Matthew Turns One

I can't believe my little 9 lb 5 oz baby boy is now one year old!  What an amazing year this has been.  Yes there have been ups and downs while figuring out this whole parenting thing, but every part has been worth it!  I'm truly amazed at the amount of love I have for Matthew - he is such a huge blessing to our lives!  I'm so looking forward to what this next year has in store for our family & seeing all of the new things that Matthew will learn.

Now, on to his party.  I new early on that I wanted a dinosaur theme.  As I searched Pinterest and other websites, I came across ideas that matched his nursery colors - PERFECT!  I was so thankful to have the summer off before the party so I could spend as much time as I needed to get everything.  They say that the first birthday is really for the mom, and it's so true.  While I stressed more that I should've, it was all worth it.  The party was a huge success & we created some wonderful memories.  Now prepare for picture/party overload :-)

We started the morning playing around in the ball pit that we were going to use for the party.  One of Mike's friends, Kyle, was there to take pictures for us.  Matthew was such a happy boy on his birthday - thankfully!  You can tell by these pics that he was enjoying his first morning as a one year old.

The next few pictures are of Matthew having fun with his gift from Mike and me - Radio Flyer Wagon!  He, of course, wanted to push it everywhere, but couldn't because it's so big.

Seeing Mike bring out his wagon

Now for the decor & food

The living room with lots of toys for the babies - the pool with the balls was a big hit!

I decorated the mantle with some of M's dinosaur books and his monthly banner.

The sign on his highchair - found on etsy

The food area - I made a collage in the shape of a "1" of all of M's firsts throughout the year.  Unfortunately this is the only picture I have of it - it's on the far right wall.

The dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets were a hit!

A big thanks to Mike for creating and printing all labels - little did we know the ink on the water bottles would stain everyone's hands...OOPS!

Now on to the Dino-mite party! 

Since it was August and hot, we had some water games in the backyard - a slip-n-slide, dinosaur ring toss, and a sprinkler.  M wasn't sure what to think about the slip-n-slide.  His friend, Sydney, was definitely not a fan!

 Playing on the sports slide his Emie and Pops got for him.

Maddie playing with the dinosaur ring toss game - will come in handy for summers to come

M liked to pick at the orange circles - this being his 3rd cake, he wasn't as interested

This is what Matthew did the entire time I was opening his gifts :-)  He made his laps around the kitchen, dining room, and living room.

The next photos are from the photo booth area in our kitchen - some of these were taken on a good ole' disposable camera, so the lighting isn't as great.

Matthew's Emie and Pops with Aunt LaLa

Mike's boss, Linda, and her husband

M's Grammie and Grandpa with Uncle Jim & Miss Ashley

Sweet Cooper, a friend from daycare, and his momma

With Easton and his momma - also a friend from daycare

The cousins & sisters-in-law

Uncle Chris, Aunt Christin, and cousins Alli & Emily (born a few weeks later)

My fabulous BFF coworkers and their precious kiddos

 Mike with Kyle, our photographer

We were all exhausted after the party, but it was a huge success!!!  I'm so very thankful for all of our wonderful family and friends who love our little Matthew!  Here are 2 pics from that day that show just how much fun Matthew had!  Love my sweet boy!!!

Playing is his Cozy Coupe from Aunt LaLa

He loved having all of his balloons in his crib - plus it's such a cute photo op!

Happy First Birthday Matthew!  We love you!!!