Arlo is ONE as of a couple weeks ago & the birthday celebration was so wonderful. Here is the handsome little fella before the party got started....
We were undecided on a theme so I turned it over to the big brothers & sisters. They discussed some possibilities then quickly agreed on The Very Hungry Caterpillar which was surprising we only read that book 100 times a day, ha! As much as I love designing my own, I was more than happy to pay $7.95 to a kind woman on Etsy who swiftly emailed me this cute little invitation.
Since moving back from Florida I just haven't had it in me to plan a birthday bash complete with food, décor & activities that all tie into the theme. We keep saying we are moving into a new stage of life without a newborn so maybe, just maybe the energy needed for the creativity is blossoming once again. First birthdays are extra special which is funny because a one year old has no clue what's going on. Anyway, we decided to really do it up nice.
May I ask what we did before Pinterest? I had the party planned in about 30 minutes ; ) First up was the food. The possibilities are endless with an entire book filled with food that that hungry little caterpillar feasted on. We picked some from there & added our own: Wraps & PB&J sandwiches laid out to look like caterpillars, sliced salami, swiss cheese & butterfly shaped crackers & a spinach salad topped with strawberries, blueberries & other yummies.
These grape & tomato caterpillars with the candy eyeballs were my favorite although a couple of them turned into a cyclops creature after spending a time in the fridge. We pasted them on with mayonnaise instead of Gorilla Glue so it wasn't a guarantee they would stay in place anyway. I came across the two missing eyes when I pulled something out of the drawer the other day....glad it was me instead of it being stuck to something we were serving a guest!
We also went all out with a box of cake mix & rainbow chip icing (NOT FUNFETTI) with cupcake topper also downloaded from Etsy for $1.99. Easy peasy lemon squeezy as we say around here.
A birthday banner was a necessity & ended up making me a bit tearful as I attached each photo that took us month by month through the past year. How incredible to have a front row seat to watch a teeny helpless babe grow into a curious little guy that scoots & squeals all over the house.
Like Etsy, Amazon is a dangerous place. In a matter of three minutes late at night I came across some Hungry Caterpillar themed stacking blocks, lacing cards & a stuffed animal that Arlo just HAD to have. That "Buy Now" feature makes it so easy ; )
It's a rare occasion that we get a photo of just the three of us. Arlo doesn't even look happy...we aren't quite as entertaining than the rest of our family.
That GGran surprised us on Arlo's real birthday with cupcakes topped with jellybeans since she is in fact the "Jellybean Queen" bringing bags of fruity goodness every time she comes to see us. Arlo loves her & that makes me happy.
After everyone filled their tummies Charlotte read none other than The Very Hungry Caterpillar & she did a fantastic job. My mom brought along a set from their church library that has a stuffed fabric item for just about every thing mentioned in the book so we passed them out to the little ones. When they heard the name of what they were holding they got to put it in the basket. Liam was extremely helpful pointing at each food on the yummiest page, what a cutie.
After our bunch did a trial round we knew we had just the right craft to share with the other kiddos. These were the lifecycle prototypes on display....
I precut the outlines of butterflies, stuck them to contact paper & poured out more tissue squares than any butterfly could ever need. They got to work creating their masterpieces. It was pretty much the big girls' butterflies that made it to completion...the little ones ie Owen & Anson were outta there as soon as they could be! Once the tissue paper was all in place we placed another piece of contact paper on top then cut around the construction paper outline. They turned out great.
The only official cousins to our crew are in Poland but these are cousins too : ) They are "officially" my cousins kids & are as adorable as they come....
My cousin Allison with one & only precious Landry who is a HOOT!
beautiful Aubrey
handsome Luke
and Hallie who turned one over the summer. She was rockin' Aunt Sandy's glasses while the onlookers couldn't stop giggling. The three blondies belong to my cousin Amy.
Onto the cake.....everyone's favorite part at the big 1st birthday celebration. I took all five kids with me to the fabric store to hunt down just what we needed to make a hat & highchair "skirt" if you will. It's always fun to shop with five in tow but the fabric store? That's a blast with the extremely narrow aisles & breakable items galore! I was glad to have the girls to hunt down the fabrics we were looking for while I corralled the buckaroos. I showed Charlotte & Eloise a picture of what I was picturing & they took off then returned with their selections. SO helpful!
It was simple to make minus that stupid pom pom on the top of the hat. I seriously tried at least 10 times & it would just fall apart in my hands. Grrrrr. Gaga to the rescue. I think it took her one try which is not uncommon with most of her other crafty projects. That's why I like to be on her team.
I'm glad that after all my hard work Arlo smiled & didn't try to take his hat off.
He was intrigued with everyone singing him a lovely tune....
and who would have thought? He didn't even have to feed himself! When was the last time someone did this to you on your birthday?
After he licked the icing & germs off of the rest of the children's fingers he did get a little messy & required a wardrobe change. Gift opening was a breeze with so many little hands. I was glad Uncle Scott was making a list for me of who gave what. Arlo was spoiled not only in the toy department but also in the clothing department. He has a better wardrobe for the Fall than the rest of us combined! Uncle Scott got him a magical tunnel that transforms you into a Smurf when you crawl through it.
We had only family plus my dear friend Lisa, Euan & sweet Liam. It sounded like it would be small but family alone put us somewhere around 25 people & we were missing some. The more the merrier! My cousin Mallory who is quite talented on the ukulele gave Eloise a little lesson. I love this picture.
I wish I had a few more pictures of the rest of the party-goers but this pretty much shows how to maximize your space on the couch.
The bash ended but the party continued with the Ellis family who spent the night at the Valentine hotel after an evening of laughing. It was just under two weeks later that we celebrated the official birthday & by that point I was even more tearful but in a wonderfully sweet way. How fast a year goes by & from what we hear from parents years ahead of us is that it only feels faster. So for now, we will spend every second looking at these sweet cheeks, soft curls, dimpled fingers & baby blues all the while thanking God for the gift that Arlo Benton is to our family at one year old.
Our Darling Arlo,
One year, ONE YEAR since you made your speedy & grand entrance into the world. I still remember what it felt like to lock eyes with you for the first time. You were staring back at me with your tiny fingers wrapped around mine while I told you all about not only how much your Daddy & I loved you but also about the four older siblings you would soon meet.
The moment where all seven us were together for the first time will forever be one of my most cherished memories. One where I felt this deep, solemn joy coupled with the desire to just laugh out loud looking at all the beautiful blessings God gave us in his time. You in my arms, your Daddy & I trying to protect you from getting your eyes poked out or being licked across the face...it was delightful!
There have been so many times over the past year that tears just slipped down my cheeks as I rocked you or in celebrating with you as new milestones were reached. You took three steps on your first birthday & I just about lost it my darling. You never mind the tears as you look at me showing off your adorable toothless grin. Please know that you will still be just as adorable with a mouth full of chompers : )
You are a gift to our family & one that brings much happiness & laughter. You have four other little people that can't get enough of you. Sometimes you love it, sometimes you don't & we understand how you might feel that way. Nonetheless, the love is there & will only grow with time! We love you Arlo but beyond that, God loves you more than we can comprehend. He is making you into exactly who he has made you to be & we are grateful to play our part.
Happy 1st Birthday,
Mommy
No comments:
Post a Comment