First Birthday Party

When I found out we had the chance to go to Mexico,  I was a little upset when I realized that we would be gone on Luke's first birthday.  I considered not going and had a lot of mom guilt, but finally decided that my boy would probably still go to college and grow up to be a responsible citizen without us, and realized we could have a great party when we returned.

Of course, I didn't have to worry that Luke would be neglected on his birthday - my family had a little party for him, complete with balloons and a cake.  We were lucky to have good Internet at our hotel so we were able to skype with him and my mom sent us pics of the festivities.  That made it a lot easier to be without the boy on his actual birthday.

Once I got over the guilt of missing his actual birthday, I started stressing about The Party.  I spent way too much time looking at peoples blogs and Facebook posts and started to think that I needed a party planner because it was all becoming so overwhelming.  Jami finally talked me off the ledge and reminded me that no one will remember the details of the party.  She suggested that I get a great cake, great food and to let the rest of the party be about the people.  Of course, she helped me out with the invitations.  

I spent one insomniac night looking for someone to make the cake and found this amazing lady,   Katherine.  I had decided that I wanted to incorporate Five Little Monkeys (one of Luke's favorite rhymes) but didn't have any ideas beyond that.  I told her my idea and she immediately started making specific suggestions. I basically told her that she had free reign - that is always a little scary, but I have learned to let a creative person create.  When I went to pick up the cake I was absolutely amazed - it was more than I could have ever imagined.  In fact, it was so amazing that we debated whether or not to even cut it.  Good news is, it tasted as good as it looked.

Anyway, the party was great.  Lots of family and friends, good food, chaos of kids, etc.  We have so much support and it was great to feel all of that to celebrate Luke.

Before dinner was even over, the kids were already anxious, wondering when we would open presents and cut the cake.  We opted for presents first before the kids were completely sugared up. Luke had lots of help from all the cousins, I think they were more excited about his gifts than he was. Last night Luke seemed to be a little overwhelmed by the new toys, but this morning he was super excited to explore everything.  

It took him awhile to figure out what to do with the cake.  I'm not sure he actually liked it, but he did seem to enjoy making a mess.  Perfect moment for a kid.

Happy Birthday stinker bum, thanks for letting us be a part of your party.