Monday, September 27, 2010

1st Birthday pics!

so the good Lord blessed us with a perfect day for an outside party.

i mean- high of 81, clear skies, a nice breeze, a well rested kid- seriously perfect. we didn't need tents or towels or anything- it was awesome.

so now i'm going to overload you with pics & info. if you have any questions feel free to leave a comment & ask. i know i searched blogs like crazy for party ideas- so yeah.

Friday Sep 24th: her actual b-day.

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my snot nosed kid after an impressive sneeze. it was early- but she was happy.

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she walked all around the yard with "dadda" & thought that was just the bee's knees. but she got tired, and refused to walk with me. boo.

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so once she veto'd walking it was time to love on "dadda"

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and then "mamma"

and that was friday. we both took the day off so we could spend it with alex. we went to breakfast (where she had blueberry pancakes) and ran errands & looked at toys and played- etc etc.
i also spent the day doing "prep work"- ie: making cake, cupcakes, decorations, frosting- etc etc. by friday night all i wanted to do was go to bed & sleep for a year.

but saturday....

Saturday Sept 25th: party day!

thanks to my 2 best friends, decorations were covered. and thanks to my in-laws, things got done/setup!

alex did me a favor & slept in until 7. 7! unheard of! then she proceded to be an angel. seriously. she let me make potato salad & frost cakes/cupcakes & clean up & etc etc.
my friends & in laws came over around 11-12 & alex went down for a nap (hooray) and we got to work.

i finished frosting & prepping food while the girls took over decorations. i then had to get dressed, do my hair, tidy up & supervise (of course)

the in-laws helped set up tables & chairs & put up balloons. it wsa a wee bit windy at first so i was freaking out- but thankfully it chilled out.

alex woke up about 20 min prior to her party & was in a stellar mood (thank God)- i got her dressed & passed her of to my mother in law (lifesaver!!!!) and started putting out the food, candy, dessert, drinks- everything.

everything got finished up just as people started arriving at 2. hooray!

i got as many pics as i could while still trying to be "mom" & "host"- i felt like i was everywhere!

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her "happy birthday" banner. i freaking loved it!

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the decorations = the banner, tissue paper pom poms & balloons. i kept it as simple as i could.

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we had 1 "actual food" table & the drinks we put into a ble tub with ice & the red cooler had beer (Corona & Sam Adams)

food:
- Giada's Potato Salad
- Fruit Salad
- Oh So Olive dip with Beer Bread
- Lays, Doritos & Cheese Puffs
- chicken, hamburgs & hot dogs
and that was more than enough.

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her "smash cake"- i made it myself & kept it very simple. i loved it!

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the cupcakes- again, i made them all myself.
they were Rainbow Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Frosting. they were SO good! the Wiener Dog ones are a decal by Ticings. so easy to use & tasted great!

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this was the "Sweet Table"

- smash cake
- cupcakes
- drinks (Sweet Tea & Lemonaid)
- favors

the "favors" = A "Candy Bar". we had loads of candy & take out boxes for people to pack up what they wanted to take home. it was a huge hit- the kids & the adults loved it. plus, people could eat it during the party too so it was a win-win.

and that was it for the setup. next- the actual party!

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we put a tarp down with a blanket over it & provided bubbles, punch balloons, bean bags & various other toys for the kids.

after people ate & socialized a bit we brought out the smash cake!

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of course we blew out the candle & then transferred the cake to a plate (after singing happy birthday)
and she went to work:

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she actually started off pretty slow- just poking it & licking frosting. but then she realized that she could make a mess:

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she honestly didn't even ingest that much- she was far more interested in playing with it than eating it (for anyone who is worried about sugar consumption)
and thanks to the awesome full coverage bib- it ws a pretty easy clean up job too.

we wiped her face & hands down with baby wipes & simply pulled the bib off. no need to change or bath. hooray!

and last but ot least- present time:

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she had a so-so time opening stuff- until....

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Flounder was BY FAR her favorite. she started squealing & wouldn't let him go. kudos to my best friend for this one!

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and Mr. Dino was also a big hit. she actually got 2 of him! so one will have to be returned for something else.

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she rode him around for the rest of the night- until she looked like this:

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and i decided it was bed time!

so all in all it was a huge success! lots of work though- and i thought i kept it pretty simple. thank GOD for helpful friends & family because i was exhausted through & through.

thankfully cleanup wa a breeze & we had very minimal left-over food. the candy was all but gone & the decorations were passed out to eager little girls who love pom-poms.

alex went to bed around 8:30 or so & slept like a rock. she did get up around 5:30am but she was in good spirits so i didn't mind.

the day after:

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we spent Sunday winding down, playing with puzzles, watching football & a quick mall run.

weekend success.

alright- sorry about the length but i think i covered it all. again, if you have any questions feel free to ask!

and again- happy birthday miss alexis! i love you!

(addtl pics can be viewed here: flickr)
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27 comments:

Bekah said...

adorable!!! You did a great job! I have to ask though, What is the first book she got?! Haha the green one with the dude on the back?

Unpolished Parenting said...

What a wonderful birthday!! I absolutely love looking at all of the pictures! Where did you get that adorable dress - greenish with white polka dots??

Danse said...

So cute! I'm glad it was such a great day! We have that ride on/walk dinosaur and the girls love it!

Where did you get the banner? We're having the big one par-tay in 2 weeks!

Mrs.F said...

You did such an awesome job with the party! I loved the weiner dog cupcakes! And isn't Giada's potato salad yummy??

And I might need to find one of those full coverage bibs... Gianna has been finding it tough to keep food off of her clothing (even with regular bibs) so we've been stripping her down before meals haha

Beth said...

What kind of cake did Alex have? It was so colorful-really made the pictures great!

Unknown said...

Answers:

Bekah- it's The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein!! a MUST have!

UP- TARGET! run quick like a bunny- they still have some!

Danse- i printed it out for free from here: http://ruffledblog.com/2010/05/printable-alphabet-bunting/

cut them out- hole punch & string them up!

Mrs F- i love everything about Giada. it's sickening! that salad is SO good!
and go here for the bibs: http://www.baggino.com/LearnersBibs/
that's where i got alex's :)

Beth- i made her a 3 layer rainbow cake as well. each layer had layers of color (just white cake with food coloring)
PITA but SO worth it!

abby said...

Looks like a fun party - I love the cute and simple decorations!

Where are those adorable red slippers from?

Anonymous said...

You did such a great job! I love your festive rainbow cake and I LOVE those cupcake decals! That is precious. The birthday banner is awesome! I could pretty much sit here and make a list of each thing you showed and talk about how awesome it is. We did a candy bar at our wedding, I swear it was more popular than the open bar. Thanks for all the pictures and great ideas!

I, too, must know where those red moccasins came from... precious!

And you looked awesome in your cute dress with boots! I love that!

Elizabeth said...

i love your pictures! those tiny slippers... so precious!! Alex is seriously one of the most gorgeous babies ever! :)
you did a wonderful job on her party... i'm very impressed!
and you look amazing.

kk @ the mom diggity said...

Absolutely adorable party & she is so stinking cute :)

Alexia said...

Alex really is soooo beautiful! Great pics of the party. Makes me a lot less anxious about hosting a simple and easy party for my daughter's first!

BTW in your searching for birthday themes/ideas did you find anything 'wintery'. Thanks for the help!

Phoenix said...

GREAT PICTURES!

Can you please share the Rainbow Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Frosting recipe?!?!?!

Unknown said...

Sweet and simple- I LOVE IT! Those cupcakes, the decorations, the take-home-treats... seriously. All of it.
Great job, mama! :)
ps- I agree! Please share the cupcake recipe!

Ingrid said...

Everything looked great and Alex looked adorable!

Desi said...

The party looked perfect! I love how everything was outdoors. I also lovee her little slippers. So cute, where are they from??

Unknown said...

to those who asked about the red slippers- i found them at a consignment store! so i'm not sure where to actually get more- they say "made in canada" and i think they say minimoc- but i can't really tell!

cupcake & frosting recipe- i'm going to be posting both on my food blog sometime this week (hopefully by today or tomorrow) so it'll all be there!

alexia- well i wasn't looking for anything in the winter, so i can't recall! but i'm sure there is a ton under "winter 1st birthday party themes" :)

osuraj said...

She's so cute! It looks like it was a successful birthday. You should post your recipe for rainbow cake...I have never seen that and would like to make it!

Carol said...

Wowzer! I am so impressed! The party looks like it was amazing. I love her cake and the cupcakes look like they came from a professional bakery. You should be so proud of yourself!

Loved the photos of you and Alex together...those need to find their way in to her baby book!

Mari said...

Your family is beautiful!

And Alexis, omygosh, what a cute kid!!!

Great job on the party! I can't believe your little girl is 1 already.

Diana Stone said...

I don't know if I laughed harder at the cake being demolished pictures or her and that Flounder. How cute.

I have to tell you, it looked like the most AMAZING first birthday party. You did a wonderful job. And you look lovely - so glowing and happy.

<3

Colie's Kitchen said...

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Nicole said...

Her party looked great, you did an amazing job! I love the cupcakes. And can I just say she is dressed so cute ALL.THE.TIME. Those slippers and the pj's in the first 2 pics, ADORABLE!

Sarai said...

Wow!! What a fun Party!!!

I have to know where you got the banner, or did you make it, you crafty thing, you?

And man, that Smash Cake is AWESOME.

great job, mama!

C said...

I have never met Alexis but I seriously love her. Like, I want act like one of those old ladies and pinch cheeks and kiss her face all over love her.

Awesome job on the birthday party! Want to do Gianna's?

faith ann raider said...

These are SO pretty!! What a sweet whimsical party theme :) Your daughter is ADORABLE!

jenn said...

what an awesome party! everything is so cute! sweet, simple, not over the top! and miss alexis is too darn cute! happy birthday to your beautiful daughter!

Tamara said...

Happy Birthday Alexis!

She's beautiful and the party was awesome!