Party Time!

I have finally had a moment to sort through the dozens (actually hundreds!) of photos from Shelby's birthday. We hired a photographer to take pictures so she could capture every minute and we wouldn't have to worry about a thing! Oh what a day! Or really, what a weekend! We had SUCH a great time and I genuinely think our guests did too.  It was like planning a mini-wedding in some resects - ok, not nearly the work, but once it was over, I had a post-birthday letdown, similar to after our wedding.

The theme was "You Are My Sunshine," inspired by the sweet children's song. I picked that theme when she was about 4 months old; I just loved it. I kept the decor simple, classic and fun! The Shelby garland was a bit of an under-taking and I hired an incredibly talented friend to make the cake. Not only was is adorable, but tasty too. She outdid herself, making cupcakes, pretzels and cookies too!

The party itself was a total joy. Was it overboard for a 1 year old? Of course, but we knew that and were ok with it. Pre-Shelby we would host friends at our house pretty regularly, but over the last year we really haven't. Plus, we're always invited to our friends' houses for this and that, so it was nice to return the favor. In addition to snacks and pizza for the kids, we had a taco guy who made the most delicious tacos. I think we won the title of best party food of all time that day!

My mom, sister, aunt and nephew were so amazing and all packed in the car to make the 550+ mile drive through the desert to be there for her special day. It was SO wonderful. Although they were a little late, they all still met the majority of our guests. So hard to choose photos to share, but the below are a few that really tell the story...

I had no idea what to expect when it came time for the cake. I don't go around feeding Shelby cake, so I didn't know if she would be hesitant, or dig right in. It turns out it was definitely the later...it was pretty darn cute to watch.

And finally, a couple of my favorite photos from the whole day. Memories I will treasure forever!