linking up for Thoughts for Thursday

Hello One-derland! Part 3: The Party

Happy! Happy! Happy!

Well, I've posted about the good times that led up to prep time...now let's get to party time!!! Everyone, including my husband (who was in charge of bringing our daughter) was running behind for the party. That's what happens when you have kids. Upon everyone's arrival we prayed and then people began to eat from our festive food table. Once they were settled in, I took the opportunity to grab some photos of our sweet guests.

Once folks had been able to eat a bit, we began having G open her presents. Attempting to have a one year old maintain interest in every present can be very difficult. We did our best to keep things moving. We had a blast assisting her with her gifts. The light of delight on her face as gifts surfaced lit up the room.

 We can't thank everyone enough for all of their generous giving. We have one blessed little girl.

After the gifts were opened, we moved right into the cake. I made G a smash cake covered in sprinkles. At first she just poked and prodded while occasionally tasting her tiny fingers. With a little assistance, she discovered there was cake underneath and well, that cake did not stand a chance. She is a pro!

We enjoyed every moment of G's first birthday. We still can't wrap our minds around the fact that she is now a year old. All the months of thinking back to how I was pregnant or how close I was to delivery this time last year have passed. I now look forward to all of the wonderful things to come.  My love for her grows daily and I am certain that things will only get better from here.
      

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward." Psalm 127:3