In our family, the most important thing about birthdays is celebrating together and making the birthday boy or girl feel special. Yesterday we celebrated my youngest daughter’s first birthday and while she won’t have her own memories of it, I made sure to take lots of pictures and video so she’ll be able to look back and see how happy we all were celebrating her first year of life.
Family gatherings don’t seem complete without a meal so I made a giant crockpot of white chicken chili (which the birthday girl loved!), a giant cupcake smash cake, matching cherry chip cupcakes with almond buttercream frosting, cupcake cake bites and cherry vanilla ice cream in molded chocolate bowls. To complete the cherry theme and keep it easy, I just poured cherry 7-up over ice in punch bowls.
The cupcake bites and molded chocolate bowls were a hit but completely went against my own rule of keeping it simple. There’s just something about a child’s first birthday party though, that makes me want to make it that much more special. Plus, they fit right in with the adorable decorations I got from 1stbirthdayparty.com. I fell in love with the Sweet Treats party items and just had to have them:
They had everything from dinner plates to cake plates, napkins, cups, table covers, banners, hanging decorations, treat bags and more. Everything was reasonably priced. How could I resist these?
The dessert plates were only $1.85 for a pack of 8 and everything was under $5 each (pack) including the decorations. I could have gone absolutely crazy and over the top with this stuff because they had so many coordinating items! I stuck with plates, cups, napkins, table covers, treat bags, a foil balloon, first birthday candle, hanging decorations and banner. All of it made for a super cute party atmosphere!
If you are looking for party decorations at decent prices shipped right to your door, be sure to check out www.1stbirthdayparty.com.
So, aside from food, family and fun decorations, I make a point to write a letter to each of my kids on their birthday every year. I write about how much they’ve grown and learned over the past year, they cute things they’ve done or said and their accomplishments. In these early years it’s things like becoming potty trained, visiting the dentist for the first time, learning their colors and numbers etc. I keep a special journal for each of my three kids that I plan on giving them on their 18th birthday. Each one starts with an entry when I found out I was pregnant. I do small updates throughout the year but the birthday update is the main entry. I may fall behind on photo albums and even their baby books but at least I’ll have these special journals for them!
What family traditions do you have for making birthdays extra special? I’d love to year how you celebrate!
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