First Birthday Party

With a Valentine's birthday, why wouldn't you have a heart-themed party?  It was so easy for me to pick up stuff wherever I went to decorate and found so many cute things at Dollar Tree.  I made a last-minute decision to print up some pictures of her one-year photo shoot we did the weekend before and put some pics on the table.  If I do say so myself, it turned out so much cuter than I had imagined in my head.

Besides the heart decorations, we had heart-shaped ham salad sandwiches, chips, salad, a veggie tray, heart-shaped Rice Krispie treats, Valentine's sweet Chex mix, heart-shaped cupcakes, and white chocolate dipped pink wafer cookies.  We had only immediate family and a few close baby friends of Zoey over.  It was seriously so much fun.  After running my fool head off for 2 days to get everything baked, set up and executed, I was exhausted but it was worth every minute.  I think Zoey had a great time too.

I baked her a heart-shaped cake to go crazy with.  I tried my hand at piping roses for the first time.  They didn't turn out too terrible but the house got so warm and the frosting runny, that a whole side of roses fell off but I don't think people noticed.  Note to self - the 1M tip is the best, learn how to buy a piping bag that fits that particular tip, plastic baggies with holes cut in them for tips can explode pink frosting everywhere, and figure this all out before one hour before the party next time.  haha  Those roses also use a TON of frosting, so glad I bought three tubs and it barely worked.

In the last couple weeks Zoey has learned how to feed herself so her cake wasn't a disaster.  She dug right in!  She did try to touch the lit candle but luckily didn't succeed.  She was up to her elbows in hot pink frosting and white cake.  Luckily we took her shirt off so it was easy to pop her in the tub (especially after her dad decided she needed some frosting in her hair).  

She was so spoiled by her grandmas and grandpas and got a singing, light-up rocking giraffe, some puzzles, some wooden fruit (she's obsessed with carrying around real lemons so now she has a wooden one), an Elmo piano book, some new clothes and shoes, a Cabbage Patch doll, a Balloonacorn, a twist and pop-up toy and a dolly.

Everything just turned out so much better than I planned and it was seriously perfect.  There is no other way I would have wanted to celebrate my little sweetheart than with a heart party surrounded by family.  Can't believe she's one.