Week 11: The First Birthday Party

WOOHOO! Caught up, baby. We're doing this thang, Meghan. :)

The topic for Week 11 is our kids' first birthday parties! 

After months of swearing to myself that I wasn't going to go overboard on a party that Reese isn't even going to appreciate or remember, I actually ended up putting a lot of time and effort into it. I made a lot of the things myself and ended up being soooo pleased with the way it turned out! I did stress a little more than I should have at times but I generally feel like I found a good balance. Go me!

First, the venue.  I did NOT want to have a party at my place. Our house is kind of small and our dogs are cray cray. Plus, I didn't want the added stress of cleaning up beforehand enough so I wouldn't feel judged. Instead, we opted for Round Table Pizza around the corner from our house.  No charge for the banquet room. Sold. 

Next, the invitations. My mom let me raid her craft room (she's got a TON of stuff) and I designed and made them myself! I didn't spend much money either. The most expensive part were the envelopes which ended up being about $10. That, and postage. Not too bad!

Here's a pic with the personal info cropped out. :)

I also made the smash cake. One box of cake mix, two cans of frosting, and sprinkles (all on sale) came to under $10. I made the "1" stencil out of card stock I had laying (lying?) around. 

I saved Reese's baby food jars and used them to add a twist to the cupcakes. Turns out baking in jars is not much different than baking in pans. I used 2 boxes of cake mix and about 6 cans of frosting. And then the cute fall sprinkles. I made 30 cupcakes and the total to make them all was less than $20. 

The decor was probably the most fun to make. I bought foam boards from the dollar tree store and a pack of metallic sharpies from Target and went to town. I did a little each night after Reese went to sleep while Justin and I watched true crime shows together.  I found a free template online to make polaroid style portraits. I modified the template with photo editing software and printed them out as 4x6s for only $.10 each! Then I cut the extra white part off so it was very close to true polaroid size. I used twine from the Dollar Tree Store and clothespins I'd bought with a coupon at Joann's for about $2. All 4 boards ended up costing less than $20 to make.  

The favors were also fun to make. I used some of the baby food jars I'd saved (repurposing FTW)! I bought a bag of mini Reese's (haha, get it? For Reese's birthday?) for $10). I bought 3 fabric squares for about $2 total (with a JoAnn's coupon). I used a free online template to print out the shape of the tags and designed/printed the message and picture of the tag myself. I used twine I bought at the Dollar Tree Store aaaaaand…. 

And a close up of the tag.

The most expensive part of the party was probably the balloons - 18 balloons for about $20. Ouch. But they were cute soo. Worth it. 

The pizza and drinks would have been the expensive part but my parents very graciously paid for it all. Very sweet and generous of them! I sooooo appreciated it!!

The night before the party, my friends Melissa and Alisha came over to help assemble the favors. I also roped them into making a paper bunting banner for the highchair and a little hat for Reese to wear - all with materials we had here. I LOVED the way it turned out. 

The day of the party, I couldn't have timed Reese's nap more perfectly. He woke up around 11am and the party was 12-2pm. He was mostly in a good mood the whole time. He spent the whole party getting passed around from one family member/friend to another. My little social butterfly. 

Here we are on the day of the party. Doesn't he look THRILLED?

Another one with his Auntie where he looks a little happier.

Another not looking too thrilled. This one with Aunt Missy. 

About 30 people total came! He got so many sweet gifts (that we opened at home since the party was already a little long for him). I know Reese had no idea what was going on with the party but I really appreciated everyone who came. It was really nice to see everyone. Reese is lucky to have so many people in his life who care about him. 

Here are a few more fun party pix!

And look who came! Our friend Grayson and family! :)