THE PARTY

I have been planning Jackson's First Birthday Party since he was 6 months old. Well not officially planning.. but at least getting ideas of what I would like to do. I couldnt believe when it was actually time to HOST the party, and that my baby boy would actually be ONE!
After doing blog research, of course, I decided that a Barnyard Birthday would be appropriate considering we are living in somewhat of the country! :) I found these cute invitations on Etsy.
Because we had it at our church, and not everyone knew where the youth area was, PLUS Upward basketball was going on, Craig made these signs so that everyone would know where to find us! :)When everyone got to the youth area, this banner was leading up to the room where we had the party! We had six round tables for people just to sit at and talk or eat.. I found these centerpieces at Hobby Lobby on clearance. I had no idea what I was looking for, so I was really happy when I found these.. it was perfect. Some tables had a pig, and others had a cow. :)
This was Jackson's throne for eating cake and opening presents! They make SUPER cute high chair decorations for little girls for their birthdays, but it is a bit harder to find cute things for boys that dont look totally cheap and cheesy or too girly. So I decided to make my own. I used trash bags underneath his high chair and made "cow spots" and then put black toole on the high chair with strips of bandana ribbon along the top and draping down. It turned out cute (it just doesnt go SUPER well with the back of his high chair.. oooh well!)

I found these super cute birthday hats at Oriental Trading Company. I liked how the face of the animal stood out (although they were a bit more difficult to put together!)For a one year olds birthday party, it is a little difficult to think of "activities" to have at the party. But, I wanted to do something to help keep the kiddos entertained. We brought up a bunch of toys (bouncy balls, parachute, etc), which the kids loved. And I found these magnetic barn frames. They are foam and had lots of different things (horses, pigs, cows, tractors, etc) that you could stick to it. No glue required. It was PERFECT! Plus, it gave our guests something else to take home.
People always like to take fun pictures, so I thought this photo stand was necessary! :)

The party was at 2pm, so I didnt think we needed TOO much food.. but we did have rows of carrots, tomatoes, broccoli and cauliflower for Jackson's Garden, pretzel sticks for hay, and chicken wings. We put the drinks in a red wheelbarrow.. so cute!
Since about 50 guests came to the party, we had to go the most cost efficient way with the cake, and I really couldnt have been more pleased. Sams made the cake, and it was not only yummy, it fed everyone almost perfectly! We had about 5 small squares leftover. We could not have planned it better! We also got Jackson's smash cake at Walmart. And he obviously thought it was delicious also! :)When everyone left, they could take party favors. The kids got a farm book and a water paint felt picture. And the adults got a gardening tool. :) We sure were thankful for everyone who came to celebrate with us!

And these are the super cute thank you cards that we sent out after the party. I love them, my friend Alyssa, helped me design them!

It was a great party! And I REALLY do think Jackson knew it was ALL for him!