Hunter's 1st Birthday Party

Hunter's party was planned at a pavilion at a local park, so we watched the weather all week, hoping it wouldn't rain. Sure enough, the end of last week was beautiful, but they were calling for rain on Saturday. Still, we woke up to a gorgeous morning, so we were hopeful that perhaps the rain would pass us by. As it turned out, it did... no rain in sight, and the temperature was actually really comfortable, too. We couldn't have asked for a better day!

We had planned to arrive at the park early to help set up and bring the cake, but because of the beautiful morning, we opted to take Tessa for a long walk prior to getting ready. Whoops, it set us back about an hour, but it was worth it! We ended up rolling up to the party right on time, which worked out fine.

I made this poster for Hunter, highlighting a bunch of the photos I took of him in his first year. It was so amazing to see them all side by side and see how much he has grown!

The cake I made, on display at the party. This was a lot of work, but worth it. (Looking for more information on the cake? See my post here.) What was funny--I was unsure about whether to switch up the colors of the dinosaur, but I thought the green and orange was a nice combination. It turned out that all of the plates/balloons/decorations that Kara had ordered were green and orange, too! The cake coordinated perfectly with the rest of the party. :)

The birthday boy showed up to the party sleeping. Little guy was apparently a beast when Kara was getting him ready, so it was decided that everyone should let him sleep for a bit. His temperament was pretty good throughout the rest of the party, so this was probably a good decision.

Family picture, once the little guy woke up from his nap.

I helped open cards and presents when it was time (otherwise, it would've taken FOREVER--he had so many gifts!) so I didn't get any photos of that stage. But when it came time for my dad to reveal the toy box he made--FROM SCRATCH--I knew I needed to get some photos of that!

It is so awesome. All of the designs on the sides are actually cut out of wood, and hand-painted. My dad is amazing. On the top, in vinyl lettering, it says "Hunter's Box." LOVE. We all told my dad that he better get started on the ones for his other (future) grandchildren, HA!

"C'monnnnn... where's the CAKE already??"

He was so cute with his cake. I love him. (And he was really good about not trying to touch the candle flame through the singing of "Happy Birthday to You.")

He was a little careful with it at first, but he worked his way into it.

He's been doing this thing lately where he won't pick up his food to eat it, he'll just put his face to the table and pick it up directly with his mouth. It's hilarious. As we thought he might, he ended up sticking his face directly into the cake to take a bite. Awesome.

He definitely seemed to enjoy it. Mommy tried to get in there with a fork to help him out a bit, but it was all for naught. Little guy was determined to do things right and get messy!

By the time all was said and done, he had it in his hair, in his eyes... he was a big, sticky mess. Just like all 1-year-olds should be on their birthdays.

I was so glad my dad was able to come up to be here for the party. He loves Hunter so much and I know that he hates that he can't see him more often.

While Hunter was smearing cake into every nook and cranny of his face, I was busy chopping up my masterpiece into little pieces for everyone to enjoy. Actually, I never mind cutting into my cakes. There's something that's pretty satisfying about it.

Soon enough, all that was left was a cake board. The cake ended up being the perfect amount for the people in attendance (thankyoulord). I could've cut the pieces a little smaller if I had to, but I was glad I was able to give people average-sized pieces.

After cake was served, people started to head out, and we were soon left with just a small crowd of our closest family and Trevor and Kara's closest friends.

The three kids with our dad...

...and then the three kids (plus Hunter!) with mom.

A perfect day in celebration of our favorite little boy.

Later last night, we all regrouped at my brother's house and spent time outside in the backyard with the dogs and a fire in the fire pit. I think this marks the official beginning of "summer," no? In other words, we've reached my absolute favorite time of year. *LOVE*

My dad took off early this morning to head back home. The next time we'll see him? When our baby is born. YIKES!