Birthday Festivities!

After feeling like I sort of low-balled things for Eden's first birthday, I decided I had to step it up a notch for Salem's first birthday. With Brandon being out of the country and time to kill in the evenings, my creative gene finally kicked in.
Project #1: Birthday Banner


 Armed with scissors and a glue gun, it was really pretty easy. I enrolled Gigi (my grandmother) because she's a Jedi Seamstress to finish it off...and wah-lah...a banner we can use for years to come. My vision is that someday when I'm dead my children will be arguing over who gets to keep it because we'll use it every year. (is that weird? hoping my children argue?) meh, anyway.

Project #2: Dino Cake
I was inspired a few months back when a friend made her daughter a pink dino, saying it was easy peasy and you-tube-tastic. Sure nuff, you can find ANYTHING on there, including a step-by-step on making a dinosaur cake.


I wanted different size dots so I melted chocolate and made my own. That was really the most difficult part. And when your husband is out of town, do you really have anything better to do that to cook with chocolate? :)
















On Salem's actual birthday we had dinner with Gigi who was insistent on presenting him his very first ice cream cone.


His cousin Audrey, who you can tell he totally adores and thinks she's the greatest thing since pureed sweet potatoes, gave him some lessons on the art of licking.


Each cousin equipped with their very own...


Then a few days later we had the actual party. Despite running a low fever all day (which later turned into a 105 degree fever and developed into the Satan-disease Roseola) he really enjoyed it all!




He showed absolutely no hesitation when presented with his very own slice of cake. He gets that from his mommy.


And even had a little cheering section while he shoveled it in.

I think Eden and Judah had the idea that they too were going to be allowed to eat their cake via their hands. Can't you see the excitement on Eden's face as she claps her hands and cheers him on?!

Next came presents. You can tell he's absolutely not spoiled at all by his grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins.


Then after a water-turned-green-by-all-the-icing bath, he tuckered out on daddy while swinging on the back porch...glad to have his daddy home and a belly full of cake.

*note* as you can tell, I'm having issues with posting pictures. I'm going to have serious words about the new way blogger is posting pictures. if anyone can figure out how to manually manipulate pictures with this new template PLEASE enlighten me.