Party Time!

HELLO FROM PINTEREST! So excited to see this post getting repinned! :)

Perfectionists should never throw parties.

I don't know what I would have done without the TEAM of family members helping make Dane's first birthday party the best first birthday in human history. My sister-in-law used her insane craft skills to create some cool pieces, my mother-in-law chose all the photos for the photo display, my sister jumped right in on food prep and my Gramma saved the day when I stuck my big fat finger in the cake on the way home from the baker's. And my Mom... there are no words for her. She rocks. She cooked, she cleaned, she put up with my freaking out. I love her.

Tevie graciously overlooked the Hobby Lobby bags and piles of junk for a couple days...

I mean, creativity needs to room to spread, you know? When party time came, we left no surface undecorated. 

A good friend created the awesome invites and the baseball theme spread from there.

 The favor bags said "Thanks for celebrating Dane's Rookie Year"-- peanuts and Cracker Jacks, of course!

 

My parents brought their camper to house everyone. My parents, Gramma, sister, brother and brother-in-law were all in town for Dane's big day!

 

I can't say enough about the awesome baker who made the cake. Or about my Gramma, another awesome baker and cake decorator, who swooped in to save the day when I wiped the "e" right off the cake. Oops!!

With temperatures above 90degrees, we kept fans going and placed the tables under a big tent to provide some shade. We also kept the fresh lemonade and iced tea coming! I saw the photo idea on pinterest and knew I had to do it for the party. The pictures were in chronological order from birth so guests could see how much Dane had changed in his first year.

 And what baseball-themed party would be complete without a concession/hot dog stand?

Tevie, his Dad and brotherJess spent a whole Saturday building this beauty. It wasn't just for this party though (though Dane's Pappy would have built it just for him!), it will also be used in Jess' wedding next month.

 A smiley birthday boy!

 Then there was cake!!

We chose a baseball theme because the day after the party we headed to St. Louis to watch the Cardinals take on the LA Dodgers. Dane shares the same first name as my Papa Perry and as you also know if you've read this blog for any length of time, they also share the same birthday. Since the Cards (our favorite team) were playing the Dodgers (Papa's favorite team) on their birthday, it seemed like the perfect place to celebrate such a special day. Papa would have been 94, and I guess Jesus wanted to give him a birthday present because he let the Dodgers win. :) 

Included in the invitation was this little card:

We met the founder of this ministry, Ronnie Kaluya, while he was studying here in Kentucky. Dane was spoiled by his grandparents and aunts and uncles with a water table, a new carseat, and a few new toys-- he didn't need additional things. So instead we encouraged our friends to support a ministry close to our hearts. Would you believe that Ronnie and his wife Ronah were in the States this month?! They even stopped by the party for a while to eat with us and visit with Dane!

We pray often that our sweet boy will have kingdom impact. Watching his family and friends gather around him on his special day and commemorate it through giving to an anointed ministry filled my heart with so much joy. I can't wait to see how God continues to use our little man. 

Happy FIRST Birthday, Perry Dane!