the party

After scouring pinterest for party ideas, I finally settled on a mustache/gentleman theme. I intended to make the invitations myself, but in the end, went with an easy shop to simplify my life.  I took Colby to the park to get a cute picture of him in his bowtie. I literally had to take 40 pictures of him to get one where he was somewhat still. He kept turning himself in circles, and I was making a fool of myself trying to get him to smile.  The things we do for a good picture, right?

I found cute napkins and mustache whistles from Oriental Trading Company, and I even had a merchandise voucher, so it was a win-win!

Kevin really wanted party hats for some reason, haha, so I picked up a bunch of those at Party City, along with some punching balloons.  I loved those as a kid!

We rented a pavilion at Katherine Rose Park in Mansfield.  We go to that park quite a bit with our play group, and it is SO huge, and the pavilions are perfect.  When we showed up to set up, another party was still at our pavilion.  I immediately freaked out because I didn't want to be scrambling at the last minute as guests arrived (which is what happened at Brooke's party last year!).  It looked like the party was over, but everyone was just sitting around.  Kevin went over to talk with them, and they were so sweet and started moving out right away.  They had rented a bounce house as well, and were waiting for the company to come pick it up.  I got busy with set-up, and Jerry and Bev had come early to help us as well.  After about 15 minutes, Kevin came over and asked if I had a check.  I told him that I did, but asked what he needed it for.  He said, "I'm gonna rent the bounce house and all the tables and chairs."  I just laughed, and when he told me the price, I thought it seemed pretty fair.  So, we rented the bounce house and it ended up being so perfect because it occupied all the little kids so the parents could just chat and not chase toddlers all over the playground area. 

The Peacocks also showed up early and helped with the final touches while Kevin went to pick up the pizzas.  We took a few pictures of the cousins together before the party started.

And one family picture :)  I was in love with those mustache balloons I found on Amazon. You seriously can find anything on Amazon, and I love it!

I didn't take enough pictures of the guests, but I did manage a few pictures of the littles.  I am so thankful for our friends who support us and our kids.

Colby was a big fan of that bounce house!

Right before we had cupcakes, I handed out the mustache chocolate suckers so we could take a group picture.  I have had a chocolate mustache mold forever, but had never used it.  I bought it with the intent of making something for the YW I'm sure.  Anyway, this seemed like the perfect opportunity.  The only downside was that you could only make 3 at a time, and I needed to make 50 suckers!!  So, I bought another mold that allowed 4 at a time, and used both to get to work.  It still took forever, but in the end I'm glad that I did it.  Guests had a choice of mustache style in a few colors (black, brown, white, and yellow). I love how the picture turned out...

When I see this picture, it really makes me grateful for the friends and family we have. The Myers weren't about to come, but the rest of the original Arlington gang was there, along with new ward friends, and some family.  They all show so much love towards our family, and I couldn't be more thankful for their influence in our lives!

Then it was time for cupcakes!  This was by no means his first exposure to cake and sweets, but he loved it nonetheless.

I had to help him get into the cake, but then he smashed it around till it was a giant mess.  And then I took pictures of course.

Papa sat down next to him, and Colby went to town "feeding" him pieces of the smashed cake. 

And last, but not least, present time!  I debated whether or not to open gifts at the park since it would basically be me opening the gifts, but I decided to do it because I felt kind of ungrateful if we didn't.  Man, this kid was spoiled!  He literally received SO many gifts, and all the kids wanted to help and show the present that THEY gave Colby.  It was all a bit overwhelming for him, but fun too.

The Peacocks gave him this ride-on slug, which we loves!

The party went from 4-6, and then it was clean-up time.  We had SO much leftover pizza, so we tried to pawn that off on the guests as they left.  We also served fruit skewers, and had quite a few of those leftover as well.  When we arrived home that evening, we unloaded the car, and the house was a total wreck.  I had made a huge mess in the kitchen that morning frosting all the cupcakes, and it had been a little chaotic getting everything together to leave the house, so it was just a mess.  I really hate coming home to a messy house, but sometimes that is just the way it is. Parties are a good excuse, right?  Kevin and I put the kids to bed, and then spent some time cleaning up, then climbed into bed and looked at our pictures from the day.  We felt pretty good about how everything turned out, but I'm not sure if we will continue to throw big parties for every birthday, haha.  It's always a lot more work than I anticipate, and I wonder if we are fully appreciating the birthday baby when we have so many other things to worry about?

 We have loved our first year with Colby boy, and look forward to what his second year brings!