Red, White and Blue First Birthday Party

Last week I shared a few pictures of the birthday parties I have thrown. I absolutely love throwing parties and wanted to share more details of each one. I thought it would be fun to show one a week so lets get started!

Kona's birthday is at the end of June so I thought it would be fitting to have a red, white and blue themed party. The 4th of July if one of my favorite holidays and I had so much fun planning and decorating.

I got the invitations on Etsy and loved them! They were perfect for his party and the shop owner was great to work with.

I got the poster from Etsy and love that I will always have this keepsake from his party. It was fun for guests to know what he's currently into and doing.

 I printed off monthly picture and made the tassel garland out of a plastic table cloth.

I didn't take any pictures while I was making the garland, but here is a simple tutorial. It was super simple to make and I loved showing off his monthly pictures!

I made Kona's cake with a red, white and blue layer and strawberry cupcakes and 2 smaller cakes for everyone else. I printed off some additional pictures of Kona for the table.

For lunch we had a bbq with hamburgers, hotdogs, chips, pasta salad, corn and tomato salad, blueberries and strawberries.

The kids played in the water and got soaking wet, which I'm sure their parents loved! ;)

Kona played with the rocks which was one of his favorite things to do when he was little.  

After lunch and playing it was time for the best part, cake eating!! Kona hadn't had cake before his birthday and had only had a bite or two of ice cream. Once he figured out what was happening he couldn't get enough! I think his favorite part was feeding all of us. J.D. and I got several bites and even the grandparents got fed. It was so fun to watch and he couldn't have been happier!

Before we opened presents we gave him a bath because he was covered from head to toe in cake!

It was the best day celebrating our sweet boy and I never wanted the day to end!

XOXO

Follow me on Pinterest to see more party inspiration!  

Rainbow Crafts

Happy St. Patty's day week! St. Patty's day is such a fun holiday, I don't have to worry about gifts, we get to make fun crafts, eat Lucky Charms and drink green beer :) Holidays make my heart so happy, seriously I live for this stuff!  This past weekend we woke up to snow and cold temperatures, which is not always fun, but it was so nice having nowhere to be, cuddling with the boys, and doing some crafts. It was one of those weekends you wish didn't have to end.

 The first craft we did was a pom pom rainbow. I drew out the rainbow and was going to have Kona glue the pom poms on, but he wanted to color it first and then glue. I love the way it turned out and  that he made it exactly how he wanted!

 Even Kai got in on the fun :)  

 We made one more using popsicle sticks and cotton balls to make a rainbow and clouds. Kona loves to paint so this was right up his alley! He painted the sticks five different colors, put them in the order he wanted and then I glued them together. I used hot glue for the cotton balls and had him tell me where he wanted them. Super cute and super easy!

 I hope you all have a great rest of your week, celebrating and eating too many rainbow marshmallows ;)   

 

XOXO

Keeping Her Memory Alive

My heart breaks every time I think about my kids not knowing my Mom. Kona was a year and a half when she passed away, much too young to have any memories of her, and I got pregnant with Kai a month after she passed. My Mom adored Kona, I'm so thankful I have pictures and stories to tell him of the time they spent together. Keeping her memory alive is so important to me. I never want my kids to wonder who she was, what her laugh sounded like or what her heart was made of. When they think about their Grandma I want them to see her in their minds and know how wonderful she was.

Here are some of the ways we keep her close to us and in our hearts.

 

Banana Bread: My Mom wasn't much of a baker, but she made the best banana bread. She gave me her recipe several years before she passed and I love making it with the boys. After it comes out of the oven we sit at the table, eating the warm bread and talk about her.

Her Grave: My Dad and I chose my Mom's grave not only for the peace it brought, but for the boys. Her grave is next to a pond that the boys can throw rocks into or look at the ducks if they are out that day. We wanted a spot that made them feel comfortable and at peace. We often take out some lunch or ice cream and have a little picnic. When we are there having a treat and throwing rocks in the pond it's like she's right there with us. These moments at her grave are so special to me and as hard as it may be, having this special spot to share with the boys makes it much easier.

Pictures and Home Videos: I love looking at pictures and watching home videos with the boys. They get to see exactly who she was. Her beautiful brown eyes, how her smile stretched from ear to ear, her voice, and the way she laughed. Nothing keeps her memory alive more than these precious pictures and videos do.

Cards she wrote to Kona: I have kept all the cards she wrote to Kona and I'm so happy he has these special notes from her. I love getting them out and reading to him what she wrote, to remind him how much she loved him. He was her only grandchild and she couldn't get enough of him. The amount of love she had for him radiated off of her. She always wanted to be with him, cuddling him, and kissing on him. I never want him to forget that she thought he hung the moon.

Go for a drive: As a child we use to go for drives on the weekend. We would usually go to the same places and have lunch. I love taking the boys for a drive and eating at the same place I did as a child. I feel so close to her in these little diners and love sharing all the memories I have of her in these places.

We Celebrate Her: Her birthday is this month and while it's one of the hardest days of the year for me we always celebrate her. The boys and I go to a bakery here in town to pick out some cupcakes and meet my Grandma and Dad at the grave. We tie balloons to her stone, sing Happy Birthday, blow out candles and eat cupcakes in her honor. We then go to dinner and have the best time eating, drinking and talking about how amazing she was.
 

I Pray: I pray that I'm doing all of this right. I pray that I'm giving my boys all the love she would have given them. I pray that they never forget the amazing women who raised me. I pray they see the sparkle in my eyes when I talk about her and feel how much love she gave me. I pray they grow up knowing how much she wanted to be here for them and how she's looking over them every day.


 Until we meet again Mom, I'm never not thinking about you. XOXO

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What I Wore

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Happy Wednesday! I hope you all are having a wonderful week!
 My first outfit is one I wore to a  baby shower I hosted on Sunday. The whole outfit was super comfortable, but fitting for a morning shower. The sleeves on the shirt are definitely my favorite and I hope to get a couple more shirts like it this spring! I also have the boots in black and love them. I was on my feet most of the day and they never hurt.

Shirt: Similar

Jeans: Same
Shoes: Same


The second outfit I wore yesterday running errands and hanging out at home. The weather is still hit or miss here, so having this lightweight sweater was perfect. Green and leopard is one of my favorite go to combos!

 Shirt: Similar

Jeans: Similar

Shoes: Similar


 XOXO

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Show and Tell Tuesday-Kids Parties

Happy Tuesday! Today I'm linking up with Andrea for Show and Tell Tuesday. Today's topic is kids parties! I have a huge love for kids parties, seriously I love everything about them. The planning, crafting, decorating, cake eating and seeing the joy on my kids face. I not only love throwing a good party I love attending them. Celebrating my family, friends kiddos and my kiddos is my favorite thing to do! Today I'm going to share a few details of Kona's and Kai's parties and do a more detailed post of each one soon.

Kona's 1st Birthday

4th of July Theme

Kai's First Birthday

Pumpkin Patch Theme

 

Kona's Second Birthday

Camping Theme

Kona's Third Birthday

Water Theme

 

We love our sweet boys and love celebrating them! I hope you have a wonderful Tuesday!
XOXO

If you want to see more party ideas follow me on Pinterest!
Make sure to check back for more detailed posts of each party!