Boston's Wild Rumpus

Our little wild thing turns ONE tomorrow so this past weekend, we celebrated his big day. When I first started thinking up birthday themes for our little guy, I had planned to do a vintage baseball themed party. I pictured a baseball cake, a concession stand table set up complete with game day foods, team jerseys for the family, and a roster line up for a guest list. All the ideas had came together and I was ready to start putting my plans into motion; that was until we got to see our little man's personality. 
Around seven months old or so, Boston became a man on the move. He was into everything so the nickname "Wild One" began to stick with him. It wasn't long after we started calling him that that I happened to run across the book Where the Wild Things Are in my classroom library. It was then that I had that "lightbulb" moment and my brain switched gears. I loved the book Where the Wild Things Are growing up as a kid and I'm constantly kissing on my babies and quoting the line, "I could eat you up, I love you so". I realized then that I had been planning the wrong party for our little guy. So I switched gears and started looking for ideas for our little man's Wild Rumpus. 
As luck would have it, there weren't many Where the Wild Things Are party items out there. I searched high and low with no luck. But as a party planner, I wasn't ready to throw in the towel just yet so I set out to create my own vision by making Boston's party printables myself to coordinate with how I wanted his party to look. I wanted Boston's party to be simple so I settled on doing a traditional black and white color scheme with pops of yellowish gold. Since the book takes place in the forest, I knew I wanted to incorporate natural elements without going too over the top so I stuck with some burlap and wooden pieces. In the end it all came together more perfectly than I had ever imagined. 

In the past we've always hosted parties in the late afternoon and while it allows time for preparation, it also takes up people's entire day. So we opted to host Boston's party in the morning to allow people to come eat, enjoy the festivities, and then leave without having taken up most of their Saturday. Having hosted his party in the morning, we chose to serve breakfast foods and drinks. The menu consisted of country ham and sausage biscuits, breakfast casserole, fresh fruit, and hoop cheese. For beverages we served coffee, sweet tea, orange juice, milk, and had a variety of soft drinks for those who needed that extra boost of caffeine. 

 

I debated back and forth with whether or not to serve cake at Boston's party. Part of me wanted to keep with the breakfast theme and serve a doughnut tower but it was a birthday party after all, so in the end I settled on cake. As the co-owner of Cupcakes and Confetti, it only made sense for me to make Boston's cake. In keeping with the theme, I made two semi-naked cakes (a cake where the cake pokes through the icing) and chose to keep the icing uneven. I thought it added just a hint of rustic to the party spread. 

We kept the guest list pretty small for this party as well; which was completely different from the parties we've hosted in the past for Harper doodle. Both Kevin and I come from large families and we both have a large group of friends which means we are usually hosting parties with groups of 50 people or more. It's usually not a problem as Harper's birthday falls in May so guests can mingle in and outside of the house. Yet, with Boston's birthday  taking place in February, we were unsure of how the weather might turn out. While our house is fairly large, we in no way have room to host 50 people inside so we opted to invite our immediate families only (parents, siblings, a few aunts and uncles, and a couple friends who are like family!). I felt bad  about leaving some people out who typically get an invitation to the events at our house, but once the party started, I was so thankful we had decided to keep it small. We were able to mix and mingle without leaving anyone out and Boston wasn't overwhelmed by a bunch of people. 

After everyone had time to eat and talk, we did Boston's cake smash. This boy loves to eat so it came as no surprise that he dug into his cake...literally. 

After cleaning up our little man who was covered in cake, we attempted to open presents. I say attempted because at a year old, he doesn't really get the concept. All he cared about was taking out the tissue paper and eating it. Silly boy. 

Since the presents inside were a no-go, we took the party outside to give Boston his cozy coupe. That however was a huge hit both among Boston and the other kiddos at the party (; 

Before guests left, we had everyone sign and leave messages for Boston in a copy of the book Where the Wild Things Are; as well as grab a crown to take home. 

All in all it was the perfect party for our little wild one and we couldn't be more thrilled with how it turned out!

Sources (affiliate links):  Wood Serving Platters: Gift (similar here) Wood Crates: Michaels Plates, Cups, Silverware, Tablecloth: Walmart Balloons: Ebay (purchased here) Cake toppers: Glambanners (custom order) Birthday Shirt: The Shindiggity Shoppe (custom order) Party Crowns: Amazon (here) Book: Amazon (here)

{Weekend Recap} The BEST Weekend

Girls, we had the absolute BEST weekend. The only thing that could have made it better was if we'd have made it to church on Sunday. Otherwise, it was PERFECT!
Friday Friday after work I headed to my parents' house to pick up Harper doodle. Her school closed last Thursday and Friday due to the high amount of strep, flu, and other viruses that had been running rampant among the students and staff. It was a bit irritating considering it was almost the weekend and they were closed today, but regardless, it wasn't my call and in the end Harper got to spend a day with Nana Linda and Papa Ted (some of her "best friends" as she says) so she was in heaven.
After picking Harper up, we ran around town grabbing some last minute party items for Boston's big day. While at Walmart, I had Harper pick her brother out a present for his birthday and it was so comical. She kept going to items she liked and saying, "I think Brother would like this Mommy". I had to break it to her that Brother wouldn't in fact want a Shopkins or a Pony Pal toy but she did finally pick him out a toy workbench and she was so excited about it. She asked me the whole way home when we could give it to him. 
The rest of the evening was spent finishing up decorating, icing Boston's cakes that I had made Thursday night, and then grabbing dinner with the family before calling it an early night.
Saturday Saturday morning we were up bright and early for Boston's birthday party. Guests started arriving around 9am and many didn't leave until after 1. The weather was wonderful and we spent as much time outside during the party as we did inside. I'll be sharing a full post on Boston's Wild Rumpus later this week so for now I'll leave you with the collage I shared on instagram and facebook on Saturday afternoon. 

By the time the guests all left, everything was put away, and the house was cleaned, this mama was exhausted. Which meant everyone went down for naps. Which was absolutely heavenly at that moment. 
Since Kevin was off on a Saturday for the first time in months, we headed to Danville for a little family time Saturday night. We grabbed dinner at Outback; ran by Hobby Lobby so I could grab some flowers; and swung by Target to get Harper a few new spring clothes since we weren't exactly prepared for these warmer temperatures in February. 
Sunday We didn't end up at home until after 11:30 on Saturday night so we all slept in on Sunday. I had all intentions of getting everyone up and ready for church, but the kids were still exhausted and had horrible colds. In an effort to keep the kids from spreading their germs, we decided to lounge around in our pajamas instead of heading to church. So while the kids played, Kevin and I watched a Hallmark movie from the day before. 
Around lunchtime we got up and got ready. We rode out and picked up some lunch and then headed to Kevin's parents' house where we hung out for a few hours before heading to the grocery store; the least exciting part of our Sunday (the grocery store that is!). 
After unloading the groceries, we decided to head outdoors and went for a stroll through the neighborhood. By the time we got back to the house, Boston was out for the count. While I put him down and started prepping dinner, Kevin and Harper took to the backyard for some trampoline jumping and swinging on the swing set. It was the perfect view from our kitchen window. 

After eating dinner, Harper announced she was tired so she headed to bed early. Kevin and I took the opportunity to cuddle on the couch without toddlers piled up on top of us and we watched yet another Hallmark movie before calling it a night. It couldn't have been any sweeter. 

Here's to hoping your weekend was the BEST one as well!  Happy Monday!

Five Things on Friday

One.  You guys, I have a problem. A big one. I'm ADDICTED to home projects. I mean I for real walk around our home looking for things I can change because nothing relaxes me more than working on our home. Since I'm currently running out of projects to do these days, I taught myself how to make those adorable wood signs you see all over instagram, pinterest, and etsy these days. I made four this week and if I can find somewhere else to put more, you can bet I'll be crafting away this weekend (; If you follow me on instagram you've already spotted these signs on my stories. But if not here you go. I put the "Please Wait to be Seated" sign in our powder room because let's be real, it's funny. The "I love you more/most" signs found their home above our bed; and the "Let's Stay in and Cuddle" piece joined our bedroom's collage wall. Maybe I'll get around to sharing a tour of these spaces one day. A big focus on the ONE DAY. haha

Two.  I FINALLY saw Fifty Shades Darker on Wednesday and it was everything I'd hoped for and more. The second book was by far my favorite of the trilogy so I was hoping I wouldn't be disappointed. It's been so long since I've read the books that I'm anxious to reread the third one to see where the movie left off. Too bad it'll be two more years before that one comes out in theaters. Whomp, whomp, whomp. 
Three. How hard is it to get a shirt for your child's birthday party? I mean, geez. I ordered Boston a "Wild One" baseball tee for his birthday party back at the beginning of January. As luck would have it, black and white baseball tees were sold out NATIONWIDE! No matter who I contacted, no one could get their hands on one. Which meant I had to settle for a white long sleeve tee. Not going to lie, I was disappointed but what's a girl to do? Well Boston's shirt was mailed out two weeks ago via priority mail and was somehow lost by the post office. I contacted the lady I had purchased it from on Etsy and she was kind enough to send me another shirt via priority mail. It should have arrived already and it hasn't. At this point, based on tracking, it should arrive promptly tomorrow.. right after his party ends. 
Four. I don't know about you ladies but I am loving all of the floral finds this season. A few weeks ago, I spotted this precious number on Pinterest and knew I HAD to have it. It arrives next Tuesday and I'm so excited to see how I like it. I thought it would make the perfect Easter dress because let's be real, no one has tans that time of year so a girl can't be caught in a sleeveless, knee-length number that early in the season. 

Five.  I am so, so very excited for the weekend! This is the first weekend Kevin has had off in months and we plan to take full advantage of it. Tomorrow morning we're celebrating our little man turning one; tomorrow night we're having a family date night (my favorite!); then we get to go to church together as a FAMILY come Sunday! So cheers to the weekend!! 

Valentine's Day Minis

Today is National Love Day, otherwise known as Valentine's Day. That being the case, I thought it was appropriate to share pictures of the ones I love the most. My cousin snapped these Valentine's themed pictures a couple of weekends ago and as always, they didn't disappoint. 

From my family to yours, Happy Valentine's Day!

{Weekend Recap} Shopping Trips & Home Projects

Happy Monday, girls! I don't know about you ladies but this weekend seemed to fly right by. Most of the time I'd whine about the matter but this was such a productive weekend in our household so I can't really complain about it. To top it off, today happens to be a teacher workday making it much easier to transition into a new week. So hat's off to optional Mondays!

Friday

Friday after school, Harper headed to her Nana Janet and Papa Mike's house to spend a little time with them. That being the case, I had a little free time on my hands before picking up our little man from daycare so I took the opportunity to work on some more of his party details. I'm little OCD so I went on and set up all the decorations in our dining room to be sure I liked the look of everything together. I knew if I didn't, I'd need the weekend to revamp all the details but thankfully it seemed to all go well together. I may or may not have just left everything up so I don't have to redecorate come Friday night. Please tell me I'm not the only one who does this? Kevin looks at me like I'm a bit insane... though why I'm not sure because I've been this way since he married me (; 

Saturday

Kevin worked Friday night which meant he spent Saturday sleeping. Since our kids don't always get the memo that Daddy is trying to sleep, I loaded the kids up and we headed to Greensboro with my best friend. We grabbed lunch at Chick-fil-a, Harper's favorite, then did a little spring shopping. Harper was in desperate need of a few spring items as we were in no way prepared for the 80 degree weather that we had here in NC this weekend. I let her pick out a few of her own outfits at Marshalls and to be quite honest, I was pleasantly surprised by her choices. Mama approved of them all. Holla!

Other than a few outfits for Harper, we also picked up a few new spring items for the house. I picked up some new hand towels for the bathroom, a new doormat, and these adorable spring dish towels. You might not know it, but I'm a dish towel hoarder. They're such an easy and inexpensive way to decorate. 

We finished up our shopping trip at Target. I mean, how can you go shopping WITHOUT a trip to Target. That's just wrong my friends. While there Boston got to model some hats and sunglasses... of which he wasn't a fan of either. haha Oh and ignore his Mickey pajamas. He happened to have peed on my best friend (as Dad says, he was just marking his territory) and that happened to be the only spare change of clothes that we had in his bag. 

When we returned home, I tossed in a lasagna I had put together before our shopping  adventures. My parents and best friend came over to eat with us. When they left Harper and I curled up on the couch and spent the rest of the evening watching Paw Patrol while Kevin headed to work. 

Sunday

Sunday morning Kevin watched the kids so this mama could get a little extra sleep. By 7:30 I couldn't sleep any longer so I finally got up and joined everybody in the kitchen where the hubs had chicken biscuits and cinnamon rolls waiting. #besthusbandever It seemed as if our day was going to be a good one until I happened to feel Harper's head and she was burning up. She seemed happy and playful and all at once she just crashed. I put her on the couch and we watched a little tv together before she fell asleep. Not long after, Boston joined her too so I put him in his crib for a nap.

Unsure of what to do with myself as both kids were napping at the SAME time, I decided I'd paint our powder room. It was a spur of the moment decision but I just couldn't take the orange walls any longer. I didn't even have a paint color picked out for the space, so I headed to the garage and looked through our spare paint cans and grabbed a can that I thought would be enough. It only took me a little over an hour and as luck would have it, I had exactly the right amount of paint and I finished painting just as both kids were stirring. Here's a little sneak peek. I'll do a full before and after reveal once I have the space decorated!

Since Harper seemed to be a little bit more perky when she woke up, we headed to my parents' house for Sunday lunch. She didn't seem all herself when we got there but when Nana Linda and Papa Ted gave her some Valentine's Day money, she perked right up and asked if we could go to Walmart or Target. Bless her little heart. Shopping always makes her mama feel better too! 

We didn't make it to either but we did head home and take it easy for the rest of the day. We watched the Hallmark movies, played some games, and cuddled in bed with our little people. Which quite honestly, is my favorite way to end a weekend.