Time Flies | Cooper’s Par Avion First Birthday Party!

 

Time Flies.

That’s one thing I’ve learned along the way in our journey of parenthood. And time goes a little first with each child, I think.

I wanted to throw Cooper (our 3rd child and 1st son) a special party for his first birthday. I went all out for our first daughter, as most parents usually do with firstborn children. Obviously, with a full-time photography business and three full-time children to take care of, I knew it had to be simple.

Simple yet special. That’s what I was going for.

So I spent hours on Pinterest, searching for the perfect inspiration, all while feeling the itch of discontentment that Pinterest brings. 🙂 I came up with a Par Avion theme (Air Mail…in French). Airplanes and red and blue, Eiffel towers too!

My husband and I have a passion for travel, and that is one thing we wish for Cooper – to have a love for exploring God’s glorious world in which we live.

I thought I would share some of the sources/ideas for first birthday parties as well (see end of post), in case there are any moms out there that would find these tips helpful. This is our third first birthday party, after all! 🙂

The party was fun, and special…thank you to all of our dear family that joined us that night! Unfortunately Cooper wasn’t feeling the greatest that night…he wanted me to hold him the whole time, darn. 😉 I enjoyed the cuddles with my baby boy on his birthday…and it took a little convincing, but he finally ate his cake!

Happy Birthday, dear Cooper! You are such a gift from God to our family!

Sources:

-Cake, Kowalski’s free smash cake. Just call ahead to order, and it’s totally free!

-Cupcakes, Kowalski’s

-Paper Straws, Target dollar section

-Gold “1” mylar balloon, Party City ($11.95)

-Tissue Tassel Garland, DIY, see instructions here

-Invitation and Birthday Boy cards/decor, designed by moi in Photoshop

-Red airplance, Green Toys

-Navy chevron table runner, Etsy

-Red plates and napkins, Target

-White double-sided sign/frame, Ikea $.99

-Airplane jumper worn by Cooper, hand-me-down from BabyGap

And on the Menu:

Man-Pleasing Chicken (thank you #stephsmenu!)
Sweet Potato Fries
Crack Salad (recipe follows, given to me by my friend Suzanne and her mom Mary…it really is as good as crack, I think?)
Bousin Cheese and crackers
Strawberries and Nutella

Crack Salad Recipe

2/3 c olive oil
1/3 c lemon juice
1 scant c sugar
1 t Dijon mustard
1 T poppy seeds
1 t salt
(whisk together above)
1 1/2 bags romaine
1/2 c chopped pecans, toasted
1 bag craisins
1 apple, chopped
1 pear, chopped
2 c swiss cheese (I used Feta)

Combine and enjoy!