When it came to choosing a theme for his party, we didn't have to think very hard, since Old McDonald Had a Farm was Gabe's favorite song from very early on. For a long time it was the only thing that would calm him down when he was being fussy, and I can't tell y'all how many times we sang it over the past year. So a Barnyard Bash theme seemed only fitting!
We hosted the party at my parents' house since they have a huge backyard with a pool -- perfect for a party in late July! They have a finished basement that opens to a covered patio, so we had a place to go in case those notorious summer afternoon thunderstorms decided to roll in. HUGE thanks goes to my mom and dad for hosting and helping us get the house ready the week of. They did so much to make sure things went off without a hitch!
We kept the menu for dinner simple and grilled hamburgers and hotdogs, and served baked beans, fruit, slaw and chips n' dip as sides. To make things a little more fun, my sister-in-law and I made tent cards for all the menu items to go along with the barnyard bash theme, like "potato field" for the chips and "cow patties" for the hamburgers.
One thing I learned from the planning process is that it's okay (and totally necessary for your sanity) to ask for help! For dessert I wanted to serve rice krispie treats and cupcakes, so I asked my mother-in-law to make the rice krispies (aka "hay bales") and Gabe's Grammy did a fabulous job making and decorating the farm animal cupcakes. I definitely would not have had time to do this on my own and do it well. My mother-in-law even came up with the idea to wrap the rice krispies in twine to make them look more like bales of hay, so two heads are definitely better than one!
For the decor, most of the stuff we either already had or I made it myself, since we didn't want to spend a ton of money on decorations. I printed the photos for his monthly banner for free using the Shutterfly app, and for the straw holders I repurposed some Starbucks frappuccino bottles we already had on hand by spray painting them white. Another easy decor tip -- frame the invitation! It adds a fun touch.
Speaking of leftovers, Gabe didn't dig in to the cake as much as we thought he would. He just ate it piece by piece like it was any other food we've put on his highchair tray. So funny! My advice on the cake smash is to have as low expectations as possible, because you never know how your baby is going to react.
For favors, my sister-in-law came up with the cutest idea to do "popcorn on the cob." She put popcorn in cellophane bags and wrapped it in green tissue paper to make it look like corn husks. And apparently it was a huge hit because we barely had any leftover for us!
So there you have it! All the deets on Gabe's first birthday party. Can I be real for a sec though? In the days leading up to his party, I started to feel it. The P R E S S U R E. The need for it to be perfect because I’m an event planner, because he deserves it, because all the moms around me are throwing Pinterest perfect parties. I didn’t like the icky feeling that went with it.
For the centerpieces, I wanted to use something other than mason jars for vases, so I grabbed a yellow pitcher we already owned, cleaned out a couple of Cheerwine glass bottles, and added in the two red lanterns from Gabe's nursery to fill in the last bit of space on the table runner. The flowers were all from Publix, scored during a 3 for $10 sale!
I also wanted to incorporate Gabe's baby book in to the decor somehow, but did NOT want to pressure myself to have the entire thing finished by his birthday. That definitely was not going to happen. So I picked one of my favorite spreads and made sure I had it the way I wanted, and displayed it using the cookbook holder from our kitchen (which also kept people from flipping through to see that the rest was basically blank haha). The tea towel underneath it is a find from an antique store in Greensboro, GA. I'm thinking about framing it for Gabe's big boy room one day, but we'll see!
The day of the party, we were blessed with gorgeous weather. It actually wasn't too hot for late July, so it was a great temp for hanging out outside. After dinner, all the kids (and dads) hopped in the pool to play for a bit, then it was time for Gabe's smash cake!
A lady in our church made Gabe's smash cake and she did a wonderful job bringing my vision of a little barn cake to life! (Her company is called Sweets by Shay if you're local and interested in hiring her for your next event). My mother-in-law is still talking about how good the cake was, since of course we ate the leftovers! ;)
After presents were opened, it was time to play with all the awesome new toys! Lillianne and Silas were especially happy to oblige helping break things in.
Honestly, I should not have expected myself to do all the things. The day of the party was fun and I loved seeing my ideas come together, but at the end of the day, Gabe won't remember it, I won't, and our guests won't. But I do remember being stressed out along the way. So if you're reading this and in the midst of planning your own kid's birthday party, please learn from my mistake. Let go of the perfect, turn off Pinterest, and just do you. Ask for help, and pick one or two things that are really important to you, and stick with those. Then be joyful planning a simple birthday party! I think my favorite part of Gabe's was hanging out with family after his presents were opened, watching him squeal with joy as he rode in his wagon around the yard. That is the good stuff of life, y'all.
To everyone who came out to celebrate our sweet baby boy--we can't thank you enough. We are so grateful to have this village alongside us as we journey through parenthood!
