I still can’t get past the fact that my baby is ONE. I mean, I’m pretty sure every single parent out there probably says the same exact thing when their baby turns one, but seriously…talk about a FAST year.
Since Alex’s birthday fell on a Saturday this year, we decided to just go ahead and have the big celebration on the same day. Thankfully, we lucked out in the weather department and it turned out to be an awesome day all around!
Not really knowing what to get our little guy (since they already have so much as it is!), I kept it simple and ended up getting him this VTech Learn and Zoom Motor Bike and so far, it’s proven to be a hit for both kiddos. So much so that we’ve had to take it away more than once already…
#siblingprobs
As for the party, we had it set to start around noon, so in true Jay and Courtney fashion, we spent the entire morning running around like mad people trying to get everything finished right up to the last second. Jay and Lucas hit the road and were on pick-up duty for cake, food, and balloons while I stayed back with a napping birthday boy while trying to finish up the rest of the food and get all of the décor put out.
I must say, I was absolutely thrilled with the décor that I ended up choosing for the party from Minted, who very kindly offered to provide the items for Alex’s party in exchange for my honest review, and we got quite a few compliments on it during the party, too!
After looking for some invitations on their website, I quickly noticed that they now also offer coordinating party décor, too. So I eventually decided on the Blue Big Top Circus Party Décor for Alex’s party.
And a funny side note about the invitations…there are obviously many different places on the invite that you can customize for your own party, but I ended up totally missing one spot where I should have put Alex’s name. So when my invitations arrived, they said “Come Celebrate Riley’s 1st Birthday!” It was a running joke with my close girlfriends, and while I did just simply cross it out with black marker, Alex has earned himself a nickname of Riley. : )
As for the décor, there were quite a few pieces to choose from, but I ended up deciding on just a few coordinating pieces that I thought would tie in well (and they did!) without going too overboard.
The personalized table runner looked super cute on the table with his cake, cupcakes, and time capsule.
We did a time capsule with Lucas, so I wanted to do the same for Alex, too. 2035?!? Yikes!!
Knowing that I was going to bake some homemade cupcakes (with my favorite frosting of all time!) I also decided to get some of their cupcake toppers, too.
And finally, I rounded out the themed décor with a couple of pieces for the food table (which you’ll see below) and some personalized thank you cards.
So cute, right?! Thank you again, Minted!!
FYI #1 for new/expecting moms! Very recently, Minted launched their brand new line of Custom Foil Birth Announcements. Now, customers can add luxe hand-pressed gold, silver, or rose gold foil to any text on their announcement!
FYI #2 for anyone planning a wedding! From NOW through Mon 6/19, Minted is offering 10% off Minted Wedding orders worth $150+, and 15% off orders $200+ using promo code: SUMMERWED17
Ohh, and I totally had to have something to showcase Alex’s monthly photos because some of those pictures are just TOO cute to not have on display.
I mean, those thighs… <3 <3 <3
I picked that décor up at Party City for pretty cheap, too!
So, ANYWAY…we were down to the wire, as always, and before we knew it, it was party time for this little man.
Friends, neighbors, and family all came to celebrate with us, and we were reminded once again just how lucky we are to have the people that we have in our lives.
Plus, we finally had the chance to break in the newly finished (err, like 95% finished…still need to finish up along the bottom) deck!
It even got its first food spill from a certain little birthday boy…
And speaking of food, we had a nice, yummy little spread!
Subs, pulled pork (this recipe, but used pork instead of chicken), grilled veggie salad, homemade chicken salad, mac salad, ziti and homemade meatballs from my mom, kielbasa + pineapple (also from my mom!), and watermelon.
I’m always nervous that I’m going to run out of food so I tend to go a little overboard…but that also means leftovers (aka, check out my Instagram story from last night!) so that’s never a bad thing.
The entire afternoon was busy with kiddos running around, parents chatting in between chasing kiddos, and everyone just seeming to have a really great time.
Plus, any chance I get to see these girls is a WIN in my book because they are THE best. You all know them by now. <3
Eventually, it was time for CAKE, and we quickly discovered that our Alex is a) a much bigger fan of cake than Lucas was at one and, b) a BIG fan of chocolate cake.
Hey, can ya blame him? I don’t.
This kid was lovin’ life and putting on a pretty good show while he was at it.
In case you couldn’t already tell…
Post-cake eating was a bit of a MESS!
Thankfully, we were outside so it was nothing that a quick trip over to the water table couldn’t fix. ; )
This kid, man. He just melts my heart.
Surprisingly enough, he ended up going down for a really good nap pretty much right after eating (all of that sugar), so that gave Jay and I a little more time to be able to sit and hang out with guests a bit more before everyone started scattering for the day.
But overall, it was an absolutely perfect birthday for our little Alex, and we are just SO excited to see what this next year brings for him! Happy Birthday, Alex!!
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