Happy Birthday, James!

{James' actual birthday was August 31, so forgive me for being a few days late, little buddy!}


We celebrated James' first birthday with dear friends a couple of weeks ago. I had grand hopes and dreams for this party, with visions of Amy Atlas/Martha Stewart perfection dancing in my head. In my mind, every detail was beautiful, every handmade little touch was placed just right. The photography would look wonderful and the event would be such a hit that I'd submit the ideas and pictures to party blogs on the internet and be "published" for the first time! {Mind you, I was in the midst of constant back pain and on super painkillers at the time, so perhaps that fueled my delusions of grandure!} The reality was much different than my grand dreams. For one, it was 98 degrees that day AND we had winds of THIRTY-FIVE mph. This was a total shock, since we never, ever have wind around here more than a light breeze. {Of course, by the next day the crazy-hot winds were gone and all was back to normal. Ugh.}

If I had a video of my mom, dad, Darlene and I trying to set up at the park for the party it would probably be pretty hilarious. How many grown-ups does it take to secure a tablecloth in 35 mph winds? That would be 3 people draping themselves across the table + one person frantically trying to tie the flailing cloth with yarn and Duck tape...and failing. One tablecloth blowing on top of the fresh birthday cake and getting covered with frosting. Tissue paper pom-poms rolling like tumbleweed across the park. Handmade birthday banners that didn't even get hung. Scrapbook pages slaved over, hoping to be hung in long garlands to honor every month of James' first year...instead Duck taped to a picnic table...and then tied over with twine when that started blowing off. Decorations mangled. Plates of food flipping up in the air. A birthday cake that was a puddle of cream cheese frosting on the outside and still frozen on the inside. Um, yeah. Pretty much a disaster. Sorry, James--Mommy tried her hardest! I really wanted this to be a great party, since we never got to celebrate Maddie's first birthday {she came down with a double ear infection!}...but I guess there's always next year...and many INDOOR party settings from now on! All that really matters is that our boy is happy and healthy and we get to love on him every day.

What's on the menu, you ask?
mini piggies-in-a-blanket
cheese & pepperoni pizza bites + pizza sauce {annies-eats.com}
chicken enchilada dip roll-ups {annies-eats.com}
veggies and ranch dip
rainbow fruit sticks {strawberry, orange, pineapple, green grape, blueberry, purple grape}
popcorn with white cheddar or kettle corn seasonings
berry lemonade
apple juice boxes
bottled water

{LOVE this old-fashioned popcorn maker...we borrowed it from my dad's office!}

Dessert Bar
rainbow layer cake with vanilla bean cream cheese frosting

pretzel rods coated with white chocolate & rainbow sprinkles

rainbow swirl "playdough lollipop" cookies {theidearoom.net}

{a close-up of the "Happy 1st Birthday James" mini flag banner on the cake...hanging on for dear life in the party photo above!}

{melting rainbow cake...not the prettiest picture, but very yummy!}

{Homemade party favors for each child: party hat, box of playdough and jar of bubbles}

{rainbow tissue paper pom-pom decorations--aka: tumbleweed}

{Bonnie with Maddie + Alli's girls, Ava and Macy}

{my aunt Lee Ann + James}

Happy first year, buddy! You are such a joy to us. :-)

P.S.--More tomorrow...close-ups of all those scrapbook pages in honor of his first year!