So FUN To Be ONE!

On Sunday, we had Jadyn's long-awaited first birthday bash. It was exceptionally h-0-t (so much for an average high of 88 degrees... thanks a lot weather.com!) so we decided to do it in my parents' backyard where there is more shade and lots of room to run around. My mom had rented a bunch of fun stuff the day before for my brother's welcome home party and decided to keep it for Jadyn, so the kids (and adults... okay mostly Josh) had plenty to keep them entertained...

Jousting....

A big water slide....

And the kids' favorite - a 30' inflatable water slide covered in bubbles!

Jadyn wasn't quite sure what to think of all the spraying water but seemed to enjoy Kaylee and Anna giving her a "bubble bath."

She also had to test out the kiddie pool and bouncy house!

I wanted a way to keep all the memories for Jadyn, so decided to make her a little First Birthday "Time Box." I covered a shoe box (so that it could still open and close) with the wrapping paper that matched her theme. I then had each person at the party write her a little note (a memory of her, something they wished for her in the future, etc). I'm also going to include a few little things from the party, her 1st birthday outfit, pictures from the party, a newspaper clipping from that day, etc. My plan is to keep it in a safe place and give it to her on her 16th birthday! Gosh that seems so far away!

Ohhh and I can't forget about the CAKE. Yes, I had big plans for that. And by big plans... I mean having my incredibly talented friend Lori make it for me! Unfortunately her hubby got a job in CO, so she went to stay with him for a while. I checked out all the stores, but nothing was going to compare! So... at some point I had a break in sanity and decided that this would be a good time to take up cake decorating as a hobby! I should point out that up to this point, the extent of my cake experience had consisted of baking Josh's favorite homemade German Chocolate Cake (which was yummy, but let's face it... didn't exactly have to be pretty!) and the cupcake cakes that I made for Kaylee's birthdays. I guess I should have known I was a little over my head when I went in to the Hobby Center to buy all the supplies and the girls looked at my picture and said "You know how to make THAT??" I just laughed. "Nope, but I will by Sunday!!" Hmmm guess I should have taken that cake decorating class at Michaels after all. Instead, I had to rely on scouring the forums at CakeCentral and watching YouTube... reliable sources, I know.

Well, 7 hours of baking, freezing, whipping icing, trimming dowel rods, frosting (and some more frosting) the cake, and cutting/curling/placing fondant... I had my cake. It definitely wasn't the picture in my head, but I guess it works for my first little adventure. It had a bit of a rough ride over in the truck (note to self: when it's a 100 degrees outside it's probably a good idea to stick it in the freezer for a few minutes so it doesn't decide to melt and half collapse!) but luckily made it in one piece!

The good news is it actually turned out pretty yummy! (I keep telling myself that's really the point... right?) Lori gave me a great recipe for homemade buttercream icing that was sooo good - and I'm not usually a fan of frosting! Let me know if you want it and I'll email it to you. Oh, and the star of the show enjoyed it thoroughly! I think Grandma even snuck her seconds.

This year, instead of giving the kids party favors at the end, I brought out a big basket full of toys (mostly kids crafts - i.e. foam puppets/necklaces/activities for the girls and model airplanes/trucks for the boys) for them to pick from. (Thank you Michaels and your awesome end of the summer clearance!) This ended up working well because the kids were fairly entertained while Jadyn opened her presents. Well, except for Kaylee, whom seemed to think "helping" was opening all the presents for her. But halfway through she noticed that her friend Anna was putting together her bead necklace and decided to help her instead.

Jadyn loved opening all her presents and was genuinely excited about everything she got. She just couldn't seem to figure out why Mommy wouldn't take the toys out of the boxes and protested every time I tried to push them to the side. She got lots of cute clothes/pajamas, baby dolls, a glow worm (that Auntie Angel special ordered so it would be in a different color than sissy's) and lots of toys! She also got THREE "My Pretty Learning Purses" - it must be the new "in" toy! It was pretty funny. It actually turned out good though because now she and Kaylee can both tote one around the house. (Jadyn loves to watch Kaylee and do everything just like her!)

Yeah, I think it's safe to say she was a bit spoiled...

(Kinda reminds me of another little someone 3 years ago...)

We hope you had a wonderful day little J - we love you!


And just a few more pictures, since you know I can't resist