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!
Jude has quite the fan club as you can tell from these pictures :)
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.
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!
