Red Wagon 1st Birthday Party

My little man turned one! For his very first birthday Mr. G and I threw him a Radio Flyer wagon party! It was an absolute blast to create and it turned out classic and fun, just like Noah. I started several of the projects for the party back in January, DIYing almost everything. In this post I'll share the details of the party as well as how I used coupons and thrifty shopping to pull it together for less than $150. 

The first thing I did was order the Little Red Wagon Party Package by Dimpleprints. The $30 package included the invitation and 167 pages of everything you can think of for throwing a party. 

I'm excited to share the pictures from his big day with you...so here we go!

"Sweet Treats!" I made the cupcakes myself the morning of the party. Here's my secret to fantastic cupcakes - only use the butter cupcakes, in my opinion cupcakes made with oil don't turn out as moist. For fluffy frosting I get whipped vanilla frosting, put it in a bowl with a couple drops of vanilla extract, whip it for a minute and then pipe it generously onto the cooled cupcakes. Total for dessert - $5.

I received a coupon code from My Publisher for a free photo book and decided to write a children's book for Noah. I was a huge hit at the party. I read it to Noah every night before bed. He loves looking at the pictures of himself.

Mr. G's co-worker made these adorable red wagon cake pops. The wheels are M&M's and the wagon handle is black licorice. They were delicious! 

The week before the party, Michael's released a 50% off coupon so Mr. G and I purchased most of the little filer items using that coupon. The brown paper crinkle was $2 - one bag goes a long way! 

{Favors}

Get your own Official Radio Flyer License to Fly here!

A few weeks ago, Michael's also had a coupon for $5 off any purchase of $5 or more. I used it twice to purchase two packs of bubbles and 4 pinwheels for free!

The favors had bubbles, red licorice and a sucker. I bought the candy for half off the day after Valentine's Day. Total for all of the favors - 4 bucks!

"Thanks for Rolling By" tags from Dimpleprints. I also used the 2-inch wagon tags for the center of the pinwheels. And if you noticed the cute little pennant banner on the picture frame - I printed out a banner from the Dimpleprint package at 25%.

One picture from each month of his first year. 

{Mantel}

The tiny pompom strings were the easiest things to make. I got out my sewing kit and thread the pompoms through the middle with a needle.

The pennant banner is another printable from Dimpleprints. I printed them out at 60% and put 2 on each page to save on ink and paper.

{Let's head outside}

The morning of the party I woke up and saw a dark sky and trees whipping back and forth. It was crazy windy and so, so cold. I prayed all morning for it to turn into a nice day and the good Lord answered my prayers. The wind calmed and it was a beautiful, sunny afternoon.

The set of 3 teal lantern balls were on clearance at Party Works for $4 and I ordered the mini Radio Flyer Wagon on Amazon for about 18 dollars - totally worth it!

We borrowed tables and chairs from my best friend's parents. 

{Centerpieces}

These babies gave me a little headache. I knew exactly how I wanted the centerpieces to look but finding a teal tin bucket and red gerber daisies wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. I finally found the buckets at Michael's a couple of towns away for 30% off - $3 each and the daisies at JoAnn's for half off - total of $9. I wrapped the pinwheels with polkadot ribbon to compliment the scrapbook paper (4 for $1 at Michael's).

My sister throws incredible parties and has gathered many supplies from the shindigs she has hosted. This is great for me because I can call her up and say "Hey, sis, do you have ------?" The answer is usually yes. For Noah's party I borrowed her burlap table runners, teal and red platters and bowls, and cupcake stand.

A fun craft table for the kiddies - coloring pages, stickers, crayons, foam shapes and bubbles.

{Food}

Burlap is a very cheap and useful fabric. The food table backdrop was one of the first things I planned. I wanted to hide the unattractive side yard and shield the food from the sun in a pretty way. My hot glue gun came to the rescue for this one. I glued twine to the top of the burlap and folded it over to create a "seam." The "Happy 1st Noah" banner is also from the Dimpleprints package.

I mentioned that it was windy in the morning - so windy that it was impossible to keep the table cloths (97 cents from Walmart) on the tables. My mom came up with the genius idea of tying the corners of the table cloths to keep them on.

I kept the menu simple for the party - hot dogs, fruit kabobs, "wagon wheels" (vegetarian), potato salad, and BBQ chips. 

Can you spy the invitation on the table? I had them printed at Costco for $7. 

I found the little white buckets at the dollar store. They come in a set of 3 and are labeled as favor containers. I stuffed them with paper crinkle and taped the food labels to cake pop sticks.

Wagon Wheel RECIPE

Silverware - folded napkin and a fork tied with twine.

{Drinks}

Lemonade, Strawberry Lemonade, Soda & Water

I wrapped almost everything I could with burlap and ribbon! It's all in the details :)

I love this little wagon! I had big plans for it to hold the hot dogs but somehow it ended up on this table and I didn't bother moving it. 

A few of the gifts for the birthday boy!

Opening presents

{Happy Birthday, Noah}

{Cousins}

Ages 1, 2, 3 & 4!

{Family}

Noelle doing some coloring. She was such a big helper for mommy during the party.

Me and my sweet boy.

{Welcome}

The party was a few days after Valentine's Day and as I was removing the heart wreath from the door I got an idea. I wrapped leftover burlap around the wreath and tied the printable welcome sign from Dimpleprints around it. I can't believe it actually turned out cute! 

And that's the party! I hope you enjoyed the pictures as much as I enjoyed putting it all together. I know Noah won't remember it, but I will. It's his first one - the first time since his birth family and friends gather together to celebrate his life. And I can't wait to celebrate many, many more.

-Amanda

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Noah is ONE!

Happy Birthday Noah!

Just one short year ago, at 5:13pm, I held you for the first time. 

And now you are one year old!

Here's what Noah has been up to lately:

Noah can stand unassisted and even pick things up while standing. He has taken several steps on his own (I think the record is 6) walking from couch to ottoman, back to the couch. I can't wait for him to be a full-time walker - he is getting SO heavy. It was a breeze when he was an infant to brush my teeth, cook, clean and play with Noelle one-handed, but now it kills my back to hold 20+ pounds while doing all of that.
Here's a peek of his walking skills:

My little man still nurses 4 times a day (when he wakes up, before his 2 naps, and before bed time). I'm not sure how long I'm going to continue nursing him. Ideally I'd like to continue until he is around 18 months, but now that we've made it to a year I won't be too disappointed if he weans himself earlier.

Noah finally learned how to drink from a sippy cup! Actually he figured out how to drink from a bottle first so for a week last month I was giving him a 3 oz bottle of milk twice a day and when I offered a sippy cup, he took it without hesitation. And eating is going perfectly. He tries everything we put in front of him and usually finishes it all - if not he throws it overboard for Brinkley (the dog).

Noah has a silly and loving personality. Here's a recent video of my giggly boy.

Noah's 1st Birthday Party is this weekend! I'm excited to celebrate his life with family and friends. Pictures to come!

-Amanda

"Uh-oh"

We've heard Noah say "uh-oh" a few times in the past but today it was his favorite word. He repeated it about 20 times while playing with his ball in the kitchen. Then he continued saying "uh-oh" all day after dropping anything he could get his hands on - food, his hat, toys, the remote, his sippy cup, my iPhone.
I chuckled every time he said it because I can't get enough of his sweet little voice.

This is the only "word" he has said that I have recorded. I'm always too caught up in the moment to remember to grab my camera when he says "mamma" or "up." Luckily today he offered me many opportunities to capture the "uh-oh" game. 

Love that kid.

Noah - 11 months

Noah John is 11 months old!

I'm in complete disbelief that my baby boy is going to be a year old in just one short month. Watching him grow has been an incredible blessing and the memories from the past 11 months bring me nothing but pure joy. I went through the pictures of his life thus far and every stage has been amazing.



Let's review month 10.

Noah started sleeping through the night!!! Finally!!! Last month was crazy with his ear infection/cold. He was getting up several times a night again but now he goes to sleep between 7:30 and 8pm and wakes up between 5 and 6 to nurse then goes back down for an hour or so. I had forgotten how amazing it feels to sleep more than 5 consecutive hours. It's blissful.



He also naps twice a day, at 10:30am and an afternoon nap. The second nap time depends on our schedule. If the cousins are over it's usually around 3pm. If not, then it's more around 2pm.



Noah loves walking around the house pushing a chair. The fancy walkers are not his style, he's a no thrills kind of guy.

He is becoming much more independent during play time. In the past he would need either me or Noelle to interact with him and the toys but now he explores them on his own. This month he learned how to stack his rubber blocks to make a tower and really enjoys knocking them down.
This is his favorite toy:

He also loves playing with his cars

Noah is a hungry dude. We joke that if he's awake, he's eating. He loves food. The only trouble we have with Noah is getting him to drink on his own. He won't drink from a bottle or sippy cup so all the liquid he gets (besides from nursing) comes from a regular cup which I help him with. I offer a sippy cup with every meal and I have one around with water at all times but he's just not too interested in them. Unless of course he gets his hands on his sister's cup. Which he will chew on until someone (Noelle) snatches it away.



Here's a typical day eating schedule:

6am - Nurse about 6 oz
7-8am - Breakfast - yogurt and banana, and milk.
10am - Snack then nurses before nap time
12pm - Lunch - bread, cheese, a Happy Tot fruit/veggie pouch, and water.
2 or 3pm - Nurses to nap
4pm - Cracker snack and water while I make dinner
5pm - Dinner (what ever we are eating, like chicken, peas & rice) and milk.
7:30 - Nurses to bed

Noah's vocabulary is pretty much the same as it was last month. He says "up" and has said "mamma" several times. He'll also repeat "go" every once and a while.

As easy going Noah is most of the time, there are a few things he does not like. Car rides if he is hungry or tired. Toys that move unpredictably. Getting his diaper changed. And the end of bath time when I wash his hair.

That about sums up month 10! Noah is an amazing little guy. He's happy, curious, funny, loving and has the sweetest nature.

I can't believe you are almost one, Buddy! I love you so much! - Mommy

a whole lot of Christmas-ness

Christmas is my favorite time of the year.

We've been up to a lot of Christmas-ness lately. Doing things that make me so happy I could burst. You know the happy - when you can't fight back tears because you know that at that moment you are making memories that will last a lifetime.

It started at the beginning of the month when Miss Noelle rode in her first parade. Her ballet class, Tiny Toes, had a little float in our local Christmas parade. FYI - "float" means a trailer hooked to the back of a pickup truck decorated with a single strand of lights and some tinsel. 

I was so proud of my little girl for actually going along with the whole thing. Crowds of people and moving objects aren't her thing and I seriously thought she wouldn't have anything to do with riding on the float when we arrived. But she sat patiently (for 45 minutes) until it was their turn to drive down main street and wave at the entire town. I walked behind the float with several other adoring parents and watched my brave girl grow up just a little more.

She amazes me.

The next morning sister really impressed me when she and her class performed for Santa and a large group of people at the annual "Breakfast with Santa." Noelle's ballet teacher told her to stand on a taped X on the ground and Noelle made sure after every eight count that she was in the middle of the X. It was the cutest thing.

About an hour away from our house is a street called Christmas Tree Lane. Every year the entire street puts up an extraordinary amount of lights. Each house has a different theme, some modest, some extravagant. Noelle and Noah sat in my lap and we cruised down the street at 2 mph sipping hot chocolate and singing carols. 

After the 40 minute light show we asked Noelle what her favorite part was. Her answer? Not the singing elfs or even the Little Mermaid themed house. Her favorite was a single pink light on a strand of white lights. Gotta love that.

Christmas parties are always fun. Our church held a Christmas party for the children's ministry volunteers. My mom and dad were also there (here with my mom). 

Noelle's play group met up at art class where they decorated Christmas tree ornaments and cards to give to mommy and daddy as gifts. Ya'll know how much I love home-made ornaments. Other moms are always impressed with Noelle's obsessively neat craftiness. I wonder where she gets it :)

Santa even came to visit at art class! Noah gave Santa the side eye at first but found interest in his beard and decided Santa was an okay guy. Noelle made sure Santa knew she wanted a pink Princess bike for Christmas and she gave him the card she made - you know, the one for mommy and daddy.

Sunday night was the annual Candlelight service at our church. Amazing as always. Noelle sat with my dad through the worship until it was time to light the candles and sing Silent Night.

Mr. G and I hosted a Christmas party for our small group. We enjoyed a taco bar and then sat, very seriously, and created graham cracker houses. We have an incredible group - people who make our lives richer in many ways. 

The finished products:

And the unanimous winner:

I decided to make a nativity instead of a house. I didn't have much time since Noah was crawling around looking for something to get his hands on. 

These are a few of my favorite things:

My daily trip to the mailbox in December is one of the sweetest parts of the day. I love getting Christmas cards from family and friends, old and new. I especially love getting notes from friends who have moved away but remain close in our hearts. 

Baby's First Christmas outfits

Afternoon fog. The only "white" Christmas we get.

And moments like this.

And this.

Enjoy your families and have a safe and joyous Christmas! 

-Amanda