6.20.2011

it was a birthday not a wedding...

aka campbell turns one

i may or may not have gone a little bonkers in the birthday party planning...
there may or may not have been excel spreadsheets involved...
there were to-do lists galore
by day, specific to each family member
when my mom saw her's she reminded me that this was *just* a 1st birthday
not a wedding.

the theme was flamingo 
(not polar bear as my sweet husband suggested)
the party was set for outdoors and the forecast called for 85% chance of thunderstorms
and not a drop fell
guess God trumps gary lezak, huh?

and the pictures? oh my goodness. 
my sweet friend rachel from over at love is rising was a guest AND a photographer that day.
she rocked it folks. if you need a photographer - check her out.

to all our friends and family who came {& helped!!} thank you.
you are such a HUGE part of campbell's world
and the party wouldn't have been the same without you.

Now onto the montage of photographs!!


*photos by rachel at love is rising*

birthday banner & hat by 62 cards (she is AWESOME to work with by the way!)

birthday girl's adorable outfit by fluffy cakes


yummy treats by Elizabeth Fank (message me for her info!! she rocked it!!!) beth - they were the hit of the party!! thank you SO much for your help!!)





photo frame idea stolen inspired by ashley ann & alicia over at the walters


beautiful day for some backyard fun

this is what the birthday girl did most of the party: rocked her new wagon from nana & papa.



Every party needs snow cones!!

and super cute kids like this:

and a photo booth {aka an old antique quilt thrown over the side of the deck and a bucket of wacky glasses}. while I HATE organized fun with a passion ... I love me some good photo booth shots. I will always have photo booths at our parties. sorry honey=(.

a few of campbell's friends:
the pyrons. {please oh please karen...make this your christmas card?!}


the guest of honor and her crazy party planning mama

the porters {aka my lovely photog & her fam}

the birthday girl & her nana

the one year old and her uncle marshall (this crazy guy and his lady drove ALL night just to be here with us!)

campbell hope & marshall's adorable girlfriend, Katie (she worked her booty off in the kitchen all day - Katie - I couldn't have done it without you!!)

katie, marshall & c (did I mention they drove ALL night??)

campbell & elton john her papa

smash cake!! (also made by elizabeth fank!)


guess the little lady takes after her mama. She LOVED her first taste of sugar.



after the party, our family and a few close friends took a quiet moment to remember parker. we sent her a few dozen balloons for her party in heaven. for some reason, whenever i think of parker, i think of the color purple. i can't explain it. but i do. anyways, we my dad shared a beautiful little prayer and we released some balloons. it was quiet, peaceful & beautiful.

this first picture melts my heart


and then those few friends stayed a little longer and we all enjoyed a spontaneous after party. and finished off the wine. while the grandmas & daddies watched the kids in the backyard, we gabbed & played in the photo booth. i'm going to be honest, this was one of my favorite parts of the party. it was finally time for me to relax.



thank you to all of our friends and family who came, helped, celebrated & loved on campbell. i can't even begin to describe how blessed we are by your friendships!! 

11 comments:

  1. few things:
    * i'm SO glad i am not the only crazy mommy who plans a wedding, i mean, a big detailed bash for a 1 yr old party!
    * WHAT?!? i got mentioned on a FAMOUS photog's blog. this is BIG news people! {although, your frame BLOWS mine out of the water...thanks! ;)}.
    * party was the cutest...loved everything about it!
    * the crocodile tears came back...sweet. sweet. tribute. {tears are back}.
    * you're one amazing mommy...it shows in every way. shape. and form. those little girls are some kind of lucky!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. awesome photos!!! i love the photo of the cake all over campbell's face...glorious!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Looks like it was an amazing party!!! I am so glad that you were able to enjoy some of it...sometimes it's easy to get so wrapped up in it that you forget to relax and enjoy the day. The balloons brought tears to my eyes....my mom sends her mommy in heaven a single yellow balloon every year for her birthday.

    ReplyDelete
  4. so fun! i love it all, especially the purple balloons. i loved it all and i'm so sad we missed the fun.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh my goodness, what a cool party! Way to go, Mom! Sweet idea with the balloons, too. What a lovely day and lovely pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  6. even more bummed that we missed it. adorable child. and adorable decor. i know...birthday parties turn me into a planning machine. why do we do these things??

    ReplyDelete
  7. you rocked that first bday mom. wish aunt cc would have been there.

    ReplyDelete
  8. can't stop laughing at the title of this blog.
    can't stop smiling at the joyful celebration of campbell's first year.
    will never stop being touched by your precious parker.
    you are a wonderful momma in every way.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Loved every picture and this post. It is so true it is a birthday party and not a wedding. Yet every year we as mothers go through this perfection thing when it comes to birthday's. Hey they only happen once a year and they are so much more fun than turning 30 something (I have to admit) I know how tired I was after Mya's. Now that I am in planning mode for #3 (this weekend) I want everything to be perfect. Though it will be in our little condo. I know where you are coming from. C & P are so loved by their Mommy everything was perfect. Great job Mom.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wish we could have been there! I love all the pics, but the one of your mom and C is my favorite! So sweet!
    Cori

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm absolutely blown away. Wow, wow, wow! You're one sweet momma.

    ReplyDelete