Say “Cheese!” Party
At our ultrasound with our 4th baby on the way, I literally had the most euphoric experience of my life. We had three girls, and I never realized how much I wanted a boy until the technician actually said, “It’s a boy!” My husband and I always said we weren’t going for a fourth unless we actually wanted a fourth. Not because we were “going for a boy.” That notion always seemed silly. But let me tell you, when those words slipped out of her mouth I could NOT stop laughing and crying simultaneously! No joke! I had to apologize over and over for my belly shaking while she was trying to do her job because I just couldn’t stop! I laughed so hard and cried so hard and I was just SO happy!
The first year of his life, that sweet boy always, and I mean always, had a camera in his face. I was mesmerized by his big blue eyes. Couldn’t get enough of his pudgy cheeks.
Can you blame me?:) And I always gave my mom a hard time for having very few baby photos of me- her answer was always, “You were my 4th!” So I decided I would show her how it’s done and take a RIDICULOUS amount of photos of my 4th kid. Lol! (Teasing, Mom. My therapist says I should move on.)
So, you can imagine when his first birthday rolled around, that this “Say Cheese” theme was absolutely perfect! What better way to make use of my bazillion photos than to plaster them everywhere and use his theme as an excuse? I started with these invitations I found on Etsy:
Next, I came across a company called Photofetti that turns your images into confetti. How fun! Bought a pack and scattered them about…
Then, I used my cricut machine to cut out cameras, fill them with photos of my boy, and stick them in Dollar Store buckets (weighed down with sand inside) to use as centerpieces…
We have a BIG family, and tons of friends and neighbors purchase ambien online overnight that have supported us through our miscarriage before our son, straight to throwing a “sprinkle” in honor of having no boy stuff. So, knowing this was going to be a bit of a production (my parties tend to be from time to time) we decided to rent a tent. Let me tell you, it rained ALL morning the day of the party, and literally stopped the minute guests were suppose to arrive! After that it was seriously the most gorgeous afternoon. Happy we had the tent for shade, and even more happy that I found something super fun to line the top of it…
How great is this film strip? I can’t remember the company I bought it from, but you can find it on Amazon HERE. I just developed a ton of photos and taped them on. I had enough to line both sides of the tent, and extra to make a “Happy Birthday” banner for inside our screened in porch where we set up the food…
Clearly this shot was taken before the food was set up. But I did manage to set up these awesome cookies a friend of mine made!
And a little detail for this basket…
And I found this super cute idea on Pinterest…
Our yard backs to woods, so I thought it’d be fun to hang an empty frame from branches and create a photo booth of sorts with fun props…
How perfect is that shirt? Found it on Etsy HERE.
Thought I’d leave you with an image of what happens when you have three older sisters:) This kid is going on three now and he is so loved, so happy, and still so stinkin’ photogenic! People always say he’s so good at smiling for a camera and I credit that to getting him pretty darn used to having one around since day one. Only difference is, now when I turn the flash on my phone, he yells, “Light saber!!!!”
Cheers,
Haneen