It takes a village to raise a child and also takes a village to host a 1st birthday party with 40 adults and 15 children, most of which were under the age of 5.

Samuel’s first birthday we wanted to make sure was special for him, our friends and family and celebrate us as first time parents getting to that special day. Did I go overboard? Maybe a little, but I had fun doing it. Since I love hosting parties I had to make sure this one was extra special. So, like all moms, I started scouring Pinterest early, saving every idea that I thought I could pull off without looking like a total Pinterest fail.

My friend and neighbor, thanks Linda : ), gave me the idea of every year bringing in one balloon representing his age and singing Happy Birthday. Samuel loved the singing, he loves attention, and even more loved playing with his balloon for days to come. It was nice to do something special in the morning before all our guests arrived for the party.

We decided to do Samuel’s first birthday party at our new house. Since his birthday is right during the heat of summer in Colorado we made sure to have the backyard ready with umbrellas, tents and fans to create a nicer environment.

I wouldn’t call myself a baker but it is something I enjoy doing when I can find the time. With some guidance and encouragement from my dear lifelong best friend, @heidisbakehaus I was able to create the seashell decorated cookies to add to our Under the Sea theme. I also made some Snickerdoodle cookies and added some sliced almonds to create sandollar cookies to add to the fun. I went to Safeway and showed the baker the ocean colored cookies I was wanting. I added on the “bubbles” which were small sprinkles and also the shark fins which I purchased on Amazon.