Tag: one year

William’s First Birthday | 03.08.2013

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William’s party was a blast. He was completely worn out by 4pm and I am so surprised he lasted that long (especially without any naps!). With help from my mom and sisters, I pulled off his Dapper Little Man theme.

The party was actually the day after his birthday, so on his birthday, we FaceTimed with Oma and Opa and opened their presents. They got him this really cool bike that he can either ride or walk and push. He loves to go fast on it!

I did as much decorating that night as I could because I knew the next day would move quickly. I decided to try and keep things simple – just a few decorations and only sweets and fruit for snacks. The only decoration I made was the bunting. Using scrapbook paper from Archiver’s, I cut out neck ties and bow ties and then attached them to baker’s twine. I guess I also made the balloon bunting which was an idea I saw on YHL. It’s a great way to decorate with balloons. I also hung up tissue balls from ShopSweetLulu and two “collages” of photos of William.

One of the collages I did was 48 Printstagram prints of William in the shape of a one. I saw the idea for that on a friend’s Instagram feed. She did it for her one year old. The other collage was 13 photos of William, one on his day of birth and one from each month up to 12. They were 5×5 prints from my lab with a white border.

Some pre-party preparations….William is helping James get the drinks cold. Aunt Jessica is working her magic with the icing for the cupcakes. I made Blueberry Cupcakes with Blueberry Cream Cheese icing and a gluten-free, dairy-free yellow cupcake with a chocolate frosting. Both were really good! And I would not have had them decorated in time if not for Jessica. I don’t have patience for that stuff anyway. William was also on balloon testing detail. He LOVED the balloons. We still have a few left that he tosses around. I am pretty sure his first official word is ball.

I used a free printable from On To Baby for the cupcake labels and pieces of 12×12 scrapbook paper as a “placemat” for the cupcakes.
 
For William’s smash cake I made a mostly healthy cake. It was mostly applesauce and banana and pretty dense so I kind of wish I had just made him a real cake…the icing was buttercream and not healthy at all. I think he liked it and the blueberries the most. That would probably be the only “do-over” for me…a little bit of chocolate would have been just fine I am sure. At least it looked really cute!

We also had yellow cake pops with white coating and yellow sprinkles. I rolled them but my sister finished them (she is an expert truffle roller) otherwise they never would have made it to the table. They were a big hit with the kids (and adults). The gray chevron straws I also bought from ShopSweetLulu…it was a pack of 20 so we cut them in half.

These are the gluten-free, dairy-free cupcakes. I used a box mix and the frosting is mostly coconut oil, dark chocolate and vanilla. The consistency is different but there was only one of these left at the end of the night, so that must mean they were tasty.

I picked up this W at Michael’s and wasn’t sure how I was actually going to use it for the party but in the end it made a great centerpiece.

I really, really wanted a pinata for his party for the kids but decided to wait on those until he is actually old enough to enjoy it as well. My back up plan was miniature pinatas for party favors but I couldn’t find the right supplies so I went with something easier.

We had a wonderful turnout of friends and family – so many kids! I am afraid it was a bit of a crush though because the rainy weather kept us from using the patio and backyard. It was still fun though and I really enjoyed seeing so many people.

Maria and William show off their birthday outfits. Our next door neighbor has a little boy too who is 3 months younger than William. I love this photo of them…it looks like William is protecting his puffs.

Then it was time for cake. Can you tell he is sleepy?

He was pretty straight faced for a while, just politely eating his blueberries and watching everyone watch him. I love the top right photo….”You want me to make a mess? Do I have to?” He is so into wiping his mouth now with any towel or napkin he finds. Such a neat mister. The bottom right he hit sleepy/silly.

And finally some messy face action. That’s about as messy as it gets people. 
Allan and his wife, Lori were one of our first wedding clients back in the day and I am happy to say we’ve remained friends. Their little gal, Sarah just turned one as well. 

Heather is a fellow birth center mom and Miss Carrie turns one this week!

So many presents! And tissue paper!

 

Wearing his awesome fedora from his friend Zoe. He actually really likes it…I promise. He was ready for a nap at this point.

And what party is complete without an after-party? I know these two loved having all the balloons to themselves.William was in a much better mood after his nap and dinner.
Daddy put his bike together so of course he needed a test drive. 

 Bedtime snuggles and books with Aunt Jessica and Uncle Nathan. What a great way to end a fun day.

Happy Birthday to my dapper little one year old! It still seems like yesterday we brought you home and had no idea what to do with you. So we just held you and stared. I still stare sometimes and am amazed I have such a precious life entrusted to our care. What a fun, challenging, long, short, exhausting, educational and tremendous year it has been. William, I can’t wait to get to know you better as you grow and learn each day. I love you! ~ Mom

Invitations for a Dapper Little Man

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William turned one on March 8 and we had his party the following day, Saturday. I started the planning and “Pinning” last summer I think and knew that I wanted to go with a “Little Man” theme. His baby shower was a similar theme so I thought about trying to come up with something else but it just seemed to fit. He’s always been our Little Man. The final idea was “Our Dapper Little Man”.

I created his invitations using a photo I took of him in his dapper outfit, all purchased from Target. The vest was on sale and the tie was the perfect color scheme to match the party colors. My original idea was to have him sitting next to a chalkboard sign but since he’s learned to crawl, there is no keeping him still for that long. I actually like how they came out more this way with James holding him.

The reverse side had all the important information and some fun ties I found via a designer on Etsy.

I am not a graphic designer by any stretch of the imagination but I am pretty happy with how these came out.

One Year | Maria Ruth

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My niece, Maria, turned one on Christmas Day, 2012. My sister had a little party for her the week after with family and friends.

The smash cake and cupcakes were made by my sister, Jessica. I am pretty sure Maria loved her smash cake and the cupcakes were yummy!

A whole bunch of Maria’s cousins.

She’s ready to dive in…

No instructions needed.

I love the hand…like she is saying, “I’ve got this, people.”

What a fun day for a special little lady. We love you Maria!

Almost One

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It’s hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that my baby will be one in just a couple weeks. How is that even possible? I still remember March 8, 2012 like it was yesterday. Even though that day still feels fresh, I have to admit that the year has been a long one. There are some sections of it I have thoroughly forgotten.

I hope to one day share a bit of his birth story. I had plans to do that long before he turned one but life happens and some things just have to wait. Maybe I’ll share that next week.

I’ve been doing monthly posts with photos of my growing boy on the Vignette blog but am moving those over here now. I thought it would be fun to do a little recap post with one of my favorites from each month.

One month on Easter Sunday. He slept most of the day. I actually had to do these photos the next day. 

 
Two months and poor kid, his mom is making him hang out on dressers. He was such a skinny kid. 
 
Three months and sleeping in his crib during naps. Also wearing some awesome kicks from Oma and Opa.  
 
Four months and still with a dislike for tummy time. I was able to catch him before he started to fuss. 
 

Five months and his first family vacation and trip to the beach. It was also the week he started to get his first teeth.

Six months and we had a half birthday. I have a feeling he’ll know exactly what to do at his first birthday when it comes time to smash the cake. He was upset when I took this cupcake away from him.

 
Seven months and pumpkin patch photos are a must. He also traveled on an airplane for the first time. We took a trip to Ohio to see Oma and Opa. 
 
Eight months and so much happening! Feeding himself, drinking from a straw, standing up, dancing, rolling (instead of crawling), clapping and 7 teeth.

 
Nine months and celebrating his first Christmas. That was a lot of fun….kids make Christmas better! He was afraid of the tree at first but finally got around to touching it tentatively.

 
Ten months and on the verge of so much. This was the last photo shoot we did where he stayed where I put him. 
 
Eleven months and crawling!! It’s a whole new world for him (and mommy!). I think he’s a much happier kid now that he can get around on his own. I am actually able to do stuff around the house and he can either follow me or entertain himself. It’s been great! He’s standing and walking along the furniture too and I am pretty sure he’ll be walking on his own in a few weeks. 
 
There is so much I could write about him. How he talks and explores and plays. When he hears a dog barking he tries to mimic it. Usually sounds more like an owl hoot than a bark. He will hoot when he sees his humidifier because it is an owl. He is really good at stacking rings and cups and rolling his ball back and forth. Oh my goodness, he is a speed crawler too. He can make it from one end of the house to the other in no time….especially if he hears the fridge or pantry open. Speaking of food, his appetite is huge. He loves to eat! So far he only dislikes eggs. Some of his favorite things are blueberries, peas, puffs, pancakes, applesauce, cheese and yogurt. For the first time this week he actually fed himself with a fork too. I am still amazed this kid is the same one we brought home almost a year ago. I am constantly blown away by how much he has changed and is still changing. 
William, you bring sunshine to my days. I love hearing your chatter in the mornings when you first wake up and seeing you with a smile on your face when I open the door. You make the funniest faces and silliest sounds. My favorite by far, is when you try to blow your mobile or the ceiling fans. I love that I get to spend my days with you. I wish I could bottle every single moment and not forget anything. You are my precious boy. I love you, Mama.