I still cannot believe my baby girl is one.
Say wha?!?
I swear we just brought her home from the hospital and settled in as a family of four.
But. Alas. Time and life move along, often too quickly for this momma.
This weekend was one I will never forget. Her birthday party was one I will never forget. And not because of the time and effort and planning I spent preparing the party, and ultimately crossing my fingers that things would turn out as I envisioned. It was because of the amount of love that was hugged within our walls as our family and friends, both old and new, traveled to our home to help us celebrate our little girl's first year. If it hasn't been made clear yet in my lil' ol' blog, family, and good friends, mean the world to me. And this weekend, we got to share a special piece of our world with them.
So, without futher ado (and with a lot of pictures), the "Winter One-derland" first birthday party we threw for our little Raleigh Jane.
First up, the birthday girl herself:
Side note: As soon as I found out I was pregnant with a little girl, I KNEW I wanted her to wear the biggest, fullest pettiskirt I could find for her first birthday with some rockin' Converse. Enter the talented etsy seller DreamSpunKids. Love. Love. Love. I bought the skirt six months ago and excitedly waited as it hung in Raleigh's closet, just waiting for her big par-tay. Oh, and the over-the-top flower headband was made by my go-to bow seller on etsy, HartsAndRoses.
Despite a lengthy search, I couldn't find a top or legwarmers that I thought were befitting of the awesomeness of the pettiskirt. So, I ended up making them myself, using a very inexpensive white onesie and open-toed tights and hot glueing on craft flowers I found at my local Hobby Lobby. Voila. :)
Next, the decor, eats, and treats:
I have a love affair with bunting. Of every shape, color, size, and design. With the exception of the white doily bunting, I made the rest, each of which were easy to do and cost effective.
Given the "Winter One-derland" theme, snowflakes hung from the light fixture over the food table
The dessert and favor table
Yet more handmade (pinwheel) bunting
If I haven't mentioned it before, I LOVE to bake. And decorate cupcakes and cakes. Thus, this ruffle cake (and snowflake topper) was made with lots of love by this Momma for smashing by the birthday girl
The simply delicious cake pops by Dough Mommas, who, once again, knocked it out of the park
Chevron favor bags, complete with a snowflake tied with baker's twine and filled with, what else, the always delicious Nestle treat: Sno Caps
Maybe my favorite part of the party? The hot chocolate bar, complete with marshmallows and sprinkle toppings for the kids and Bailey's for the grown-ups. Delish.
Miniature milk bottles tied with twine and adorned with aqua striped straws for all the guests' hot chocolate drinking pleasure
In my excitement for the party, I forgot to take a photo of the food table (You can see part of it in the background here). The menu consisted of several yummy apps, chicken nuggets, and, a winter staple, cheddar potato soup. Yummy! And shout out to the best big brother around. Man, I love this little boy. :)
Handmade chalk labels for each food item
Tea light candle holders made out of baby food jars, burlap, and lace (and oops! I forgot to light the candles. Oh well.)
My trusty ol' galvanzied tub, adorned with lace, and later filled with water bottles. Other beverages served for the grown ups included beer, beer, and more beer.
The birthday girl's high chair, decked out in (what else) festive bunting and ready for cake smashing
A slideshow of our girl, compiled by her Daddy, played throughout the party, along with fun music, of course!
A few of my favorite special moments from that day:
Flying high with Daddy
She spotted her cake! This was the first time she had EVER had anything sweet...
Tentative at first...
But then she devoured it. That's my girl!
My sisters/best friends
Our girl examining her very special gift from her Daddy: a necklace made out of the wedding band I gave him as we said our vows on our wedding day over 8 years ago (I gave him a new band a few years ago so he had the first made into a necklace for his baby girl)
Kisses for Bammy
Our little family of four, at the end of a very special day
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