you are my sunshine

Our sweet little Kennedy recently celebrated the big T-W-O and in lieu of her nonexistent (a.k.a. slacker mom) first birthday party, I thought a proper celebration was overdue. The very first lullaby I ever sang to her was "You Are My Sunshine", so when I stumbled upon this party theme it was love at first sight.

Anyone who knows me (or even kinda knows me), is aware of my obsession with all things party. I've never met a party I don't like, and the best are ones with a fabulous theme, beautiful invitations, and of course, details. After Elizabeth's Sweet Shoppe extravaganza I decided to scale back a bit and keep things simple.

With an August birthday it seemed fitting to host the party at our neighborhood pool pavilion. The space was absolutely perfect- picnic tables,  a rustic stone fireplace, ceiling fans to keep the air moving, and best of all, a pool.

Now...for the details...here we go!

Any great party begins with a fabulous invitation...after all, you're setting the tone for the event, so it better be great!  I fell in love with this one right away- thank you to loralangdesigns for helping me create the perfect "You Are My Sunshine" invitations! 

This picture doesn't do them justice but you get the idea : )

We welcomed our guests with the infamous chalkboard easel...this thing really comes in handy! 

(Even Elizabeth helped with the sign...can you tell?)

I borrowed this chalkboard from my friend Kristy- it looked so sweet on the table!

Somehow I managed to keep this party really simple...think hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, and fruit.

You can't have a sunshine themed birthday party without sunflowers! I used small galvanized pails as our table centerpieces and filled them each with a bushel of sunflowers. As a finishing touch, each bucket received a small bouquet of balloons (one yellow, one white, and one gray). Perfect!

It was kind of hard to get a good picture of the entire space...but you get the idea : )

loralangdesigns also created a matching banner that coordinated with our invitations...all I had to do was print and assemble. Thank you Kristy and Amanda for solving my banner-hanging challenge : )

This ribbon plate is one of my all-time favorite purchases. It makes a great decoration for just about any celebration. I love being able to change the ribbon and the message on the plate- so fun!

 

Just like the invitations, the party favors are a huge deal to me! I love putting the finishing touches on a great party with a fabulous favor. I packaged lemonhead candies in cellophane cones, tied together with yellow ribbon and a favor tag.

I also created a party play list CD with all songs "Sunshine". The CD played during the party and each guest took one home.  And of course, no sunshine party is complete without sunglasses! The kids loved these!

I snagged this vintage tea cart last year at an antique store (once again...thank you Kristy, my favorite shopping partner in crime!). This served as our "lemonade stand". Notice the chalkboard detail on the yellow cups- I couldn't believe it when I found these...now that's what I call perfect!

Last but certainly not least, I have recently become obsessed with over-the-top birthday cakes. My friend Lori makes the most incredible cakes and her creative talent is amazing! She and I worked together to come up with this concept...I just love how this turned out! 

Best of all...the cake was DELICIOUS! It seemed almost sinful to slice up this beautiful masterpiece, but after a bite (or two...or three...or ten...) you kinda don't care : )

Throughout the party the kids had a blast in the pool- it was a perfect day for a pool party!

The birthday girl herself had zero interest in swimming...all she really wanted to do was play in the ice bucket. Hey, whatever floats your boat, kid. It's your day, you can do whatever you want!

But yes, I'm gonna make you take at least one picture with me!

Happy birthday my sweet little one...you are my SUNSHINE!

Favorite Fridays: Firsts

You know the saying...there's a first time for everything. Whether it be good or bad, happy or sad, lovely or a full blown train wreck...it's true. Having a first is inevitable.

Today is my daughter's first day of preschool. Under normal circumstances I wouldn't be caught up in this, however, this particular school is also where she will most likely attend Kindergarten. So in essence, today might as well be Elizabeth's first day of Kindergarten.

I am totally prepared for a morning filled with butterflies, tears, and flash photography. It's okay. I'll breakdown, have a little moment, and get on with the day. After all, I still have a baby at home.

Or not.

You see, this week I've already experienced a first. My so called "baby" recently made the brave and daring decision to jump ship from her crib. After careful investigation my husband and I agreed- it was time for a bed. Within a few hours the crib was moved, disassembled, and tucked away neatly in the attic...just like that. As if it never existed.

I stood in the doorway, watching my sweet little girl cuddle into her toddler bed, and fought back the tears. This was the first night my baby slept in a bed. Feelings of loveliness and train wreck bombarded my heart, all at the same time. Watching her grow is a beautiful blessing, but it doesn't make it any easier on the heart. It almost made me want to have another baby (key word...almost).

In an effort to embrace the first day of school and the first days of my baby's toddlerhood, I've come to realize something important. If we avoid those "firsts" we can never move on. If we stay where we are and continue to do the same things every day, we will never realize our full potential. And although some firsts might be painful (think first love, followed by first heartbreak)... I'm confident these experiences will lead me to somewhere even better. I want my children to embrace change, challenge themselves, and trust that no matter how old they are (or how heartbroken), they will be just fine. There's a first time for everything.

So instead of running away or dreading these firsts, I'm taking the bull by the horns and hanging on tight. This journey we call life is quite a wild ride.