Little Red Wagon First Birthday Party

After years of totally lame parties, we finally scored a fun, clever first birthday party--it sure helps that Travis is happy and cute!

The Theme

I didn't like the traditional party accessories that I kept running across; I wanted something a little bit different, something simple and classic, so I did a lot of research. It took awhile, but then I found two things that helped solidify the theme.

1. Trav's birthday gift from Pappaw
2. Several other mom's blog posts who had done parties with related themes, and encouraged me that it was possible to do it myself.

Our theme centered around the classic little red wagon. I created banners using scrapbook paper of sky, sand, grass, pebbles, denim, and wooden fences to create an outdoorsy feel.  I made cupcake toppers using the same design as the banners, but smaller and glued onto toothpicks.

Cupcakes

Then I decided on decorating cupcakes. Taking several cupcake decorating classes was very helpful, but I knew I wanted something simple. Using just a couple of colors and a few different decorating tips, I created green grass and white peaks sprinkled with red sugar and sparkly fairy dust. For Travis' special cupcake, I made a jumbo red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting. I thought it was appropriate since I discovered and fell in love with red velvet cake while I was pregnant with Travis (because he didn't like chocolate!).

He had such a fun time tearing apart the cupcake and making a huge mess.

Gifts

By now, I'm sure you're wondering about that gift from Pappaw! It was  a little red Radio Flyer sports coupe. Absolutely adorable. Travis LOVES it! The other kids took turns driving him around the house in it.

As I was trying to think of a birthday gift from Ken and I, I thought how fun it would be to have a little gas pump to go along with the car. But I didn't want to spend much money, so Ken suggested I go online to get a little inspiration on how to make one. Surprisingly, I only found one reference to a homemade gas pump, so I used it for the basic idea, but embellished the idea for a truly unique homemade gift. I'll tell you how I did it in a separate blog post, but for now, here's some teaser photos.

Several months ago, I began a project that took such a long time to complete that it became Travis' second birthday gift. Using a robot theme and coordinating scrapbook paper, I made a matching game.

I took 12 pieces of ready-made craft wood, and decoupaged  rectangles of paper on both sides. One side is all the same design, while the other side has 2 each of 6 designs. I then embroidered a robot onto a little pouch that holds all of the wooden rectangles. It is a little old for him yet, but he'll be able to play before we know it.

We had such a fun time celebrating our little man's first birthday with family and close friends. I'd like to thank our amazing friend, Ashley Terry, for capturing the day with such amazing photos. 

Birthday Preparations

I have been busy preparing for Travis' first birthday, which has involved many hours "researching" on the web, window-shopping at various craft stores and tapping into my creative brain. Finally, using the gift from his Pappaw  gave me some inspiration.

Here's a sneak peek.

Luckily, I baked and decorated a trial run cake before deciding that cupcakes really would be easier. Interestingly, Ken LOVED the cake--I mean, like LOVED. This from the guy who left weddings and birthday parties early so that he wouldn't have to choke down the cake. I, on the other hand, would hang out for hours at weddings for people I barely knew just to sample the cake. His mom would make him a pie on his birthday every year instead of a cake, and his family has carried on the tradition. So that may give you some idea of my shock when I noticed large chunks were missing that I hadn't eaten. He's been eating on it for days now, and when I suggested he take it to work, he said no. He gave me some excuse about how difficult riding the Rackspace shuttle with cake would be, but I knew better. He didn't want to share it. So, yeah, feeling a little bit smug. My husband likes my cake.

My mom flies in Friday and will help me setup for the party, and we've secured our favorite family photographer to capture the fun moments. I am excited to share this momentous occasion with our family and close friends. Turning from 0 to 1 is a big deal! Not that I think Travis will care one way or the other, but I will, and that makes all the difference.

Update

Just thought ya'll might like an update on how things are going. Especially after last week's post! This week is going much better. We had Ken home for 3 days over the holiday, and that was nice. Ken took T shopping on Saturday, and I was able to get a much needed haircut and some quiet time alone, which was heaven! We grilled on Monday, and had a nice lunch--Ken is becoming quite the grilling ninja.

Travis seems to be doing better this week too; I'm sure he gets bored with just me and Saige for company, so I have been making an effort to get out of the house once a day--mostly shopping, but what can you do? It's so hot to be outside for long, and T's still too little for most museums and playgrounds. I got him some new toys, which he seems to love-one is a little music player that sings nursery rhymes that are not as obnoxious as you might think. T hasn't figured out how to make it work yet, but he's happy when he pushes the buttons by accident and he dances when the music starts. It's pretty cute. I totally thought he'd be walking by now, but he's still just cruising. He can stand up without holding on to anything pretty well now, and then we laugh when he falls down. 

I have been working on our Master Bedroom, and painted an accent wall a few weeks ago, and then got my Christmas present from Ken framed out and hung up last week. Here are some photos. I am still working on decluttering the room, and my friend Lisa is coming over this week to help paint the Master Bath, so I'll post more pics once everything is in good shape. Until then, have a great week!

My Christmas gift

New bedding

 

Side view

Other side view

More Videos

I've been taking some videos, and decided to post them for your viewing pleasure. This boy is so cute!

Playing Peekaboo

Learning to slide

More sliding

Standing and chatting

Playing with Saige

Photos of Trav's newly painted room.

Catching Up

Has it really been over a week since my last post? Oops, sorry about that! We've been very busy, and time just slipped away! So, our big news is that we got a new car! It's a 2009 Toyota Camry. Ken has spoiled me rotten, so I had to have all the bells and whistles! It has a leather interior, with power doors, locks, and is even bluetooth-enabled, so rest assured I am driving safely. Seriously, I feel like a grown-up now with a grown-up car. I love this car, and look forward to spending more time in it. Is that weird?


In other news, we welcome our new "niece," Ryah Soren Anderson, born to our best buds Jess and Derek Anderson. She was born on May 7, 7lbs and 14oz. We are so excited, and hope to actually see them sometime soon and meet little Ryah!

We had a great weekend hanging out with our wonderful neighbors, and washing our cars! Travis played on a big blanket on the grass, and even Saige got to hang out with us. We were so busy scrubbing, we didn't have time to take photos, but here are some from a week or so ago with our sweet neighbor, Abbi. Travis just loves her and climbs all over her. It's very cute.

Walking around outside

Cool Cat with his sunglasses on!

Abbi got him to fall asleep!

 We had a good Mother's Day. Travis got me a really sweet necklace. Ken wasn't feeling too well, so we didn't really do anything, but Travis and I spent some time with our neighbors, which is always fun.

I decided to try taking some more artsy photos of T-Rav, so here there are. What do you think? Don't quit my day job, eh?!

Little Feet

Little Toes

Standing Up!

We hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day and are doing well. All our love!

Picture Day!

I have been so tired the last several days, and I'm not sure why. I'm wondering if it has to do with Travis being extra cranky lately. He has 4 upper teeth starting to cut in, and he's obviously in pain. I think we'll start spending time outdoors more, that usually calms him down. For now, I'll just take the easy way out and post a bunch of pictures.

This is the sight that greeted me when I went to get him out of bed this morning.

Here's a picture from yesterday where Travis was standing up!

Today, we went outside, and had our own little photo shoot. What do you think?

Mmmm...

Hey, what are my sunglasses doing on the ground?

Right, let me just sprinkle a little fairy dust...

Pondering the meaning of life

Pensive

Chillin'

Artsy Fartsy

Check out that action shot!

OK, that's all for now. But, before you go...which is YOUR favorite, and why?

Video Diary

I just transferred some videos from my Blackberry to my computer, and then, of course, I had to play a few to see this ridiculously cute child (since right now he's asleep and it wakes him up if I watch him too long--just  kidding! I don't watch him sleep; that's creepy). Watching them reminds me all over again why I decided to stay home with this little bundle of joy. I can't express how grateful and happy I am that we are able to live on one salary. Ken, being a whiz with budgets and money, is amazing, and I probably don't tell him enough how wonderful he is. Honey, you're wonderful, and I'm so thankful that you are happy to have me and Travis stay home together, but we miss you, so retire soon and play with us!

Here are some of the videos that made me smile:

This one is before T could crawl - taken in March before our trip to Arizona. I love that hat, but Nana and Papa agreed that it made him look like a girl.

Here's one where Ken teaches Travis to drum - taken last week (sans girlie hat).

Here is a sampling of our day - taken this week:

First, we wake up, eat, change the diaper, etc. T is a morning baby, and he loves to giggle, so here we are giggling together.

Then we play for awhile with T's toys. Sometimes T plays cheerfully by himself, and sometimes Mama likes to play with him (but always there is laughter at his crazy antics).

Now that T is mobile, a lot of our day is exploring the house. So sometimes we follow Mama, and sometimes Saige (and sometimes we like to go off and explore on our own, but that's another story). Look how good he's gotten at crawling!

Then Abbi comes over after school, and we just hang out and pretend we aren't anywhere near tired. (here, Mama was entertaining Travis while Abbi finished her homework).

Sometimes, we just like to sit and play with our toys. Here's one where T learned that he could bang things together and make lots of noise. I keep trying to teach him to clap, but it's not nearly as fun because it doesn't make much noise.

So there you have a sampling of our day; looks fun doesn't it? Sometimes we go shopping or to lunch with friends, but we enjoy our days at home, which are anything but quiet and boring! I'm constantly surprised at how busy we stay, and how the house can remain cluttered even though I'm continuously straightening up throughout the day. Oh well, I suppose life is meant to be lived, not cleaned. Anyways, I hope you have enjoyed our video diary of life at home with Travis.

The Week with Four Kids

Blueberry, grape, and blackberry bushes planted

So, this week, Travis got a taste of what it would be like to be the younger brother of 3 girls, and I got a taste of what it would be like to have 4 kids! I watched our neighbor's 3 girls (Abbi-10, Ericka-6, and Sophia-3) for several hours each day. I should let you know that the oldest, Abbi, is the reason Ken and I decided to have kids. All three are great - sweet, well-behaved, friendly, and very helpful! They took turns feeding Saige, blowing bubbles, and watering and planting our plants. They all played with and held Travis, making him giggle and laugh. They loved helping teach him how to drink from his sippy cup and blowing bubbles for him. Ken was home for two days, and the girls helped us plant some fruit bushes.

Our planting helpers: Ericka and Sophia

Abbi and Travis cuddling

I will admit they have so much energy, and I tried so hard come up with things for us to do to keep them busy. Luckily, bubbles are awesome! They were happy to blow bubbles outside for hours! They also hid treats for Saige in the backyard, colored at the table, played with Travis and his toys, and helped me with any little task possible.
We had a great time, and the house will seem so quiet next week when it's just me and Abbi, who still gets to hang out with me after school. It was a nice change, and all three of us will miss them!

Movin' and a-groovin'

So Travis is getting more mobile, and starting to get into everything he can get his hands on!!  Unfortunately, the word 'no' doesn't have meaning yet, but it's likely to be his first word. As I watch him scoot around, and pull the cord on the lamp for the third time, I think, "wait a minute, I was the GOOD kid! I don't deserve this!" Guess I should blame Ken! He was probably just as bad. Just recently, I was taking some photos to send to his Pappaw, and Travis decided to launch himself right off the couch. Luckily, he launched himself right into my lap!

He's been crankier than normal, refusing to eat or relax for bed, so I took him to the Dr. yesterday. Turns out, he has two ear infections so he's now on anti-biotics. The pediatrician recommended giving him Advil as well, though it hasn't slowed him down any! I'll be glad when he doesn't cry every time I put him down or walk away.

He's also beginning to talk more. He has a high-pitched sing-song voice that he uses to talk to himself when he wakes up in his crib, but isn't ready to eat yet. He can say da-da, though it's much like ga-ga, and i-yi-yi; it doesn't hold any meaning for him yet. I keep trying to get him to say 'ma-ma' or 'pa-pa' but so far, nothing.

He has finally decided to enjoy taking a bath, though he still hates getting water in his face, and holds his breath when I have to wash his hair. He's such a cutie.