My little baby turned one this week and it’s thrown me a little. I swear that when he woke up on Wednesday morning even looked older, maybe it’s all in my head but there is no denying he’s a toddler now. The in-laws and my own family were traveling to us to celebrate his birthday with us so I wanted to throw a party but I didn’t want to go too over the top and spend a lot of money, I just didn’t feel it was necessary for a child so young, I also didn’t want him to feel overwhelmed.
I originally didn’t want to have a theme but it just seemed to evolve. As you might have guessed it ended up being a rainbow party and it all started with a giant roll of rainbow striped wrapping paper I bought from the $2 shop. I loved that it wasn’t gender specific and that it gave me a lot of freedom when it came to food and decorations. Late at night while watching TV I roped my sister into a fun project. I bought a stack of scrapbooking paper from BigW, we cut it into triangles, punched a hole in each corner and threaded through some simple rustic twine. It was the most beautiful, simple party decoration and the best part is I’ll have it for years to come.
My sister was a great help, making decorations and blowing up countless balloons. I hung my “celebrate” banner across the mantle and everyone commented on how lovely it looked. The look on Aidan’s face when he came out into the lounge room on Sunday morning was priceless, I didn’t think his little jaw could drop that low. The floor was covered in balloons and in the corner was his brand new trike.
Aidan’s party really was a family affair and it was full on. I was catering for 8 adults over four days and I’m still slowly recovering. I hardly picked up the camera to be honest, I always had tongs in my hand instead. Aidan loved all the attention and lots of people to play with. It’s very rare for our two families to get together so I dragged everyone on to the front lawn for a family portrait. I didn’t want to get too creative or be too fussy, I just wanted a photo that was simple and painless. It’s not going to win me any awards but at least everyone is smiling and looking at the camera.
My house is quite small so having so many people in the house at once was a bit daunting but we made it work. We had BBQ lunches or sandwich buffets during the day and BBQ roast dinners or store bought roast chicken and salad for dinner. I also had to cater for a vegetarian so there were plenty of vegetables, salad and fruit in the house, I’ve honestly never bought so many groceries in my life. I love to cook for people so it wasn’t too much of a burden and thankfully everyone loved what I made.
Aidan’s cake was the centerpiece of the day. You can read more about how I made it in my guest post over at Frills In The Hills. It’s basically a chocolate cake with a layer of blue vanilla cake in the middle and absolutely smothered in frosting. I covered it in little white chocolate drops from Aldi and wrote “Happy birthday Aidan” on it. I think it’s simple, tasty and timeless. I was very tempted to add tiny paper buntings to the cake like I’ve seen all over the internet lately but I resisted and kept it simple with four slim candles and a wooden #1 from Spotlight.
Most importantly Aidan loved he cake, he clapped his hands and tried his best to grab the plate. Steve and I blew out the candles together and Aidan danced when everyone sang Happy Birthday. It was a really special moment.
It didn’t taste too bad either apparently, I think I got a bit over excited with the frosting though. The first parts of the cake to go was the chocolate layers, the kid has taste. He’s usually a very neat eater but that wasn’t enough fun for my sister so she smudged his face with icing.
I know this isn’t as detailed as my usual party posts but I was so involved that I didn’t really get a chance to step back and admire it. What I did do however was throw a fabulous weekend long party for our family and celebrate with our awesome son. I wouldn’t have done a single thing differently.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh wow. Happy Birthday Aidan. I can't believe that he is one! Wow!
That cake looks so delicious. Well done. xx
That sounds like a great way to celebrate your sons first birthday- surrounded by family and simple fun.
Well done! I think the first birthday is both a celebration for your first year as parents (and survival!) as it is about the bubba!
Great job Mummy! xx
Happy 1st Birthday Aidan!
You did a gorgeous job decorating for his party and his cake is gorgeous! Well done :)
BuBbles
x.
You did an awesome job, I love your simple ideas. I'm starting to think about Charlotte's birthday (four + months away!) and get torn between over the top and simple. I love the rainbow bunting, I might just pinch that idea.
Happy Birthday Aidan! Love the bunting idea :) The cake looked great too!
Looks fantastic!! Happy Birthday Aidan, you've got pretty special and talented mama!!
The whole party looked fantastic. colourful, bright, and you made it all yourself which is super special. That cake looks fantastic – I'm glad you didn't do the cake bunting thing.
Happy 1st Birthday Aidan.
so so so special.
What a gorgeous cake, and so many special memories for you both to look back on. Happy first birthday Aidan xx
Happy Birthday Aidan! Wow that cake looks so pretty I bet it tasted good too.