Hayden's 1st Birthday Party!!

First of all, let me say - this party was months in the making! I literally poured everything I had into making this a special day for Hayden. It turned out exactly how I had imagined. I was so happy it was a success and everybody seemed to enjoy themselves. My bestie Samantha made this precious birthday banner for him!

My mom was in charge of the food and she didn't disappoint! She ordered some platters from Publix and she made a hot spinach dip (so good it's almost sinful) that was a favorite. I made his smash cake and the pennant banner that is on top.

I made all of these decorations myself. So fun to do! The garland is made out of cupcake liners and hung by blue polka dot ribbon. I made tissue poms that we hung in the entry way. I also printed out a lot of pictures from his first year and hung them up. This was the most challenging! I didn't want to put a lot of holes into the wall, so I used double sided tape. It worked ok, but I had to tack up a few places. I got teeny tiny clothes pins at AC Moore and used those to attach the pictures to the ribbon.

I covered a wooden "H" with ribbon just using double sided tape (a God send.) It was a last minute I just need to use up this ribbon type of thing. It turned out pretty cute. I decorated his high chair using scraps of fabric and ribbon (and also double sided tape.)

I bought these chocolate mustaches as favors from Summerville Sweets. They were so cute!

When Hayden realized all the attention was solely on him, he was thrilled.

Loving his cake...

The aftermath.

I had so much fun putting his party together! Albeit, a little stressful trying to get it all done. I just love the look and feel of a homemade birthday party. It was the perfect first birthday party for my bug.

And a big, BIG thank you to Samantha for taking these pictures! So glad you captured all these sweet moments because there is no way I would have been able to!

My baby is ONE!

Holy canolli....my little tiny precious bundle of joy is a YEAR OLD. How did that happen?! Now, I'll be honest with ya'll.....when I was averaging 4 hours of sleep per 24 hour period - I fantasized about what life would be like when he was finally old enough to sleep through the night. Oh, I just couldn't wait. I could just picture it in my mind and that's what kept me hanging on. I'd stop myself sometimes and think Don't wish this away, you'll want these newborn days back (just like being a little kid, high school, ya know...every situation in life you wish you would have slowed down and appreciated more.) And I was right. Don't get me wrong, I love this age now. He is so fun and entertaining with his sweet little personality. But there are moments I wish I could just sit back and rock his itty bitty newborn self. I mean is there anything sweeter than a fresh from the heavens newborn baby?

Hayden, you have such a sweet spirit. You are -and have always been- so calm and peaceful. Mommy and Daddy (and everyone else!) love that about you. You are such a good boy. We can take you anywhere at any time with no problems. I still try to stick to your schedule, though. You take two naps a day and sleep from 8am-8pm in your crib. You are great at putting yourself to sleep, too. You aren't much of a crier unless something is really wrong. You are a social butterfly. You will go and try to chit chat with anyone! You are a picky eater like your Daddy. I know I have a challenge ahead of me in that department. You weigh 22 lbs and are taking steps, but not full-blown walking just yet. I can't remember life before you, sweet baby. We waited and prayed and waited and prayed some more for God to bless us with a little baby. You were so worth the wait.