Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Deaglan's Birthday Party



I've always laughed at people that have big parties for their children.  Especially, when they turn one.  Some people really are ridiculous, spending thousands of dollars for something that the kid will never remember.

Well, we ended up having a birthday party/house warming get together with some family and friends.  We wanted to keep it small but then our list grew and grew.  We were so surprised and thrilled that our friends from VA could actually make it!  Our guest list ended up being close to 40 people which was awesome!  So, I wanted to figure out a way to make a simple, nice backyard birthday cookout without breaking the bank and being one of those people.

Drinks were of utmost importance.  In the kitchen, I had a table for "Mommy's juice" which had wine, a huge dispenser of Firefly, and then a non-alcoholic lemonade spritzer.  I kept the cold wine chilled with frozen water balloons.  The water balloons looked cute but were a pain in the butt to maneuver around in the container.  Rory really wanted a keg.  Without even blinking an eye, I shut down his idea.  Well, after a few weeks of deliberation, he won because it made more sense to spend $100 on a keg of Amstel than a bunch of cases of beer. I also put out a dispenser of coffee, along with Irish creamer, whipped cream, and chocolate syrup for a special treat.

Most of my decorations were made from a booklet of scrapbook paper I bought on sale.  I have SO many sheets left, so I will continue decorating with this for years to come.  I also used pompoms my mom and sister-in-law made from my wedding shower and little bow ties my mom made for D's baby shower.  I printed pictures of Deaglan from the past year...always enjoyable to look back! My mom cut some mums and roses along with simple greenery from their yard and made cute bouquets in mason jars.  I took knick-knacks from my parents house to decorate the mantel that I later found out were actually my dad's toys when he was a kid...

As for food, we (my mom & I were the chefs) stuck with the basics.  The appetizer table had hummus, dill dip, bruschetta and ranch dip along with various crackers/veggies/chips.  I tried my best to set out dinner before people arrived so I wouldn't have to play hostess with food the entire time.  Catering trays were very helpful (along with family that kept checking on the food supply!).  We had my mom's pulled pork (Carolina style and red sauce) and then Rory and his brother grilled kebobs & hot dogs.   For side salads, we had coleslaw, potato salad, pasta salad, deviled eggs, and a simple mixed green salad with apple slices and raisins.  SAM's club was the best place to get a lot of the food in bulk size for the best price! In our window, in the dining room, I displayed a hodge podge of desserts.  My MIL and friend Susan were in charge of desserts.  We had chocolate chip cookies, chocolate peanut butter bars, lemon bars, different pound cakes, and the best part that I made...twizzlers in a glass container to fancy it up some.

Sadly, but not surprisingly, I didn't take a picture the entire evening.  My brother was able to snap a few for me of Deaglan smashing his adorable cake and then he tried taking a few of decorations the next day but it just wasn't the same.  Oh well...

Our friend, Kristin, made his smash cake.  It was perfect!  Her little banner matched my decor and it is now hanging in his bedroom as a keepsake.


He had no idea what was coming his way, but he was excited!


I love his face as he sees the cake walking towards him.


Without any hesitation, he took a huge handful of frosting.



His friend, Annie, got jealous and needed in on the action!  

We finally helped him out a bit and cut the cake for him.  He sure does like confetti cake! Classic.


In a sugar comma, he finally called it quits, chugged some water, took a warm bath, and went to bed. 


Here are some pictures Tom could capture the day after:



This table had a bowl of goldfish for kids to scoop out with bathroom cups.  
Drinks and fruit snacks were also on hand for the little ones to grab! 

 Underneath this sign, is where I displayed beverages.  I threw down burlap to act as a table cloth.



 I strung Cheerios through twine to make a simple garland.


Snapped this photo the night before the party as I was setting up the dining room.  I went a little overboard decorating the window...it is just so big, I couldn't help myself! 


The keg fit nicely in our "fire pit."

All night long, I really wanted to play bocce.  By the time I could, it was dark outside but some gals and I were able to get in one game (even though I kept leaving them to play hostess).  We strung lights around the deck and retaining wall, which helped some but by the end of the game we were hitting people...oops.

The kiddos were given chalk, bubbles and a coloring book as a favor.  Fun, simple and cheap = love.

The best car ever was created by Murph & Kristin.  The car has a handful of meaningful bumper stickers and I know D will love this for years to come!

The next day, we ate left overs, hung out with family that was still in town, and Rory connected the TV outside so we could watch the Ravens while finishing the keg.  Deaglan opened a few presents and we were honestly blown away by the generosity of our family & friends.





I know Deaglan won't remember his birthday but Rory and I will.  We enjoyed celebrating a year of surviving as parents and I know D will love looking back at some of these pictures when he is older!

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