"Up Up and Away" Birthday Party

Note to self: Start planning earlier next year! When Noah was 9 months I started thinking, I need to start planning his birthday party. But then I thought, well it's still kind of early. So I wait.. and I wait. And then once I really start planning I'm like, oh my gosh I don't have enough time!

Then I was like, do I really need to do a theme? Noah doesn't watch TV and he's still a baby so he doesn't have favorite characters or anything like that. So I had to think, what does he really, really love? ...Balloons! He absolutely loves balloons, every time we go to the grocery store, he finds them, points to them and wants one really bad. The store employees usually notice and get one for him. So I looked on Pinterest of course and thought the idea of a Hot Air Balloon theme would be pretty cute, and not over-done.

There were a few things that I had planned out in my mind that I wanted to do that would make the theme more obvious but because of time & money I didn't get around to doing them. Also, we didn't know how we were going to have so many people in our house as the pavilion at the park had already been reserved. We have such a huge family. We ended up only inviting our closest family members and a few close friends. But it still ended up being around 40 people. Geez, it can be overwhelming trying to plan the perfect party! But it was all good, everything worked out. The party turned out great, the decor was really cute, the cake was cute (and the best tasting cake I've had), and we were lucky enough to have beautiful weather which led to us being able to have some tables outside on the front lawn.

Okay, so these first two pictures I took really quick the day of his photo shoot, after we got home. I was planning on printing them out and putting them on display at the party to set the theme. But his other pictures turned out so good I felt like I'd rather put those ones instead and didn't want to over do it.

I love that he is pointing up. My mom said it looks like he's saying "I'm ONE!" 

Okay, and here are pics from the party... :)

Dessert & drink table

Cloud cookies :)

Gotta have a giant mason jar water dispenser! 

Filled the frames with more birthday pictures

Of course we had to decorate his high-chair :)

Display table

The "paper" got smudged off, but aren't those neat chalk-paint labels? Target also had a chalk marker, which I thought was pretty dang cool. I thought this would be a cute idea so Noah can read these little letters when he is older :)

I saw this suitcase and had to get it, haha. I thought it was a cute prop for the theme

My mini-hot air balloon. I wanted to make a larger one but this worked fine. 

Noah's baby book. I have been filling it out all year and finished it the night before the party :) I really love this book. I hope Noah loves it when he is older (or at least his wife will!) It was Leila's but she never ended up using it, so thank you Leila! 

Just a little game & prize..

A photo album filled with Noah's one year pictures for the family members that don't have Facebook to see

I love how versatile this banner is since it's chalk paint! I'm so happy that I didn't make one instead

Derek's mom

Jess bragging about her muscles.. hehe :)

Derek's grandparents on his mom's side

Time to sing Happy Birthday

My friend Jenny & her cute pumpkin, Scarlett

Me & my sister in law, Vanessa

Me & my other sister in law, Leila

Aren't they cute!

Cake, cake, cake!

Derek's step sister, Tiffi & our niece, Vivienne

I'm so glad we have grass now so we can use our yard

These guys love this thing

My brother-in-law, John & Derek's mom, Connie

Derek's step brother, Tory & his fiancé, Vanessa

Opening gifts :)

What a cutie bum

That face, hah!

Happy Birthday little man

We love you!

The leftover cake that I devoured afterwards. I'm so bad. I hadn't had real cake in weeks. Maybe that's why it tasted so good. 

We're so grateful for our friends and family. We wish we could have invited ALL of them, but our house just isn't big enough. Thank you all for coming!