finn's 1st birthday party!

 

i had this picture hanging on the front door.  we fall into hysterics every time we look at it.  still.

 

months before i told my mom my idea to have a circus party for finn and she smiled.  apparently, my mother has a natural attraction to vintage red and white striped fabric and just happened to have yards and yards of circus prints.  it was pretty perfect.

 

my mama also helped me collect fun little circus decorations for the house. 

and i had finn's first year video playing on the television below this banner...

and the backyard was pretty festive...!

 

but it was all these faces who really made this day perfect for us...
 

we ate popcorn, peanuts and nachos- of course! and for dinner, tri-tip sandwiches, hot dogs, green salad, cole slaw, baked beans, fruit kabobs...

i was most excited for the photo booth.  surprise, surpise :) i love a good photo booth. and this guy just kills me.

finn received so many wonderful, fun gifts....and was pretty thrilled with everything. clearly.  what a lucky little boy...

 

it isn't a party without a pinata.  although those things and all that bat swinging by small children gives me a lot of anxiery.  might be the last pinata...

 

and finally, everyone sang happy birthday to our boy and we plopped a cake in front of him. banana cake, because banana is his favorite.  i dreamed of this moment for weeks...i couldn't stop thinking about how it was his first candle, his first birthday song, and all that are to come.  it really tugs at a young mother's heart.  in a good, lump in your throat, way.

oh yah, and in case you were curious: finn didn't tear into that cake like part of me had hoped. somehow i knew he wouldn't.  maybe he was tired and overwhelmed  but i  think it just isn't really his personality.  our cautious, careful little guy.  we love him just way he is.

party hats for all!

can you believe our baby boom??!! precious.  there is most certainly somethin' in the water...and whatever it is, it brings the cutest babies!!

 

i think these two pictures are my favorite from the day.  all these incredible people.  gathered at OUR house.  for OUR boy.  and how fufilling to have a full house, a full yard... it was a happy sight for me.  we just wish we could have invited everyone we knew...but alas, our yard is small, our house is smaller and we would have run out of margaritas. and that is never good.

 

we were so happy that day.  i don't think finn cried once.  and after it was all done, we crawled into bed and marveled at the day.  we couldn't believe it.  

days like this one are few and far between.  it was certainly one of our happiest days of all time.  and this picture brings it all back.  i will treasure it forever.

****

 

finn's  party was such a collaborative effort...both of our parents did SO much to help and were probably more exhausted than we were after it was all over.  the party serisouly wouldn't have happened without them.  like, no joke.  they babysat so i could do stuff the week before (mimi!), helped with the food, loaned us furniture and props and supplies and linens AND delievered them - how much stuff you may ask? how about two truck loads from napa.   and a couple car loads.  wowza.  my parents could operate a vintage party rental company. and if that wasn't enough, they all stayed and cleaned up after it was all over. 

and my sisters.  my oh my.  emily drove finn around so he would take a nap before the  party, and then sat in a parked car for almost two hours while he slept, which resulted in his happy party mood.  and then she strung bunting, made appetizers, assembled five million fruit kabobs, did a million other things and still managed to take most of the pictures you see.  uh-mazing.  rachel helped me bake a thousand cupcakes, did grocery runs, did a million other things, get balloons, make lists, somehow recorded the gifts and prevented me from losing my mind.  priceless.  both girls came and stayed with me, working and cleaning and running errands and crafting and setting up in the week before.  and made me laugh the whole time.

 

and  my mom. her desire to help and her energy astounds me.  she  also stayed with us a couple days before the party (some of the best two days of my life) and one day she got to my house a few minutes before me and i found her cleaning behind my couch, and this was after she had already cleaned the window sills, the baseboards, and watered all my plants.  and this was just the beginning.  she is the ultimate party planner.  there aren't enough words to describe all that my ladies did. 

 

my dad packed and unloaded his truck about six times, helped execute my vision and set up all of my ridiculously time-consuming decorations and then, along with ryan, bbq'ed six tri-tips and 36 hot dogs in the heat.  what a guy...

so many people brought their famous dishes: dinha's baked beans, grandma's cole slaw, marsha's cheese dip with fig jam, my mama's coconut cupcakes!  delicious! 

 

mimi and pops chased after finn for a large part of the day (which can get pretty tiring-trust me), and made sure he was a happy one-year old, with things like kisses, water, snacks.

 

the weather thrilled me...a lovely 90 degrees.  especially since the very next week we were at 108 for a few days.  LUCKY.  real lucky. 

 

 

and most importantly, people came. from near and far. and they partied with us.  all in the name of our son's first year.

it all meant the world to us.  it really did.  finn may not have memories of this day, but i am certain that ryan and i won't soon forget every little bit.  thank you, everyone.