Jack's First Birthday Party!

We had a birthday party for Jack Saturday night, and it was wonderful. Just wonderful. Most everyone from both sides of the family was able to make it. We talked and ate and talked and ate, and it was just wonderful to be with family. I think we had 18 people at the house! Jack thoroughly enjoyed all of the attention he received, and we thoroughly enjoyed giving it to him! Here are just a few pictures that my brother in law took...

I have to start by telling you that I have been lax on the blogging lately because I've been working on the party. This was a total home made party if there ever was one. I made all of the decorations from one pack of scrapbook paper (that I got 50% off). Jonathan smoked a couple of pork shoulders and sausage. I roasted some corn. Dad made beans. Mom made Asian slaw. Granny made New Orleans style potato salad. And I made the desserts. Like I said... we ate and talked and ate some more... Anyway, it was a lot of fun to get to be crafty over the past couple of weeks, and I was really happy with the way everything turned out! I even got everything done by Friday so I could enjoy spending time with my parents and sister while they were in town all day Saturday before the party.

Birthday boy in his birthday hat!

We had a barnyard themed party. I made a birthday banner from the scrapbook paper, hats to match, used the Little People Farm as a centerpiece and put pictures from the year on the table for people to look through. Jonathan's sister got the balloons for me. I think they just made the whole thing look so fun!

I mounted our "month-by-month" pictures on the same scrap book paper and hung them on the wall above the dessert table.

We had cow cake pops...

pig cake pops...

and chick cake pops...

I was going to make a barn cake, but my cake got stuck in the cake pan so I improvised and decorated it like this instead. SO glad that happened because this way turned out to be really easy and it went well with the other desserts!

Jack's smash cake...

Granny with the kiddos! I appliqued a red gingham farm animal on each of their outfits. Grace had a lot of extra white shirts, so I just used one of those and let her wear a skirt that matched. Jack had a plain hand-me-down romper that I didn't mind using because it did not have snaps at the crotch, and every parent knows that an outfit without snaps will not get used very often for obvious reasons. :) Grace really wanted a pig shirt so that is what I did for her. I chose a horse for Jack. I tied some red yarn in Grace's pig tales too.

I found these wooden masks in the dollar bin at the craft store. The kids seemed to have fun with them... and I think the pictures are priceless! The 3 boy cousins...

And the sweet cowgirl Grace!
My sister in law took some pictures as well and I'll post them once she has a chance to upload them! And I'll post more about our birthday boy on his actual birthday (September 13th). Now, I think I may go eat a piece of cake. :)