Lesson I Learned As A Mom #8,314:

Eating Goldfish off the floor won't kill you.

In fact, they might be better that way. :)

And this is why...

...we had to do away with the baby gate.

So much for that.

FFBP Installment 2: Cupcake Menagerie

Since I figured I only had so many birthdays (maybe just this one) that I got to pick the theme entirely on my own...I used cupcakes. Because I like cupcakes so for now, Frazier does too! ;)

Here are all the decorations from the party...I made pretty much everything. Guess I was in need of a creative outlet. :)

I couldn't believe I found this cute cupcake shirt for him...it says "Baby's First Birthday". Perfection.

Cupcakefetti:

Here's an overview of the tablecloth I made. I just ironed on the cupcakes with heat-n-bond and hand-wrote "Happy Birthday to you" around the center.

I found this idea for a cupcake wrapper garland online...brilliant idea, super cute, and pretty cheap, too!

The white part of those cupcake center pieces are white cupcake wrappers:

Molded chocolate suckers. I'd never made any of these, but with melt in your microwave white (and blue) chocolate and a plastic mold these were extremely easy. And yummy.

I love this whole line of toys...Smart Snacks. Couldn't help but order these:

I know it doesn't look like that many, but when I was icing them it seemed like a ton of cupcakes:

One of the best ideas I've ever seen- wish I could take credit for them, but I found this idea online too. It's just Reese's cups with icing (and a Cherry Berry) on top:Adorable, no?

This is Frazier's special cupcake:

I ordered plates, napkins, invitations, and two mylar balloons in this pattern:

Maybe it was all a little much...but then again, your firstborn's first birthday only happens once, right?

Frazier's First Birthday Party Installment 1

I can imagine there have been more elaborate first birthday parties and ones with more guests and ones with fancier food and bigger cakes, but I can't imagine there could be a kid more treasured (and spoiled) on his first birthday than ours or a party attended by more sweet family and friends than Frazier's. What a lucky kid.

The requisite cake pictures:

The aftermath:

Now, our story would end here and be like any ordinary first birthday story except...as we were "unwinding" in a post-party stupor (and eating ice cream because I forgot to get it out of the freezer during the party and therefore found myself stuck with a bunch of little ice cream cups) the washer overflowed. The entire kitchen, breakfast room and laundry rooms flooded. Water...seeping out the walls. Cue the Shop Vac and the carpet cleaner. Praise the Lord, Jim and Debbie were still here to help us! We'd have been up a creek without a paddle (or in a flooded kitchen with a baby...I'm not sure which is worse).

Yada yada yada...we sucked out all the water, dried up the floors and are awaiting a washer repair. The sensor that tells the washer it's full totally fell down on its job and well, it just kept filling...then spilling...out into my kitchen.

I suppose Frazier won't remember this birthday or his party or who was there or what they brought with them, but we'll remember so we can remind him. And when we do we'll say that it was a perfectly wonderful day. It was sunny and it was mid-July-East-Texas hot. The food was delicious and Mommy forgot to get out the ice cream. Frazier discovered icing is awesome and the washing machine overflowed, but for two hours that afternoon our house was absolutely filled with people who loved us.

And we couldn't ask for a better memory, or a happier story to tell.

Happy 1st Birthday, Frazier!!!

So- little buddy- you're one. One whole year.

And It's. Been. Great. Just great...just really, really great! Sooooo great! No one could have told me it would be this great!

This day one year ago was just the first of a years worth of the most beautiful days I've ever known. And on each of them I thought I couldn't possibly love you more. Then each successive day I did.

Happy birthday, Frazier-the-Great. Happy happy birthday.

-Mom