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: Pool Play

Our week last week was good, but there were a few days that were kind of frustrating. I just felt a little lacking in the patience department for some reason a few times. Part of it was that Aubrey whined about being hungry constantly when we were at home. I don't know if she's going through a growth spurt, or if she was just bored and wanted to snack. It was hard to know when I should feed her and when I should tell her that she had had plenty of snacks and make her wait until the next meal. I had done a terrible job of menu planning and grocery shopping too, so we ended up eating out a lot. Also, the sound on our TV quit working randomly and was out for several days. I don't watch a ton of TV, but sometimes I just like to have it on for background noise (as if the kids aren't loud enough -- haha), so I hated that I didn't have that option. We got a new cable box, so it's all fixed now :)

Sunday: We went to church and Sunday School. Our Sunday School class didn't have a teacher that week, so we combined with another class, and it was good but crowded. After church, we came home for lunch. I cooked stir-fry while David fed Jude lunch. We then took naps. We went back to church that night, and the David and the kids and I went to get pizza after church. We put the babies to bed when we got home, and then we talked for a while before going to bed.

Monday: This was kind of a frustrating day. We didn't have any definite plans, and I wanted to get some things done around the house, but I just felt like I was spinning my wheels all day. I felt like I started several chores, but then I'd have to stop to do something for the kids and I would never finish. It was just one of those days where I felt like I was busy but didn't accomplish anything. The kids didn't nap at the same time at all, so that made it more difficult to get anything done, too. We ate lunch at home and I did manage to dust and fold some clothes and have a little photoshoot with Jude. Aubrey took a rather short nap, for some reason. I knew David wouldn't be home until later, so when both of the kids were awake from their naps, we needed to get out of the house! We went to Babies R Us and Ross, and then we ate dinner at Corner Bakery. I wanted Newks, Aubrey wanted Chick Fil A, so we compromised ;) It's so funny that she now has an opinion about where we eat. Ha! After dinner, we came home, and I bathed Jude. We were all ready for David to be home by that point, so the kids stood by the window watching for him :)When he got home, I put Jude to bed and then got ready to go workout while David put Aubrey to bed. I went and picked up Rebekkah and we headed to the gym. When I got back home, I talked to David about my day, and then we went to bed.

Tuesday: We had a much better day :) We went to Bible Study that morning, and I always enjoy that. After it was over, Rebekkah and I took our kids to Chick Fil A for lunch. Aubrey got her chicken nuggets and lemonade that she wanted the night before, and she was happy about that! :) When we got home from lunch, I put Aubrey down for her nap, and I fed Jude lunch. Then I put him down, and he went to sleep after a while. While they both slept, I enjoyed the quiet! I watched some TV (this was before it broke), and cleaned up some toys. Jude woke up before Aubrey. She ended up sleeping for 3 hours. She woke up right before David got home. I was planning on going to the grocery store to get something for dinner when he got home, but we started talking, and then it was raining (Yay! We NEEDED some rain.), and so we decided to just go out for a quick dinner. We went to Primos, and then got gas and I ran in Kroger. When we got home, we played with the kids for a little while, and then I put Jude to bed. Rebekkah came to pick me up and we went to the gym again. When I got home, we were tired and went to bed.

Wednesday: We had a normal morning, but then naptime for Jude was a bit of a disaster. I put him down, and he was quiet for a few minutes and then started fussing. I was on the phone with my mom and wanted to give him a few minutes to see if he would go back to sleep without me going in there, but Aubrey heard him and thought that naptime was over. Before I realized what she was doing, she went into his room and CLIMBED INTO THE BED WITH HIM. Ughhh. I was not happy. I sent her out and tried to get him settled, but he thought naptime was over and never would go back to sleep. Aubrey was eating me out of house and home, so I decided we just needed to get out of the house for a little while. We all loaded up and drove through Sonic to get drinks -- Aubrey spilled her lemonade all over herself, of course. Jude was fussing, and I couldn't find his paci while I was driving, so I handed him a container of puffs to shake. Well, he shook the top right off, and puffs went EVERYWHERE. We went to Marshalls and TJ Maxx, and I tried on a few things and ended up getting 2 maxi dresses. We came back home after that, and I fixed Aubrey lunch and fed Jude. Then they both went down for naps. Praise the Lord! :) I straightened up the house and got ready while they slept. When they woke up, I bathed both of them, and then David got home and helped me get them dressed. We then met the Herringtons for dinner at Mellow Mushroom. We had SO much fun chatting with SD and Peyton, and I thought the kids were great. We definitely want to do it again soon :) After dinner, I ran in Kroger, and then we came home and put the kids to bed. Rebekkah and I went to the gym that night, and I went to bed after I got home.

Thursday: We had a low-key morning at home, and then Rebekkah and Carver came over so that Rebekkah and I could discuss VBS. (Our church calls it Arts and Sports Camp.) Rebekkah and I are in charge of the kids' snacks, so we needed a game plan. We let the kids play in our little pool in the backyard while we talked. It was fun, and we got the snacks pretty much figured out. Jude napped while they were here, and they left right before lunch. Aubrey and I ate when they left, and then Jude woke up. I took a shower, and then I put Aubrey down for her nap. I fed Jude and played with him for a while, and then I put him down for another nap. I got ready and fixed dinner while they slept, and then David got home. Rebekkah came and picked me up, and we went to get our hair cut. We both got hair cuts, and we enjoyed our little night out :) When I got home, David and the kids were outside, and Aubrey and Jude were in the pool playing. We stayed out for a while, and then we came in and got the kids ready for bed. We had an uneventful rest of the night.

Friday: My mom and brothers came over that morning, and two little girls from church that my mom babysits came over, too. These little girls and Aubrey are friends, so we had a fun playdate. They all played in the pool outside, and my mom and I sat outside and chatted (Jude was napping). After a while of playing outside, we came inside for lunch. I went and picked up Chick Fil A, and the girls took theirs naps over here. They all slept good -- I think playing in the sun wore them out! :) Jude took a good nap that afternoon, and I just hung out with my mom and brothers. We sat outside some more and tried to get some sun. The girls' dad picked them up that afternoon, and my mom and brothers stayed for a while, and my dad came over to pick up a piece of furniture for my grandmother. The kids woke up just as they were about to leave, so they stayed a little longer :) David got home just as they were leaving, and we all got ready and went to meet his parents for dinner. We hadn't seen them in a while, because they had been out of town visiting David's sister who just had a baby, so we had a nice visit. After dinner, we went in Lowes for some spray paint, and then brought the kids home for bed. David and I watched a little TV and then went to bed ourselves.

Saturday: The kids got up early that morning, and David got up with them. When I got up, Jude was already down for his morning nap. David, Aubrey, and I went into her room, and we cleaned out her closet. We put away all the clothes that are out of season, and there's so much more room in there now! Jude woke up after that, and I fed him and then I got ready. I met my mom and grandmother and brother for lunch, and then we shopped for a little while. I headed home that afternoon, and Aubrey was awake, but Jude was napping. David went outside to do some work, and I played with Aubrey until Jude woke up. I made a grocery list, and then David came in and took a shower and got ready. We went to dinner and then to Kroger. We put all the groceries away and then put the kids to bed. I fixed our lunch for the next day and then got on the internet for a while before bed.

We have Arts and Sports Camp at church this week, and it's going to be fun but CRAZY. It starts at 8:00 every morning, and Jude doesn't nap in the nursery, so poor baby is going to be EXHAUSTED. I think Aubrey will enjoy it, and I do like staying busy. We should definitely be plenty busy this week! :)