Jude's First Birthday: Part 2

Jude's birthday party started off with dinner. Everyone just sat where ever they wanted, and we enjoyed just chatting. Jude has quite the fan club as you can tell from these pictures :)

At 5:23 PM, we did have to take a moment to get some pictures of Jude on his birth minute. I held him up to my stomach just to be funny, and I think he was a little weirded out. Ha!You can see his adorable outfit pretty well in this picture. I bought the outfit and then had it appliqued and monogrammed. I thought it turned out super cute and was perfect for the barnyard animal theme.

After dinner, we watched a slideshow that David had made in honor of Jude's first year.

Dark, grainy picture. I'm DEFINITELY still figuring out these camera settings :-/

Then, Jude (or, I should probably say, Aubrey) opened all of his gifts. Jude loves balls! He's all boy!
This gift from David's parents was a hit with Jude AND Aubrey. They spent a good part of the rest of the evening fighting over it. I can't believe that's started already!
Gramzie and Aubrey posed for a picture while they were patiently waiting on cupcake time! :) Look at Aubrey's adorable barnyard dress courtesy of Miss Ann Peyton Herrington. Loved it! After presents, it was finally time for cupcakes! We were all excited to see if Jude would like his cupcake. Aubrey wasn't a huge fan of cake or sugar on her first birthday, but she quickly got over that in the weeks that followed, and I can now say that she has a HUGE sweet tooth :) Jude liked it when we all sang to him. Then it was time to dig in! He wasn't so sure at first......but then he warmed up and dug right in!
Aubrey was a fan, too.
After we got everyone cleaned up, we went outside and sat on the deck and just visited while the kids played. Jude likes his new outdoor table and chairs from my family and my grandparents :)
Even Knightly got some love. Ha!

Sitting outside watching everyone have fun and enjoy the evening was the perfect end to Jude's first birthday. It was such a sweet, fun day, and we're thankful that our families were there to celebrate with us!

Jude's First Birthday: Part 1

*I decided to do two birthday posts so that one post doesn't contain 200 pictures. Ha! This one will just have pictures of the party decorations, and the next one will be pictures from the actual party.*

Jude's first birthday party on Saturday was such a success! I decided a while back to go with a barnyard animals theme for the party just to give me a jumping off point. I didn't go crazy with the "theme", but it was helpful in deciding on the menu and the decorations. Two of the main reasons that I chose to go with the theme I did was because Jude already had a cow costume that he could wear for the picture on the invitation, and because I thought going with a barnyard theme would give me a really good excuse to keep things ultra casual. Ha! So, first of all, here is Jude's invitation (with our address erased, of course):

I was SO happy with the way it turned out. I thought it was super cute! I ordered it off Etsy from Dimple Prints. They were great to work with, and I would definitely use them again. We printed the invitations at Fed Ex so that they would be on a thicker, post card type material.

I also ordered cupcake toppers from the same Etsy seller. They were super cute, too, and there were TONS of choices. The seller literally emailed me 23 pages of customized cupcake toppers, so I had a hard time choosing which ones to print out to use! :) They were easy to put together, and I think they really made plain ole cupcakes a little more special. And speaking of the cupcakes, I made them myself. I have kind of gotten duds as far as cake and cupcakes go for both of Aubrey's parties, so I decided to attempt to make Jude's myself. I figured they would be edible at the least, and we'd save a lot of money. I made chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, and I bought frosting already made. I used the Wilton brand that is just white, and I used food coloring to get the frosting the colors I wanted. I then just piped the frosting on, and even though I have no clue what I'm doing when it comes to piping frosting, I was satisfied with the way they turned out. They didn't look professional by any means, but I think they were just as cute as the ones I paid for last time! :)I really wanted to make a birthday banner for Jude just like I did for Aubrey's first birthday. I picked scrapbook paper that would coordinate with this party, but that was neutral enough to use for Jude's future parties too. I think making these banners is so fun and easy, and they're kind of sentimental since I make them for their first birthdays. I use bulletin board letters to spell out Happy Birthday.As far as decorations for the party, I kept it pretty simple. I really wanted balloons and sunflowers to go with the barnyard theme, but we ran out of time to go get them. (Plus, I have no clue if sunflowers are even in season? We are NOT plant people around here. Ha!) I used mason jars for the utensils:And I used some checked fabric for the table. I really wanted to have card tables set up outside on the deck with gingham table clothes and mason jars with sunflowers, but it was just TOO hot.

We printed out Jude's monthly pictures (minus the two month picture that we never took and the twelve month picture that we took that day and didn't have time to print). I thought they were super cute displayed on the mirror in the dining room. We had BBQ for dinner. I thought that was appropriate with our theme. My dad made some awesome pulled pork, and I made potato salad and a watermelon salad and we had some veggies and dip. Super simple and casual! :)

I thought it made it so fun to have a little theme to work with. Typically, I'm not a very "theme-y" person. (No themed nurseries, etc.) However, I thought it was fun and cute for a young child's birthday. Like I said, I kept it pretty simple and didn't go all out with the theme. I read online about some people who had barnyard birthday parties and hired petting zoos to come out to their houses. Whoa. That's hardcore. Haha!

The party was small and low-key, but it was just what I wanted for Jude's first birthday party. He was surrounded by the people who love him the most, and I was just overwhelmed with gratitude that we were given such a blessing in our little Jude.

Next, I'll post pictures from the actual party!

Week in Review: Jude turns one!

We had a good week, but it was busy getting ready for Jude's birthday party on Saturday. His party went so well though, so it was worth all the running around and preparation that went into it :) I'll do a full party recap (or two!) this week!

Sunday: We went to church and Sunday School that morning. Aubrey apparently had a meltdown in the nursery during church because she didn't want her teacher to take her to the bathroom. They told us that Aubrey went under the table and screamed and kicked and caused a huge scene. I was pretty mortified that she acted that way, and we made her apologize after church. After Sunday School was over, we went over to my grandparents' house for lunch to celebrate my grandfather's birthday that was that day. We had a great lunch, and we had fun visiting with my grandparents and my family. When we got home, it was kind of late, but we had time for shorts naps. We went back to church that evening. When church was over, it was POURING down rain. The rain was much needed, so we were happy to see it. We waited around for a while to see if it would slack up, and it finally slowed down enough for David to go get the car for us :) We went to Jason's Deli for dinner after church, and we put the kids to bed when we got home.

Monday: Jude was due to get his shots, and I really HATE taking him. David had to go switch out Aubrey's box springs for her new bed anyway, and the mattress store didn't open until 10. So, he was able to take Jude to get his shots (thank goodness!) and then go pick up the mattress all in one trip. It worked out well. While Jude was gone, Aubrey and I just hung out at home. It was strange being here with just one child, but I enjoyed my one on one time with her :) We did miss Jude, though, and were happy to see him when he got home! Jude was SO tired, so I put him to bed while David unloaded the box springs. David then had to get to work, so Aubrey and I just hung out some more while Jude slept. We ate lunch, and I got ready. That afternoon, both kids napped, and I put some dinner in the crockpot and straightened up the house. When the kids were up, we went to Bed, Bath, & Beyond and Target. Jude was fussy from his shots :( We ate dinner when we got home, and then we just waited for David to get home from karate. Rebekkah and I went to the gym that night after the kids were in bed, and it was good to workout. I got home late and went to bed not too long after that.

Tuesday: I got up early to get ready for Bible Study. For the first time in a LONG time, BOTH kids slept late. They didn't wake up until after 8:30. That didn't leave a lot of time to get them fed and dressed, but we did make it out of the house on time. Bible Study was good. After it was over, Rebekkah and I went to lunch at Beagle Bagel. We had both been out of town several time over the past month, and so it felt like it had been forever since we had hung out. We had fun catching up :) We left when the kids got tired and ready for naps. My mom came over shortly after we got home, and I put Jude to bed. My mom had offered to stay with the kids that afternoon so that I could run some errands for Jude's birthday party. I told Aubrey that she could skip her nap if she rested on the couch with Gramzie. They watched a movie together :) I was able to get a lot done while I was out, and it was SO much faster without the kids. It was miserably hot, though. When I got home, Jude was up, and we just played and hung out until David got home. We had Bunco that night, so my mom just stayed so that we could ride together. We all went outside and sat on the deck for a while.Aubrey took a little dip in the pool while we were out there and got all wet. So she went inside to get more clothes, and she came out in this little ensemble.

I fixed dinner for David and the kids and got ready, and then Rebekkah came and picked my mom and me up. We had lots of fun at Bunco! I was tied with several other people for most games, but I lost in the roll off :( I got to bring home the "Bunco Box" since I'm hosting next month.When I got home, I talked to David for a while before going to bed.

Wednesday: The kids slept fairly late again, and it was so nice! We had a very lazy morning at home when everybody got up. Bed head :)
Aubrey asked me to "polish her toes." :)Jude took a good nap, and I got ready while he slept. I bathed Aubrey and got her dressed. We ate lunch, and then it was time to go to church for tutoring. The kids stayed in the nursery while I tutored. They were pretty tired when I picked them up. Aubrey fell asleep in the car on the way home. I put her to bed when we got home, but I didn't really expect her to go back to sleep. Jude went down for a nap, and he went to sleep easily. Aubrey talked for a long time, and then she did end up going to sleep really late. The kids were both sleeping when David got home. David went out to mow the grass, and Jude woke up. I made a grocery list, and then David woke Aubrey up when he got in. We went to dinner at Mazzios, and then we went to Kroger. I fixed a pie and tried to watch TV after the kids were in bed, but it started storming outside, and our TV and internet went out. It was probably for the best, because I cleaned up the house instead. We ended up going to bed fairly early.

Thursday: Aubrey was up early after her late nap the day before. The kids played after breakfast while I did some more cleaning around the house. I bathed Jude and put him down for his nap. I took a shower and got dressed while he slept. I then fixed some lunch for Aubrey. I fed Jude his lunch when he woke up. Aubrey and Jude went down for naps that afternoon, but Aubrey never went to sleep. She just played in her room for a long time. I got lots done around the house, and then David was home. We got the kids up and got them dressed and then I started dinner. We had the Herrington's over for dinner, and it was so fun! The kids had fun playing, and the adults enjoyed a deep, theological discussion. It really was a very fun evening! :) After they left, we put the kids to bed, and straightened up some. Then I got on the computer for a while before going to bed.

Friday: We got up and had breakfast and I tried to get stuff done around the house for Jude's birthday party the next day. When Jude went down for his nap, I got myself and Aubrey ready. I had a few errands I needed to run for the part when Jude woke up. I fixed lunch, and Aubrey and I ate. Jude ended up sleeping longer than I expected, and by the time he woke up and ate lunch, it was 1:00 before we left home. I was stressed because I wanted to get home in time for Aubrey to get a nap. We stopped by Sarah Denley's house to pick up a dress we were borrowing, and then we went to a school supply store to get letters for Jude's birthday banner. We stopped by Kroger on the way home, and then it was time to attempt naps. They didn't go so well. Neither of the kids would go to sleep. While they were in their beds, I baked some cupcakes that didn't turn out right, so by the time David got home, I was stressed out and frustrated. Jude did finally end up going to sleep, thankfully. We got ready to go eat dinner with my family. We go out with family and my grandparents and my aunt and cousin and her husband every year to the same restaurant to celebrate all of the July birthdays. There are 6 of them in that group! We had a fun dinner! We go to a hibachi place, and Aubrey was fascinated! It was cute to watch :) After dinner, we went to Wal-Mart to get everything we still needed for the party the next day. By the time we got home, it was bedtime for the kiddos. David and I got them to bed, and I baked some more cupcakes that, thankfully, turned out ok. David helped me with Jude's birthday banner and cupcake toppers, and then we went to bed.Saturday: We spent the entire day getting ready for Jude's party that evening. It was a small, low-key party, but it seems like there is just always a ton to get done.

We did take some time to get some pictures of the birthday boy!!

Jude took a good morning nap, and I was able to get a lot done. David helped me a ton, which was so nice. We finished the birthday banner and hung it. I thought it turned out so cute.Then I cooked some potato salad and made a watermelon salad. David cleaned up the kitchen for me about 10 times that day. Haha! I did some cleaning around the house, and we fed the kids lunch and bathed them. Aubrey and Jude took good naps that afternoon, and I iced the cupcakes and got everything set up. I finally got in the shower about an hour before everyone was supposed to arrive. I got ready really quickly, and we got the kids ready. Everyone came at 5, and we had such a fun party! We were just so happy to be celebrating our sweet boy's first year. I'm going to do a full party recap soon -- we have LOTS of pictures! The party lasted for a while, and when everyone left, we put the kids to bed. David and I were pretty worn out after such a busy day, so we put the leftover food and cupcakes away and went to bed pretty early.