Happy 1st Birthday Cowboy!

We had Jack's first birthday party on Saturday. With a cowboy theme and party decor to match we partied till the cows came home. I've been preparing for the celebration for 2 months now....buying & making decorations, ordering food & cakes, assembling goody bags, etc., etc. It was very exhausting, but well worth it! The weather forecast kept me on my toes too. One day they said it was going to be beautiful, then the next cold, then the next time windy and rainy. I finally just quit looking and decided no matter what the weather, it was still going to be Jack's big day. Luckily for us, it turned out to be a very nice afternoon. Not too cold, not too hot, and thankfully no rain. Most of the party took place inside...the playroom, the kitchen, and in Clay's new media room, however, we did hang out on the back deck too. It was great to have that as an option. Jack started the day with a great morning nap, which usually equals a great afternoon nap. But, with all of the party buzz his afternoon nap was not quit as restful as I had hoped. Instead he woke up on the wrong side of the crib. After getting him dressed for the festivities, GG took him for a short neighborhood walk to relax him. When they returned home it was party time. Guests began arriving and birthday greetings were bountiful. Jack warmed up to the idea of a party and the fun began....lots of eating, playing, and singing! With 9 babies, 18 parents, and 4 family members the house was packed. If I had to guess Jack's favorite part of the day, it would definitely be cake time. This was Jack's first sweet and boy was it worth the wait. He devoured his entire "baby smash cake" and whined for more. He even tried to eat the cardboard it was sitting on, not a crumb could be spared! After cake, Jack was on sugar high, laughing and loving all of the attention. Maybe I should have given him the cake first? As the party began to wind down, so did a tired Jack. He was off to bed early dreaming of icing and sugar. What a wonderful celebration of Jack's first year of life....thanks to all who helped to make it so special.

Here are a few pictures of the big day. Being so busy, I didn't get as many good shots as I had hoped for. Thankfully, HD Portraits (Heather Dahlby) was on site to get the good stuff. She gave me a little sneak a peek of what she got and I cant wait to see the rest. I'll share those when I get them! Until then...


We'll start with the decorations...here is the banner of all the months of Jack's life. Each month was represented with a picture, a boot, and a number on bandanna paper. It was on the banister to greet guests as they arrived. It was fantastic to see how much he has grown in one year!

This is the food table (before the food). It had little bales of hay, bandannas, cowboy boots, a cowboy hat to hold the plastic ware, and sheriffs badges spread around.

Baby cowboy boot centerpiece...look how tiny!
Plastic ware tied up with bandanna ribbon...I had to search high and low for that ribbon.

Goody bag table at the entry....filled with cowboy goodies for the little guests.

Side view of the cake table. It was complete with a bandanna framed picture of "Cowboy Jack" and a cowboy hat, more sheriffs badges, and the adult cake and the smash cake...yum!

The cake matched his invitations perfectly and tasted great.

Jack's smash cake...which he ate every crumb of!

Okay enough about the decorations, (although it was much cuter in person), but now on to the Birthday boy. Remember I didn't get great pictures, I was too busy celebrating with my little one. But, here are a few....

Okay, I couldn't WAIT to share a few of HD Portrait's pictures, so here are a handful from my peek...

Wow, is she good or what? Those few shots put my pictures to shame. I dont even know why I tried to have my camera out. I can't wait to see the rest!