Sawyer's First Birthday Party!

I am so excited to share some photos from Sawyer's first birthday party. I started thinking about party themes when he was 4 months old. On my Pinterest account I created a first birthday board, cataloging all of my ideas and themes. Anytime I saw something I loved I would pin it here. I went from pancakes & pajamas to monsters, but finally settled on woodland animals. I saw this theme featured on Schoolgirl Style and fell in love. The cute animals, decor details, and staging of this printable set really sold me. I'm so happy with how everything turned out and feel so lucky to have shared such a special day with all of our family and friends. Sawyer is one lucky boy to be surrounded with so much love.

I enjoy creating different areas at a party for guests to explore. I thought it would be fun to have a photo booth, but wanted to do something a little different. My hip spin on the idea was to setup a Selfie Station. Guests could grab a animal mask and take a photo of themselves in front of Sawyer's first birthday sign. They could hashtag the image and post it to share. In my mind this was the best idea ever! It was fun, but it was not as big of a hit as I thought it would be. I felt like Marty McFly in Back to the Future after playing Johnnie B. Good. "I guess you guys aren't ready for that yet... But your kids are gonna love it."

Selfie station details.

I rented a covered area with picnic tables at a park. I added woodland animal pennants, cut-outs, and paper lanterns to decorate the area.

Side note...I love that my girlfriend is taking a selfie in the background.

Woodland animals hung from paper lanterns above picnic tables.

I'm in love with these blue mason jars I scored at target. I used three jars per table with a few white flowers. I also filled two chicken wire racks with chips and placed them on the tables for snacking.

Figuring out food at a party can be overwhelming. I always like a good theme, but from there I try to keep it simple. I decided it would be easy fun to have a sandwich bar. I filled trays with meat, cheese, and veggies. I rounded out the meal with three salads: green, potato, and Fleetwood Macaroni Salad.

The table was covered in a burlap tablecloth and pine cone pennants. I used all of the wood accent pieces I could find around my house to go along with the theme. A picnic basket for rolls, old soda crates and a tree stump to create height.

Build your own sandwich bar sign.

It's all about the details for me! This framed print is also part of the Woodland Animals Collection.

I had a separate table for drinks and dessert.

 What first birthday is complete without a signature drink? Yes, I said first birthday not wedding. I was thinking of having a lemonade stand, but settled on Watermelon Fresca for a bit of a twist on the norm. I juiced two watermelons, added some fresh mint, and lime. It's a refreshing way to enjoy a summer's day. I placed the drink in a large Mason jar drink dispenser (sadly not pictured) and built a mini drink stand complete with paper straws to sip in style.

Guests got their sugar fix with bundtinis from Nothing Bundt Cakes. These are my absolute favorite and they won't break your budget.

The CAKE...OMG the smash cake debacle!!! Being the planner I am...I tried ordering the cake weeks in advance. There was a mix up with pricing and my mushroom smash cake went from $20 to $100! I was floored. This cake is for a one year old who is going to smash into it pieces!? I could not spend that kind of money! SO, I made my own. Never making a layered cake...let alone one in the shape of a mushroom seemed like a daunting task. Well, I have to say I was pretty impressed with myself and it may just become a new birthday tradition!

I removed the red mushroom cap...a last minute judgment call. I had visions of my sweet baby with red stained skin...looking like a bloody mess! It took Sawyer a hot minute to fully understand the sugary goodness that stood before him. Once he did he really went for it. As you can tell in the last photo he was over all the paparazzi style photography.

The best part of having the party at a park was being right next to the playground for the kids. I also thought it would be fun to have another activity to keep them busy. I purchased these Color-Me Leaves Cut-Outs and crayons for coloring. The best kept secret for parents is to buy party supplies and décor from a teacher store or printing company. You can really save big! The leaf cut-outs I used are from Creative Teaching Press. One set of cut-outs had 36 in the pack and only set me back $5.99. I placed all the items in one area for kids to congregate.

 Party favors consisted of a stuffed animal pet adoption. This was a total hit! I placed woodland stuffed animals in a basket and each child picked whom they wanted to adopt.

I made this adoption form...just to keep it official!

For the adults I placed Frisbees, items for playing catch, and a beanbag toss under a tree, which was, adorned with Sawyer's first birthday chalkboards.

 I used a string wrapped around a tree and clothespins to show Sawyer's first year.

 I could not have pulled this off without the help from friends and family. Thank you all for the constant support! To my sweet Sawyer...I love you more and more everyday and I'm so excited to watch you grow!

1 Year Old!

 Sawyer turned one this week and we celebrated with a party this past weekend (details to come). It's been one crazy year, but I wouldn't do it any different. I drew out his chalkboard this morning and immediately thought what I could do for next year? I already have a few ideas up my sleeve. It's been fun to see the transformation from baby into toddler. I love that we have all Sawyer's big moments documented. This year has been a blur and I definitely would not remember all the month-to-month happenings if I didn't write them down.

I bought this felt mini crown for Sawyer's birthday party. I imagined him wearing it while he smashed his fists in some cake! Of course, he had other plans. He was not having it and I ended taking it off. I still managed to squeeze in a mini photo session when he was in a more cooperative mood.

Last, but certainly not least...a year of chalkboards. Love you Sawyer! You are now officially a toddler. I can't wait to see what this year will bring!

10 & 11 Months

Sawyer will be 1 years old at the end of the month. I swear it feels like I just had him (minus the extreme lack of sleep). I can hardly believe it's almost 12 months! I'm a little late on posting, but here are Sawyer's 10 and 11 month photos.

It took about a bunch of tries to get this photo. All Sawyer wanted to do was crawl...really, really fast.

This has to be one of my favorite photos (that little tush!). With Sawyer on the move it's been increasingly challenging to get these pictures, but not this time. He stood right up and was all about grabbing at the door knob. I am so proud of this little guy.

9 Months Old

Sawyer is 9 months old! This was by far the hardest picture to take. Once I set Sawyer down he was on a mad dash to explore his room. I finally cut out a bunch of foam flowers to occupy him. It worked!

When I found out I was pregnant with a boy I instantly became obsessed with finding cute boy accessories. I bought this fedora last year, but there is a similar one here.

For Peep Sake!

For the love of peeps it's been too long! Check out how Sawyer has gown...

Sawyer is growing up so fast and we are trying to savor every minute of it! He seems to change week to week and sometimes day to day. This week it's all about exploring. Once he started to crawl it has been hard to get him to sit in one place. Hence the crawling monthly photo, but I actually think it fits perfect with his 8th month of life.

5 Months Old

I'm a little late on posting this, but at least I got it up before Sawyer is 6 months! Love is definitely in the air in our household. I've officially decorated for the season and I'm LOVING IT.

I have a chandelier ceiling fan (cringe) above our dining room table and I've found it's the perfect vehicle to hang stuff from. I love these pom poms and they add a lot of drama to the room.

I collect plates and display them on a wall in our dining room. I like keeping it fresh by switching them out to match the season. I found these heart plates at Target...SCORE!

4 Months Old and Some Christmas Cheer

Yesterday it felt like Thanksgiving and tomorrow is Christmas Eve. What the heck happened? Having a baby and getting into the spirit has been difficult for me this year. I have been so caught up in the day to day I forgot about enjoying myself and this magical time of year.

This weekend I finally got into the swing of things (better late then never!). We started a new family tradition and went Christmas light hunting. I found a place close by where the entire community decks out their homes Griswold style. We strapped Sawyer in the car, grabbed some gingerbread and eggnog lattes, cranked up the Christmas music, and hit the road for a Christmas light extravaganza! Sawyer slept the entire time and we got a dose of the holiday spirit.

Next we build a gingerbread house. NOTE: You have to build the house, let it dry for HOURS, and then decorate. I seriously thought I could knock this out in a night. It took two days, but I'm pretty impressed with what we created and I plan on using it as my centerpiece on our dining room table. Next year I will buy a kit again, but I am also going to add some of my own candy in to make it more unique.

This year are hosting Christmas morning breakfast for Derek's family. I plan on making Cinnamon Baked French Toast (you can prep this the night before and bake it in the morning), Best Breakfast Potatoes Ever (the recipe calls for red and green peppers just perfect for the season), Spinach Quiche (it's a take on this recipe except I don't add bacon and I use cheddar cheese. I like to keep this vegetarian. I'm also having fruit and bacon on the table along with a few extras. Stay tuned for pics!

3 Months Old

Sawyer is 3 months old! He is much more alert and curious about the world around him. He smiles when I talk to him and he copies faces I make. My favorite is when he puckers his lips together and wiggles his head side to side. It's the funniest thing to watch. He started grabbing onto his feet last week and loves to do yoga...you know "happy baby" pose. I also started teaching him basic sign language. One night when I was putting him to bed I swore he signed "milk". Then I read that babies his age start discovering their fingers and the next day I saw him check out his hand. I still wrote down in his baby book that he signed milk. It could have been...right? #babyeinstein

2 Months Old

Saywer is 2 months old! He's still a little guy at a 8 pounds 12 ounces, but he has changed so much in a month. He loves getting out of the house and strolling around town. Letting me get my workout on so I can drop the rest of the baby chub. Sawyer is sporting his pumpkin hat which matches perfectly with his pumpkin pj's. He was not super happy with the photo shoot, but I managed to snap this right before he started screaming...you can tell his mouth is open and ready to belt one out!

1 Month Old

I can hardly believe our boy Sawyer is 1 month old today! Time has flown by and our little guy is getting bigger and becoming more alert to his surroundings. I painted a door in his nursery with chalkboard paint. I love the idea of constantly changing out the artwork to add freshness to the room. Plus, how cool would it be to write on the walls as a kid and NOT get in trouble?