Birthday Party

I never did do a birthday party post. I kept thinking to myself I would do it when I felt better. That day has been slow to come, having been hit with a second round of illness.

Well here it is.

We woke up to a lovely note from their twin cousins Annabelle(l) and Joelle(r)! How sweet is this?!!

We started the day off as usual with bottles and some play time. We gave the girls a few of their gifts (as long as they were paying attention) including their little ride on lady bugs (which, in hindsight, have been a great gift!). They seemed into the idea of opening presents and enjoyed themselves. Then they went down for a nap - I wanted a really good nap for them so they would be on their best behavior for the party. I was really pleased when they slept and slept! That gave us tons of time to decorate the house and put everything out. We were all really having fun with it. I was even feeling better than I had been for a while.

Grandma Barbara sent us this kid table (they use it every day!) Here is James pretending to be annoyed at being sent a project. 

And, less annoyed. 

PRE-PARTY

I had made the girls my favorite cupcake recipe and decorated them the night before. I had also ordered some chocolate covered pretzels and cookies in the shapes of ladybugs - so cute!! Thank you to Etsy for all of the amazing stuff they have on there! They were awesome and both delicious and decorative! 

These cookies were buttery and divine!

 

James made his famous cookies - this time Red Velvet with white chips! MMM

The Champagne Bar and Sweets all set out!

As the girls kept napping longer than expected, we kept adding to our set up - here Becky and Stephanie use some red crepe ribbon to decorate the room. We set out a red lady bug tent that my mom got the girls (they love that, too!). There it is next to their little ladybug ride on toy.

 

Finally put this up - wasn't sure what to do with it!

The tent.

Finally the girls were awake and we put them in their little party dresses that James had bought them in Singapore when he went back when the girls were 4 months old. I was looking for ladybug themed outfits but we were reminded that we actually already had these, and noticed that they would fit them perfectly for their birthday, and heck those little red and dark blue polka dots seemed just too perfect! They are really nicely made. 

I had asked James if we could recreate this photo of him holding both babies on the day that they were born, wearing the same t-shirt and sweater. He was happy to oblige and I love how it turned out. Ok I wish the girls weren't so serious!! But they were a bit confused about what was going on. 

FOOD

While the girls were sleeping and Becky, Stephanie and I were setting up, James and my dad went to get the good. Thank goodness I sent my dad with James because when you order a 6 foot sub from Monte Carlo - they actually put it on a 6 foot loaf of bread. I had envisioned already cut sub in separate packages. NO, this is the REAL DEAL. And it was delicious. 

Thank goodness we had put in the leaves of our table....

Pasta salad, antipasto platter and 3 bean salad.

Cutting into the celebratory sub.

CAKE

Before it got too close to nap time, we did cake. The girls seemed a bit confused about what was going on, and kind of freaked out to be encircled and sung to. 

We help them blow out the candles. 

Cautiously digging in

Alex, you have a little something on your bib... 

 

Had the dr. check her ear for cake a few days later at her 1 yr appointment.

 

They eventually dug in and enjoyed it. And loved it all again a week later during their cake smash photos! Of course they like cake, who wouldn't after a steady diet of pureed fruits and veggies!

PLAY

We finally had some downtime to visit with everyone and play. The girls had a great time playing with their friends and visiting with everyone. Alex took the opportunity to test a new skill and stood for the first time at her party!! She was SO proud of herself and was looking around to make sure everyone was watching. A month to the day she would start taking her first steps! 

Josie prefers crawling or assisted walking! They were very cute about leaving their hats on! 

GIFTS

This may sound weird but I was really grateful that James didn't mind opening gifts. The dad doesn't open gifts at the baby shower and it can feel overwhelming. I appreciated taking a back seat and not being the center of attention and taking the opportunity to relax and enjoy the party for a moment. He was so good at it and the girls got such a great mix of stuff!! They truly do play with almost every new toy they have gotten! 

POST PARTY

 

Taking a moment to play with their new toys before bed time!

Tom testing out the tent!

All in all I think everything was very successful considering that we had 5 kids under 2 there, I was recovering from a cold, and we were at the mercy of baby schedules. I think that the adults appreciated the adult foods and beverages, and I hope they all enjoyed themselves. :) It was almost exactly what I was hoping for - just a small party without too much stress, some good food, a big sub sandwich, cake and cocktails! I was glad the girls liked the cake and enjoyed seeing people who have been there for us all year.