I've had Rose's First Birthday pictures uploaded to the blog for at least a month now and haven't had a chance to post the information to go with the pictures. My apologies for such a long delay.
While we had amazing weather for Rose's actual birthday on February 7 (see the previous post for our outing at the park), winter struck North Carolina for the 2-3 weeks that followed her birthday. We blamed my brother-in-law and his family for bringing the cold and snow from upstate New York. But, when the cold and snow stuck around long after they left, we didn't have anyone we could blame.
We planned Rose's party for 10a-2pm so that folks could enjoy her in between naps/sleep. Unfortunately for us it meant we had to plan breakfast and lunch appropriate foods. Colin always likes to have WAY more food than we could ever need for guests, so our spread included meat, and vegetarian quiches, pastries, yogurt, cereal, granola, fruit, salad, sandwiches, brisket, chicken, meatballs, chili, chips/dips, and several desserts. We had some champagne and orange juice for mimosas and I don't think anyone drank any of the beer we bought. Either our friends aren't big morning drinkers, or we didn't get the kind of beer anyone likes!
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| Coffee, Juice, Chapmpagne |
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| Breakfast items - yogurt, granola, fruit, pastries, and quiches |
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| Cupcakes (store bought) and home-made cookies and brownies |
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Primary food area with the tissue-paper roses we made
and the "12-months of Rose pictures" to show her growth |
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| Kitchen food area with pre-made finger sandwiches and chips/dips |
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Kitchen food area with meatballs and chili.
Brisket and chicken not pictured - on the stove. |
Rose had a pretty good turnout at her party and we had about 20-25 adults and kids in the room as we sang Happy Birthday. While Rose didn't quite figure out how to blow out her candle on her birthday, she's been practicing and now has it down pat.
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| Wanting to touch the candle |
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| Playing with the frosting is more fun than eating it. It's also very messy! |
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| Having fun with the birthday balloons |
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| First Birthday Party picture with mommy and daddy |
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Skyping with grandma and grandpa in New York after a wardrobe change.
Rose would later sing Happy Birthday to Aunt Karen,
whose actual birthday was the same day as the party. |
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| Playing with her friends after lunch. The pacifier means it's time for a nap! |
It was nice to see our friends and several stuck around for a few hours after the party ended. Rose was so wiped out from all the attention and activity that she took a very long afternoon nap (close to 3 hours!). It gave us time to catch up with some friends and clean up! We had SO MUCH food left over and I was glad we had family in town to help us finish off lots of the leftovers. Even with 6 adults and 3 kids in the house for 3 days, and 4 adults and Rose after the 3 days, we still had leftovers for over a week! I'm surprised we were able to fit everything in the refrigerator and freezer.
Near the end of the day, after a good nap and dinner, Rose enjoyed opening her presents. It was difficult to keep her on track for most of the time, but she did have fun pulling things out of the bags. I was surprised that with some gifts she actually helped me put the items back in the bag.
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| Checking out all her loot! |
I tried to create a "garden" theme for Rose's party and made some tissue paper flowers/roses for a little decor (with A LOT of help from my parents). We also had some butterfly plates, cups and napkins. To support a "sustainable" garden, we asked that folks consider eco-friendly gifts like gift cards to events or museums, wooden toys and second-hand items if they wanted to bring gifts for Rose.
I think Rose enjoyed herself, but doubt she'll remember any of it. The party was more for us and for our friends and family. Over the past year, we really haven't gotten out much so it was nice to catch up with folks. Unfortunately, it's hard to host a party and really be in touch with all the guests. I prefer much more low-key functions with just a few people so you actually get to enjoy yourself instead of making sure the event is running smoothly.
I hope those who came enjoyed themselves and apologize to those who I didn't get to talk to that much. We appreciate the thoughtful cards, gifts, e-mails, texts, and calls that many gave/sent to our little girl on her special day. The first year flew by and I am constantly amazed at how much Rose has grown and developed in that time. I'll try to do a better job of providing little updates here and there because there is always something new going on with that girl!
