Happy Memorial Day! Before I get into my weekend, I would like to give honor where honor is due. Our military is truly a special group of people and we would not be here today without the sacrifice that so many of them have made. On this Memorial Day, let us remember and honor those who have given their lives so we can be free. It truly is a sacrifice I don't take lightly.
My long weekend began on Friday around noon. We had an early day off work which was nice! I stopped by Wendy's on my way home to pick up lunch for Jason and I - and I happened to notice a new salad on their menu!
The Strawberry Mango salad was REALLY good! It might be my new favorite!
On Friday night, Brayden and I attended a 1 year old birthday party for a church friend. The theme was centered around baseball and it was adorable! I loved it!
Bonus, I also got to hang out with one of my best buds, Kenzie! It was great to see her there!
On Saturday morning, I met up with my friend Heather for my first run since Tinker Bell. I decided to take a short 2 week hiatus from running (we all need a break sometimes) and although it was a nice break, I was ready to get back into it!
I haven't completely stopped doing any form of physical activity though - I'm still on the Tone It Up bandwagon for now!
The weather on Saturday morning was just plain gross. It was about to rain, so a heavy, thick, humidity hung in the air which made it hard to breathe.
We still knocked out 5 miles which wasn't too bad for our first time to run together in a while!
After returning home, I played with Brayden for a few minutes, then made breakfast.
A recent favorite here lately has been an "egg in the hole" where you cut a circle out of a slice of bread and cook the egg inside. It's pretty tasty and was perfect for a post-run breakfast!
Brayden was determined to get into that puffs container no matter what!
I spent the rest of my Saturday afternoon watching LesMiserables! The music had been stuck on repeat in my head since Tinker Bell!
On Sunday morning, we got ready for church and enjoyed a breakfast of Mickey waffles! A friend of mine alerted me to these in the grocery store and I couldn't pass them by because.....hello......Mickey waffles!
After church, Brayden took a really long nap, then we enjoyed a few slices of pizza together. This is the first time he finally got the whole feeding himself effectively thing. Up until now, he would grab handfuls of food and try to shove them in his mouth which would either lead to him choking or leaving a mess on the floor! Needless to say, I was a proud mom last night!
Madalynn and Pixie were just waiting for their chance for a bite to fall - but not a single one did!
Today, we are not planning on doing much! A run will hopefully be in the cards this morning followed by a shindig of some sort with my family. I'm making an angel food cake red, white, and blue dessert that looks super tasty!
About a month before Brayden's 1st birthday, I brought him in to my photographer's studio for his cake smash session. I didn't really know what to expect besides the fact that I usually see pictures of babies who have cake literally smashed all over their faces and themselves.
I found an adorable outfit on Etsy that was similar to the one he wore for his newborn and 6 month photos and I was so excited for him to wear it! The outfit included a yellow bow tie, black suspenders, and red bottoms (like Mickey shorts) compete with white buttons. I also went ahead and ordered a red party hat, but it never fit him...and I wanted him to use the Mickey ears we got at the Harmony Barber Shop during his first haircut instead, anyway.
My friend Mackenzie also graciously agreed to make his smash cake and she did an amazing job!
After taking a few "clean" pictures, we got right down to business!
I had to show him that it was OK to touch the cake and eat it!
He liked the cake and got relatively messy before deciding it was time to stop (aka, he started getting fussy). Brayden does not like his hands to get dirty! I think it will be funny to see how/if this changes as he ages!
Now that's one way to smash a cake...just stick your whole leg in it!
As you can see, he didn't make TOO much of a mess, but still got messy enough that he needed a little bath after it was all said and done!
So how did the photos turn out?
I can honestly say that I LOVE them and have several that I really like! (The above is my favorite of the entire session!)
Also, we took a few in a non-cake smashing type outfit...
Overall, we had a great time with lots of laughter and several awesome shots! I figured once Brayden knew about cake and how to eat it, he would dig right in at his birthday party, but he did not at all!
How did your baby do with the cake at their birthday party/cake smash session?
Brayden's first birthday party was held on April 1, 2017. Since my due date was on April 1, 2016, I thought it would be funny to have his birthday party on that date, just a few days shy of his actual birthday.
For his1st Birthday Party, I knew I wanted to incorporate some form of a Mickey theme because he loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse! I didn't go the "Prince Mickey" route since our Gender Reveal Theme was "Prince or Princess". I also didn't go with a "Baseball Mickey" theme since that was the theme for my Baby Shower. After thinking it over for a while, I finally came up with a classic red, yellow, and black Mickey Mouse theme.
I'm also a huge fan of re-purposing things and although I did make several purchases for his party, I was able to use items I already had at home, too! (Bonus!)
After scouring Pinterest, I finally had my mind made up on things I needed to make for his party and started off by ordering with the things I had NO clue how to make like his cake and the decorative sugar cookies!
Be prepared for picture overload! :)
The welcome sign hanging on our door was made using my Silhouette with card stock from hobby lobby and the idea came from Pinterest.
Our front walk way (not pictured) was lined with black and white polka dot/red and white polka dot pin wheels. My husband's aunt had extra pinwheels left over from a birthday party and they fit with our Mickey theme perfectly!
The yellow flowers at the bottom left of this picture were a gift from Jason's sister at the hospital when Brayden was born. I planted them and they lasted and grew throughout the passing months and are still thriving! They are also yellow which fit with his party color scheme! :)
Upon entering, the dining room table was used for desserts and his cake. The balloons are from Party City and the two Mickey pots on each end were re-purposed from my sister-in-law's baby shower a few weeks prior to this party. The happy birthday banner on the front of the table was made using card stock and my Silhouette machine. I also included various Mickey elements I had lying around the house within the table.
Each window in the living area had Mickey garland (made from card stock, the silhouette machine, and ribbon) hanging from it as well as extra streamers I purchased from Hobby Lobby.
I was going to attempt to make my own Mickey ear decor, but I found a pack of three on Amazon, so I purchased them to save a little bit of time.
His cake came from a local lady who makes cakes out of her home. I made the "Happy Birthday Brayden" cake topper with my Silhouette machine as well and glitter card stock.
These decorative sugar cookies were purchased from etsy and they tasted great! One thing to point out about purchasing decorative cookies online - although the baker went through great lengths to bubble wrap each cookie and pad the box, the postal service decided to play kick ball with the package. Therefore, only one Mickey hand (out of five) made it without any issues. In total, five of the twenty four cookies were broken, two of which were broken beyond hiding on the bottom of the tray. I LOVED having these cookies at the party but I don't think I'll go with an online baker next time. Sadly, all of the local bakeries that make these cookies were booked up when I began looking. Next time, I'll just make sure to order super early!
What's a party without my favorite - Mickey rice crispy treats?!
At the entry way table were Mickey and Minnie headbands I purchased from Amazon. I also included a framed picture from his cake smash session as well as the "ONE" letters we used for his pictures.
The Happy Birthday little man sign was an idea I found on etsy and attempted to re-create myself.
Photos from each month of his life were printed and hung across the entertainment center. Also included at the entertainment center was the little Prince Mickey we used for each picture.
His high chair was moved in front of the fire place which I thought was a nice, open spot for cake later on. I also included a photo from his 6 month photo session as well as his cake smash session on the mantle. The balloons came from Party City and the banner was made with card stock from Hobby Lobby and my Silhouette machine.
Oddly enough, I already had all of the ribbon I needed for his high chair banner which worked out great! The middle piece was made from card stock and the silhouette machine.
On one of our side tables, I included the puppy dog that plays Brayden's little heart beat when you press his belly - the puppy was from our 4D Ultrasound experience. I also included a photo album with all of his studio pictures as well as a "clean" picture from his 12 month photos/cake smash session.
I knew I wanted to include his invitation in the decor somewhere, so I found this photo matte that was signed by all of the Mickey and friends characters while we were on board a Disney ship several years back. A long time ago, you could leave a matte with guest services and pick it up at the end of your trip, all signed by characters. Sadly, they no longer let you do this.
The room needed something else along the wall above the couch, so I searched Pinterest just a bit more and came up with the above idea! This was probably the easiest project I took on for the party!
The drink table included "Pluto's Punch", "Toodles Tea", and bottles of water.
I found these straws at Hobby Lobby, then hot glued little Mickey silhouettes to them. The Mickey heads were also cut out from my Silhouette machine.
These red cups were purchased from Wal-Mart and I added the white stickers on them to represent Mickey buttons. The stickers were also cut out from the Silhouette machine on large white sheets of sticker paper.
The water bottle labels were designed using Paint Shop Pro, then printed on card stock. I used packing tape to affix them to the water bottles which worked out nicely!
Even Pixie and Maddie were dressed for the party, although I have no clue where Maddie was at this point!
The napkins, places, and forks were purchased at Target. I was so excited to find these as they fit the theme perfectly!
We served "Goofy's Burgers" and "Hot Diggity Dogs"...I mean, did you expect anything else?! Hah!
The idea to decorate the condiment bottles also came from Pinterest. Since I'm not an expert with my design program and am still learning, this took the longest to create!
See the Hidden Mickey? :) These red bowls came from Wal-Mart and the yellow bowl was already on hand at home.
Several years back, I used to be able to purchase Mickey shaped cheese bites from the grocery store. Well, I couldn't find them ANYWHERE, so I used a tiny Mickey Mouse cookie cutter I had on hand and made "half" Mickey hats out of the squares of cheese!
Meatballs were my husband's one request for the party! :)
There's the birthday boy! His onesie was purchased from Hobby Lobby and the vinyl was cut using the Silhouette machine. The shorts were a last minute find at Kohls and are Jumping Bean brand.
Our shirts were even special for the occasion! I took the shirts we wore to Disney in February and added "Of The Birthday Boy" to the bottom of them! See, I'm all about re-purposing!
After eating and socializing with the party guests, we attempted to let Brayden open his gifts. I thought he would have the hang of it after Christmas but no...he wasn't quite sure what to do with the wrapping paper and tissue paper! He did enjoy pushing buttons and watching toys light up, though! :)
Up next was the cake! I wasn't sure how he would respond to the cake after last month's cake smash session, but he still wasn't too sure about it!
We sang happy birthday then let him dig in.
Let's just say that he wasn't dirty at all by the time he finished and I didn't have to change his clothing! :)
The bib you see is a design from a onesie I made for his first Disney trip, I just tweaked it to fit his first birthday instead.
Overall it was a great party and we had so much fun celebrating with all of our family and friends!
I really enjoyed planning and decorating for Brayden's 1st birthday party and I am super excited about next year! I'm already starting to formulate ideas in my head!
Thanks for stopping by and sharing in my little guy's first birthday!! See ya real soon! Wanna see more from his birthday party? Check out the footage below! :)
