You'd think I didn't leave out a single picture. Nay, I tell you. (Nay?)
I cut out A LOT. So, deal.
So, I set myself some seriously high expectations for Samson's first birthday. I wanted it to be special, and I wanted to stretch myself in my 'DIY-ing' abilities, and for the most part...I failed. Alright, mostly just in the baking department. I do not belong in the kitchen. Luckily, I have some amazing friends who came over the day of to help repair whatever damage I'd done to Samson's cake, as well as help with a few of the decorations. I had absolutely planned on doing it all myself, and looking back now, I realize I was freakin' crazy; there was just no way.
Why did I go to all the trouble, you ask? I realize Samson isn't going to remember this, but it's a "first" and I find myself treasuring and documenting every "first" of his, so why would I treat his birthday any differently? Plus, this really was a celebration for me. Hello, I (we) kept him alive for a whole year. Yay us!
Some birthday prep.
Yarn balloon tutorial found here
After a frazzling day with a few tears on my part, everything turned out wonderfully, and the smiles on my boy's face made everything totally worth it.
#1 birthday shirt from Etsy
We held the party at a park down the street, and although it was a little colder than we would've liked, it was the perfect setting for the festivities.
I am in love with how the banner turned out, so much so that Samson's name now hangs in his nursery.
Another expectation I set for myself? Take a picture of Samson on the same background every Wednesday (the day he was born) for the first year. Eh, I made it six months. Not bad right?
Our little family of three
(I know you are only gazing at the adorable monster, but just in case your eyes meander to the upper left,
try to dismiss that rogue postpartum hair, as well as my somewhat helmet looking hair, which is actually worse in the next picture)
I love these two dudes, and am so grateful for the joy they add to my life.
Showing off his new walking skills, as best he can in those silly-nilly shoes.
Aunt Lola
We are so fortunate to be surrounded by family on both sides, as well as great friends. All of whom love our little Sammy, and came down to celebrate with us.
We kept thing simple. Hot dogs, both polish and beef (JDawgs sauce, present), fruit and water, and delicious cupcakes (that only caused me minimal grief). Tadd was the grill master, and executed his job perfectly.
The little boy who loves watermelon.
Making his kissy face. Also his I-love-what-I'm-eating face. Adorbs.
Aaahhh the infamous cake from hell. I was so excited for Samson's giant cupcake after borrowing the pan from Natalie, and seeing what a success hers was. But naturally, when you put Caitlyn in the kitchen, even with simple instructions, disaster ensues.
Basically, it was the cupcake liner made from almond bark that caused most of the problems, resulting in four attempts. I finally had to ditch my dream of an aqua cupcake liner (the food coloring seriously messed it up for some reason) with white frosting, and just swap the two.
There was one little{huge} hiccup with the cake itself, but it was nothing the frosting couldn't hide.
In the end, it was adorable. And gigantic.
Sam was so funny while we sang "happy birthday" to him. He got this shy face on and cocked his head to the side like he was trying to hide. Ironically, once I set his cupcake in front of him, it did hide him from view. It was so big!
He needed a little help at first understanding that he could dig right in, and once he did taste the frosting...
...here's what he thought of it.
He caught on pretty quickly, and had a ball playing in it.
But...it's all fun and games until the cake gets hurt (cheesy?).
And then tears begin.
Maybe it was the absence of the cupcake liner?
Either way, he got over it quick, and dug in some more.
Aahhh that face. How I love it so.
The multi colored cake turned out exactly how I had wanted it to, even if it was labor intensive.
Obviously the child needed a bath after having his cake and eating it too (cheesy?), so Aunt Whitney and Aunt Lauren whisked him away to our house for a quick bath and fresh clothes before opening gifts.
Everyone was so great to stick around in the chilly weather to wait for the birthday boy!
All the excitement and attention of the party must've gotten to the little dude because he had a hard time keeping it together until the end. Nothing more true than "it's my party and I'll cry if I want to". Am I right?We are so thankful for everyone's generosity and love that we felt at Sam's party! Thank you to everyone for making his party just what I imagined it to be.
