Our Very Hungry Caterpillar turned One Party!

I have been wasting time on pinterest for the last 30 minutes because I was not wanting to write this post! I think it was a mixture between “I cant believe my baby is ONE!” and “If I write the birthday post, all the birthday anticipation is over.” Either way, Preston did turn ONE on the 12, and his party was this past Saturday. At one, he is walking, saying “mama, daddy, and thank you,” and bringing joy to everyone he is around. And by everyone, I mean everyone. He loves smiling at strangers so much that I had him at Walmart last week, and then Luke took him and a sweet old man recognized him. He is rough and tough and tumbles around the back yard, but he loves to lay down his sweet head on my shoulder before he goes to sleep. He has the huge blues eyes of his sister, the precious cleft in his chin from his Daddy, and his Uncle Jake’s sweet spirit. I joke and say he has the :Jeffery” temper from my dad and Blake, but he is funny like they are, too. I think he got my appetite. He loves his sister….oh boy, does he love her. I feel sorry for anyone that tries to date her, because he is protective already. He follows her every move and thinks she is the funniest person she has ever met. She is the same way towards him. She loves to make him smile, and she makes sure that I am taking care of her Preston (she always refers to him as “My Preston” which I think is absolutely adorable.) Little boy, you are loved so much by so many. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for your life; I know it is going to be big, it is going to be awesome, and you are going to have a big part to play in His Story. We love you “mighty much”, little man. Your first year of life has been a complete joy for me as a Mom, and I want you to know that you are a blessing to me every minute.

I thought I was so original in my party planning when I picked up Very Hungry Caterpillar napkins and tablecloth on clearance a year ago from Target. Then i started googling and pinteresting it, and I realized that I am not so original as I thought. Needless to say, I loved this theme and the planning that went along with it. Another blog I read, enjoying the small things , said she feels like her kid’s birthday parties are her love letters to them. I completely agree. I love planning, preparing, and putting on parties for those that I love! Preston’s was no different. Kate and I handmade almost all of the decorations, and it was so much fun to share this with her. I also learned that two year olds have no concept of time, so telling her his party was Saturday on Monday made for a long week of, not yet, you have school, then a free day, then school, then Grammy and Audrie will be here, then his party. Repeat daily.
Ok, starting with the invitations for his little friends. I got an idea from potterybarnkids.com, and then made it my own. The caterpillar also doubled as a magnet. (and I loved them b/c they were super cheap to make)
   


We had the party at a park, and I think this was the best idea yet. I only had 30 minutes to decorate, so I had to be super organized, and I couldnt go back and change things 50x like I usually do!
 
Kate and I made all of the little caterpillars out of egg cartons! She loved all of the art projects!
Delicious cookies made with love by Aunt Meme! (our new little Martha!)
His monthly pictures from 1 month-11months:
The Mason jars had vanilla yogurt in them, and then we had all of the fruit from the book (plus blueberries!) We also had granola for a mini parfait. They were really good, and I think yummy for the kids and parents. We also had a cheese and sausage set up too.
For favors, I had big suckers for the big kids, and bug rubber duckies for the babies. The kids could also make a book mark with their thumbprints to make a caterpillar and the quote “Children are made readers on the laps of their parents. ~Emilie Buchwald.
 
Making bookmarks

Luke fashioned the awesome apple cake. I did a trial run a few weeks ago, and it was so good it ended up as cake balls (ha.ha.) Luke’s looks so much better than mine!
I love this picture where you can see his little feet. He has no idea how happy he is fixing to be! 

Seriously, Dad? Does Mom know you are doing this?Happy Boy!       
Pres and Easton           
Coco wanted her ice cream!

The guest cake was a chocolate chip bundt cake with cream cheese frosting, cut and shaped like the book.

Papa Q and Ninabelle and the boys
Jeffery Blake and Preston Jeffery

Nana and KK

 

Audrie and Aunt Dee

Poppop, Grammy, and Audrie

The weather was perfect, the food was yummy, and everyone had a fun time playing. I was so happy to be able to share this day with my little man!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Preston, Happy Birthday to you!!