I'm baaaack!

Sorry for being M.I.A. I have been busy, tired and a little lazy on top of it all.  So, I'm making the effort and getting back in the saddle so to speak.  Before my unplanned hiatus I promised some birthday pictures and house pictures.  Today we will do birthday...

Birthday Bunting

Kieran's first birthday party could not have been better!  Mom was happy because:
1. Baby was happy, so incredibly happy.
2. My Mom, Dad and Sister (you know her as Auntie) all got to be there!!!
3. It all came together and looked oh so cool.

There were many many other reasons to be happy, but those three topped my list.  My in-laws very graciously hosted the party at their lovely home.  My Mom reminded me before the party that the important thing is to create a party that the kids have fun at.  Thanks Mom, good advice.  Now here are some of the party details.  Mom took over in the photography department so I could keep track of the Birthday Boy, again, thank you.

Yummy yummy in my tummy

We filled glass hurricanes with sweet and salty treats.  The cotton candy cones are stuck into a paper covered box with holes cut into the top.  For the cone, cut a circle out of fun cardstock, cut that in half and roll into a cone.  Tape, and you're ready to add your cotton candy.  We used the cotton candy that comes n a foil bag from the grocery store.  Easy peasy.

Centerpiece 

Use a colorful stuffed animal to decorate your table.  Make a few little boxes (or cover some pre-made boxes) and tie with a bow.  Easy peasy.

Pumpkin decorating, carving was just a little too scary for me...

This was fun...instead of carving pumpkins, thinkin 16 little kids don't really need to be running around with knives...we colored!  We bought one little sugar pumpkin for each child and put out permanent markers in bold colors (we did this activity on the porch, just in case) to decorate them with.  A few of the kids gave their pumpkins to Kieran...very sweet.

Cookie favor bags.

These bags were filled with frosted sugar cookies in the shape of the number 1.  The bags were purchased at Michael's.  I used a paper cutter to cut the contrasting toppers into rectangles that my sister and I folded over the top of each bag securing with a punched piece of paper (we used a glue stick).  Time consuming but easy peasy.

What a difference a year can make!

A sweet little monkey sat on the mantel next to the Birthday Boy's birth announcement.

The Prince's Throne

 Highchair buntings are really easy.  Just cut a bunch of brightly colored fabric into small triangles using  pinking sheers.  Use a ribbon or binding to string them together.  I used a sewing machine but you could easily use iron on hem tape I bet.  Easy peasy.

The cake and decorations

I made a simple yellow cake recipe and filled it with buttercream.  I used pre-made fondant for the outside of the cake because it gives a clean and polished look.  I simply added food coloring and rolled out the fondant, cutting with a circle cookie cutter and popped 'em onto the cake using a bit of water.  For the word ONE, I printed out the word using the font and size I liked, cut out each letter, then used the tip of a knife to trace and cut the letters out of fondant.  Easy peasy.

 

Kieran had his own smash cake.  Piece of advice: have it ready! We didn't and we had an unhappy boy after he blew out the candle on the big cake when he wasn't allowed to eat it.  Turns out, Kieran loves cake, who doesn't, right?!

FUN! Gotta love a ball pit!

 We used a blow up pool and filled it with balls for a fun play space for the kiddos.  This was the hit of the party!  Ease peasy.

Present opening.

 It was fun opening the presents because all the kids helped little Kieran out.  Luckily, Kieran is still pretty cool with sharing!

It's exhausting being one!

We had a wonderful day celebrating our little boy.  He had a blast and slept hard when it was all over.  Yes, it was a lot of work to get all those homemade party details done and it was over before we knew it, but it was worth every second.  The kids had fun, the grown-ups had fun, and most of all it was a great excuse to get a big happy family together.

Have you been planning a party?  How's it going?