Cupcakes & Carousels

I started months prior to Brooke's birthday trying to pick the perfect theme for her first birthday party. I searched all over the internet for ideas and narrowed it down to Breakfast at Tiffany's, Cupcakes & Carousels or Sweet Pea. After coming across the cutest carousel cupcake holder online one day, that was the icing on the cake (no pun intended!) and confirmed my decision. Brooke had never even tried cake, and only been on a carousel once, but I loved the colors and just knew it would be perfect!

My sister Jen and I began planning and buying. She is a project manager and I am an event planner, so there was no doubt we would think of everything together. I am incredibly grateful for all of her advice and help in planning and executing the perfect party! Leading up to the day, I don't think Brooke (or Michael) had any idea exactly what to expect on Saturday, August 23, 2014...

   

 

   

 

 

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

 

   

   

   

For those more interested in the party planning details, please read on:

I found a digital art kit on Etsy so that I could customize the invitations and tweak the final touches on my own. This would allow me to be indecisive and make multiple changes as needed, rather than just putting it all in someone else's hands. I used the same kit to make the favor labels, birthday stats poster, photo banner, welcome sign, high chair "ONE" pennant banner, custom coloring books, thank you cards, etc (most of which I completed in Photoshop CS5 or on ipiccy.com). 

I must have been a poet in my past life, everything I created had to rhyme. The front of the invitation read: "The Carousel of Life turns so fast, It’s hard to believe a year has passed! Our little girl is so much fun, Join us in celebrating her turning one!" and the back read: "Although cards are nice, they're read once or twice. A book is a treasure forever and ever. Instead of a card to be put aside, Please consider a book with your name & wishes inside." The sign by the puzzle read: "Please take a piece from the puzzle and a sharpie pen. Write something sweet on the back and toss it in the tin. Brooke will cherish your loving words for years beyond today, When she pulls out this special puzzle to read your note and play!" The sign by the favors read: "Thanks for coming to celebrate with me. Grab a jar of sweets for after the party."

I wanted guests to sign something different - not just a page in her baby book, but something that would be looked at and used for years to come. I came across the idea of a picture puzzle and loved it! The carousel photo shoot was at Memorial City Mall early on a weekday morning. The puzzle turned out more perfect than I could have hoped for. I provided sharpies for guests to write their name and birthday wishes on the back of a piece. 

We also purchased frames at the dollar store - spray painted them to match the rest of the decor and put pictures from the photo shoot into them. Provided perfect decoration for the party and guests were allowed to take one home with them when it was over.

"She leaves a little sparkle wherever she goes" sign was inspired by Prettiest Print Shop. My cousin Kelly is a graphic designer and was able to help me get the exact colors I wanted. Once she sent me the jpeg, I sent it over to CVS Photo and had a canvas printed. I wish I would have done more canvas art for the party, but this is something easy I can always do more of later and it is great wall decor for a nursery or playroom.

Other favors were the Cupcake cotton candy, custom crayons & coloring books, and candy jars. I recycled baby food jars! After washing the jars, I spray painted the lids mint and gold (again coordinating with the other decor). I filled the big jars with the pink and white frosted circus animal cookies and the little ones were filled with gold sixlets. I printed labels with a sweet message and Brooke's picture to adhere to the jars and tie a small pink ribbon around. These were a lot of work...and half of the guests had left before I remembered to tell people to take one. 

Using those same spray paint colors, we painted the outside of mason jars. Put them face down on a box and spray on a coat or two. Super easy and looks so cute! We used these jars for the plastic ware, paper straws, and floral arrangements. Simple white and pink roses were the perfect touch for the party; I wasn't interested in messing with balloons. To incorporate the theme once again, I taped kabob skewers to the back of the carousel die cuts and added a couple of those to the flowers.

I put a lot of thought behind all the food as well. We had carousel horse-shaped peanut butter sandwiches because we referred to Brooke as PB (precious baby) during my entire pregnancy. I purchased cookie cutters shaped like the number "1", cupcake and carousel horse. However, the one and cupcake arrived the day of the party (my mistake for not using Amazon Prime). We also had homemade pimento cheese sandwiches. There were BLT skewers, in honor of Brooke's initials. We also had crackers & jalapeno artichoke dip, fruit and dip, mini corndogs, frosted circus animal cookies and, of course, an assortment of cupcakes to coordinate with the party theme colors.

I will say it was rather difficult getting all the colors to match. Mint could be interpreted anywhere from lime green to turquoise and the light pink ranged from nude to hot pink. It was a struggle, but in the end I think everything blended perfect.

There were less than 10 kids coming to the party, so I didn't plan anything extravagant for an activity, especially since all of them were under the age of 5. I had a Little Tikes bounce house in the backyard and inside there was a short table covered with a plastic tablecloth with the custom crayons and coloring books. Again I used the digital party kit to personalize a cover and back for the book. Then I searched online for clipart images of cupcakes and carousels to put on the pages inside. 

In hindsight, here are some additional notes for future kids' birthday parties:

• Keep it simple. Kids' parties should be short and carefree. The kids aren't going to remember and it's over before you know it.
• Have your food catered or prepared the day before, if possible. Last minute food never works out. There will always be other things that pop up right before the party, so make the food easy.
• For drinks, we provided bottled water and pink lemonade. The more the options you have, the more work it will be for you, mess to clean up and picky guests to voice their opinion on the one thing you're missing.
• I can't speak for everyone, but our little one went the first year of her life never trying cake. Her party was the first time to be introduced to it...and she wasn't a fan. Not sure if it was the fact 30+ people were standing around singing and watching her eat, but we had an elaborate cake made and she was completely uninterested.
• Put someone in charge of taking pictures. You will be entirely to busy entertaining guests, chasing your child and opening presents to think of photos. But trust me; you want to remember this day!
• Put someone in charge to communicating specifics to guests - whether it is answering the door, signing the guest book, or passing out favors. This is something else you won't be able to do yourself.
• Mommies - don't wear a dress. I went back and forth on wearing a dress (a mint one to coordinate with the colors, of course) or dressing comfy (a summer birthday party in Houston should mean shorts)...and mistakenly I chose the dress. It was not practical to open gifts or bend down to pick up my daughter during the entirety of the party. It wasn't worth it for a few pictures, honestly.
• I hope this one doesn't come across as tacky, but it's the truth. There is no need to buy your little one an abundance of presents (at least the first birthday, in my opinion). They are going to get more than you can imagine from guests. Buy them something they will cherish past their toddler years. Or maybe wait until after the party, and see what else they still need.
• Start traditions. We are going to write a letter in Dr. Seuss' "Oh the Places You'll Go!" book every year until she turns 18, in which we will present it to her as an adult. Be unique. Do something special!

Credit and links for the various items:

Petti lace romper by The Simply Chic Baby

Cupcakes & Carousels digital party kit by Kaylee Bug Design

Gold return address labels by Shutterfly

Custom party dress, bib, bloomers & hat by Jay Bird Baby

"Sparkle & Shine" headband by Simply Sweet...a little lady boutique

Gold and cream moccasins by Two Little Indians Mocs

Custom photo puzzle & tin by Portrait Puzzles

Cupcake cotton candy by Fun Sweets

Tassel garland, cupcake holders, carousel sign,
cake toppers & paper confetti by Fiesta Bella

Fabric garland by ohMYcharley

Custom carousel horse die cuts by Studio Cee

Custom crayons by Scribblers Crayons

Monogrammed napkins by Presents Forever

Smash cake and cupcakes by Cupcake Central

Custom cake plate by Personally Yours by Casey

Carousel cupcake holder by Godinger Serveware

Where did my baby go?

We are just weeks away from Brooke turning one and it seems like so much is happening... My baby girl is growing up!

Brooke watched her first ever Disney movie...Frozen. I know this is just the beginning of back-to-back movies, but we both loved it! And what she loves even more is listening to mommy sing and dance around with her. She smiles from ear to ear (no joke!).

   

Mommy singing "Let it Go"

On August 14th, Brooke clapped for the first time. I have been anxiously awaiting this milestone and one night after Grammy's, we were sitting on the couch while Daddy prepared dinner and she just started clapping! It melted my heart and I was such a proud mother in that moment. Later I found out, she had actually done it for my parents earlier that day. This one really had me down until I had my spirits re-lifted by some fellow mommas. The first time for a mommy to see their baby do something is the first time for THEM and that is something special that no one else can take away! Being a working mom is a constant battle and I know this is just one of the many times this is going to happen throughout her childhood. I don't think it will get any easier...all I can do is celebrate those milestones when they happen again in my presence and be proud of her as if it were the very first time!

This past weekend we took out her infant car seat and replaced it with a convertible car seat. This one holds up to 100 pounds, so she will be in this one for awhile! She loved it and who can blame her? She has so much more room now! This switch was long over due; carrying around a 25+ pound baby PLUS a car seat = an aching back!

Another big girl switch is removing the bumper in her crib. I'm still unsure about this one, as she loves to snuggle with it. She has done fine the last few nights, but she tries to get right up on the crib rails as she did with the bumper. Poor thing, it's not quite as cuddly.

Brooke has recently learned a new sound. It now sounds like we have a little Indian in the house...

Lastly, she is so close to walking, I am sure it's any day now. She goes really fast with her activity walkers now, can walk alongside holding just one hand and cruises the whole house - from room to room. It's like she is holding out for just the right moment... We thought she was going to take off last weekend, but instead she tricked us and just stood there without holding on for about 10 seconds then plopped down. Or she will start walking towards you holding on to something and then...fall to her bottom. I am so eager to see her take off, but know that is just one more step to independence that I'm not sure I'm ready for.

Only 4 more days until Brooke's first birthday party. Momma is gonna be emotional, I just know it. Tell me fellow mommies, how do you handle it?

11 months

Our little sweet pea is almost 1, but we are still in no rush to toddler-hood. Brooke is 25 pounds, wearing 12 month clothes and size 4 diapers. She has 3 meals per day and still has 3 bottles of formula. We are still integrating more solid foods into her diet, to wean off the pureed baby foods. She has 8 teeth - 4 on top and 4 on bottom. It doesn't appear that any are coming in, but she has been a drooling machine for the past couple weeks. We had to start putting cloth bibs on her again, as it just pours out everywhere; it doesn't help that she blows raspberries 2/3 of her day!

She says dada and mama and babbles often, especially in the mornings after she wakes up. She studies people's mouths as they move when they say words she doesn't know; she is so observant and can be very serious, yet she can be so silly! She loves snacking on fruit and Gerber puffs, as well as drinking water (who doesn't in this dreadful Houston Heat). She does great with picking up and holding her sippy cup on her own. However, she does enjoy throwing it on the floor when she is done with it, along with toys, teethers, wubbanubs, anything she is holding. Grammy read it is not that they are intentionally doing wrong, they just learned they can let go of an object and it falls. They hear the noise it makes as it hits the floor and the cause-and-effect of someone picking it up. Right now our little one is exploring and learning all sorts of new things. Every day she discovers new ways of looking at the world around her, as well as motorskills that will help her grow strong and be educated. Right now she loves her LeapFrog Shapes & Sharing Picnic Basket, pulling books of the shelf, anything that lights up and plays music and her Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Crawl Around Car. 

   

Despite her ever-growing collection of headbands, Brooke still is not a fan. Once she discovers it, she pulls it off to examine it!

Brooke has enjoyed a few more dips in the pool, as well as her very own kiddie pool. It took more time and effort on mommy and daddy's part than she did in the water, but anything to see my sweet pea happy! Check out our new convertible picnic table bench too, specially made by her very talented Papaw.

   

 

Thanks to our good friend and Jen's sister-in-law, Atreyee, Brooke got her first Sari. Mommy attempted to put it on and get a few pictures. Needless to say, this photo shoot didn't last long, Brooke was not a fan of the garment wrapped all around her!

   

   

In the past 11 months, I have tried learning more about photography given I have this gorgeous model at my very fingertips. Some of the moments I am able to capture with my lens are recorded memories that we will be able to cherish for a lifetime. I especially love incorporating our elegant antique couch that belonged to our beloved Grandmere, or later known as Gigi to Brooke. The pink chevron "B" was a gift from my bestie Mal and used in my maternity shots. I love seeing things come full circle. I have some more ideas for Brooke's birthday...we'll see if they turn out!

   

 

Speaking of Brooke's Birthday, last week we visited Memorial City Mall for a photo session on the carousel per the party theme "Cupcakes & Carousels". Obviously, I don't want to ruin her party or give away all of the surprises but here is a sneak peak...

On a final note, Brooke has brought more joy, excitement and adventure to our lives in the last 11 months than we could have ever imagined. Being a mother to this sweet little girl has filled my life and heart with purpose and love. I want nothing more than to see her dreams come true and succeed in everything she does. Dream big little girl, dream big!

Oh and those toes... I could just eat them!!!

Brooke's First Getaway

Saturday was a busy day. My cousin Lindsey's bridal shower was at 11 and all the girls in the family were coming to celebrate. It was a nice gathering and it was good to see everyone, especially since Michael, Brooke and I will not be going to Montana for the wedding. With Brooke turning one a couple days before the wedding, we just weren't ready to take such a big trip - physically, mentally or financially. Looking forward to seeing pictures of all the festivities; I know it is going to be a great time!

Michael and Brooke picked me up from the shower, and we were going to head to Galveston to celebrate Mamaw Frances' 84th Birthday. We were very undecided about going and it was not until late in the week that we actually decided to give it a try. Brooke has never slept in her Pack n Play, much less anywhere besides home since she was 4 months old. She typically squirms and crawls around her crib throughout the night, I was concerned about her sleeping in the portable crib. She naps in her Pack n Play during the week at my parents', so I was also worried she was going to think it was just a nap and not sleep through the night. 

We gave Brooke her bottle around 2 pm, her usual nap time, and were hoping she would sleep on the way there. Unfortunately, that did not happen. She cried from Beltway 8 to Galveston, only stopping when we brought her into Buc-ees (understandably!). We even got her a pink Buc-ees rattle. I know she does not like car rides as much as she used to, so it was a relief when we finally arrived at Pam's house. Of course, there was too much going on for her to sleep then, plus it was about 5 pm and her dinner time. We fed her and soon after got in the pool downstairs. Like always, she took a few minutes to warm up, but it wasn't long before she was splashing and smiling from ear to ear. We put her down before dinner, doing her usual routine - bath, bottle, bed. To my surprise, she laid right down in her Pack n Play and didn't move (I checked on her a couple of times; even snuck a picture). 

Michael and I stayed up talking to the family and finally watching Gravity (not my favorite). We headed to bed, the bunk beds in the same room as Brooke. She didn't budge. The next morning she started to stir shortly after 7 am, and when she walked around the side of the Pack n Play, she saw mommy laying right there. We were both up! After spending some more time with the family, eating breakfast and getting a few pictures, it was time to go. She got her bottle, like she usually does before her morning nap and we hit the road, again in hopes she would sleep. After lots of babbling and blowing raspberries, she passed out. She slept almost the whole way home, waking up to blowing more raspberries about 10 minutes from the house. 

Now we know she is capable of sleeping through the night away from the house, which is great. There were a lot of factors that worried us, but she really pulled through and made us proud! I will say, it was a lot of work to only be in Galveston for less than 24 hours. Next time, if and when that may be, it would have to be at least 2 days for me to load all of that stuff up and move half the house for a getaway. I mean, it took 4 of us to figure out how to put the Pack n Play up! After googling it, a good tip: keep the center of the Pack n Play about a foot off the floor, to give the sides enough slack to snap into place. Once she is a little older, I think it will be easier, as she will not need a booster seat, formula, baby food, etc. 

We didn't make it to the beach this time (the seaweed is awful), but she did enjoy watching the birds and looking out on the bay.

   

   

  

   

   

Long story short, we had a great time celebrating milestones with both of our families on Saturday and we also successfully made it to and from Galveston in one piece! This is a relief to us as parents, knowing that she can sleep somewhere other than her crib for a night. So congratulations to Lindsey and Kurt, and Happy Birthday Mamaw Frances! We love you all.