Sunday, August 28, 2011

Emma turns One


Happy 1st Birthday

We survived our first birthday party!! Although I ran out of time and didn't end up decorating the deck and backyard as I had planned - I think Emma had a good time, so job well done!! Right? You'd think after one year of being a parent I'd learn that nothing ever goes according to plan. Thanks to this horrid weather we're having, we're stuck indoors and I finally had some down time to go through my photos. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to take photos of every detail, but I'm actually happy about that coz that means I was enjoying the party too :)

bakedcake_emma1
I didn't want to cook too much for the event but I was definitely set on baking her first birthday cake!

birthdaycake_emma1
Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Mousse filling and frosted with Chocolate buttercream!

_cakeparty
I wish I could say she devoured the cake but it seems that little Ems isn't too keen on chocolate...

birthdayparty_blower
...she was more interested in eating the party blowers

babypool_emma1
Rather than having set activities and games for the kids, we put out a box of random things like balls and rackets, couple of baby pools (thanks Z!), portable slide (thanks Karen!) a slip n' slide... (this was a lot easier since their ages varied so much)

radioflyer_emma1
... a radio flyer (thanks Melis!)

boys_emma1
Some of the boys brought their Nintedo DSs which kept them entertained

crafttent_emma1
My personal favorite was this makeshift tent we made out of a sheet and some rope (aka THE TENT OF POSSIBILITIES). I stocked it with various arts & crafts supplies (wooden spools, fabric scraps, popsicle sticks, chenille pipe cleaners, markers, glue etc and household items like empty toilet paper/paper towel rolls). The girls were pretty much in the tent for hours and it was so much fun watching them come out with the most brilliant things - I wish I had taken photos of some of their art work!

lunchboxes_emma1
I decided to give each kid a lunch box. I made my own lunchables - popcorn chicken in paper cones, cheese & crackers, rice cereal treat dipped in chocolate and shaped like a popsicle and carrots so the parents didn't kill me! I also had kiddie box drinks and IZZE drinks available for the kids. The adults ate yummy sandwiches and chips from Crane's Deli, one of our favorite food shops in the village.

lunchboxespackaged_emma1
I used some leftover Nice Package supplies to package the kiddie lunches. Luckily the napkins were the perfect size to use as a topper!

garland_emma1
As I mentioned, I ran out of time to decorate and put the finishing touches but I did manage to make a cupcake garland to go with my red/white picnic theme

giveaways_emma1
Each kid also received a customized giveaway box filled with random toys and some of my favorite candy that remind me of my own childhood (poprocks and fun-dip)

birthdayparty
As hard as it was to plan and execute this simple party, I'm still excited and looking forward to planning her next birthday party :)

6 comments:

Fenke said...

i was just browsing your blog and reading the last post before this one turned up, thinking: mmh it should be about time... well - happy birthday, emma!

Lina GedminÄ— said...

what a wonderfull team - wonderfull family! Happy birthday one's more! ;*

Ez said...

Oh hooray (I've been looking forward to this post)!!! Happy big 1st birthday Emma! The party looked amazing Marichelle. I seriously can't believe how much you accomplished! Everything looks perfect! And hello, how stinking adorable are you three in that last photo?! That's a keeper! Thanks for sharing Emma's happy day with us. xo Ez

b a i l e y d o e s n ' t b a r k said...

happy birthday Lil EmC! such cute lunch boxes.

melissa loves said...

I LOVE it! Dang, I am so mad I wasn't there! It is just beautiful hunnie! My girls had SO much fun and the details are just perfect. Seriously....you know Chooch had a BALL in that tent! You are a marvel, seriously....with THE best style and you look crazy gorgeous in these photos! I love the one of all three you so much! So great! I love you little Em!
xo
Melis

jennifer said...

happy belated b-day to your sweet girl! you know how to throw a party!