i am finally getting around to sharing a few photos from samson’s first birthday party from a couple weeks ago. we had the greatest afternoon in the park with friends celebrating our little guy. like we did with eleanor’s first birthday, i think it’s really fun to throw parties for our babies. i know they won’t remember it, but it’s their first birthday and in my opinion, it’s more about celebrating everyone in the family: we all made it! we all survived! what a great year! 

while samson was born in washington dc, he has lived the majority of his first year in the big apple. i love that he’s being raised in this city, and i think he’s loving it too so far. so i based the party off of one of my favorite children’s book, this is new york, by miroslav lasek. if you haven’t read it, you should check it out. it’s new york city in the 1960′s and it’s adorable!

^^^i kept party invitations simple by sending out handwritten old new york city postcards which i found at paper source. i embosed them with a few new york city themed stamps, too. (i feel like a new super crafty woman after i learned about embossing last month! how did i not know about this until now?) ^^^

^^^playing off of the old fashioned new york theme, we had a picnic in the park and served old-fashioned pretzels with all the dipping sauces, red apples, and doughnuts. we also had some red licorice and sugar cookies decorated like hot dogs, watermelons and lemonades, with old fashioned sodas. ^^^

^^^these sugar cookies tasted terrible but they were pretty cute! i had found them on gilt city for a great deal and couldn’t resist since they fit into the new york theme so well. somehow most of the kids still ate them? i don’t know, they must have been trying to be kind. ;)^^^

^^^barely  a year old and already trying to steal a scooter! also, on the right we have samson’s birthday cake which was melting the entire time i was trying to frost it since it was terribly hot that morning. so you know, it looks really awesome! lucky for you, i’m not showing a close up. ;) it looked more like sesame bun than a cake with the sprinkles and coloring! you win some, you lose some… ^^^

^^^i found old fashioned toy taxi cabs at a local children’s store for a great price so we gave them out to everyone as a party favor. over the past few weeks i’ve been seeing all of S’s little friends with their little taxi cabs in hand, so i think they were a hit. ;)^^^

^^^samson and friends spent most of the party by the yellow buckets of ice, bobbing for sodas and playing with the ice. i’m going to fill these buckets up with water this summer in my itty bitty kitchen and let the kids go swimming inside. i will also not envy anyone who has a private yard or sprinklers or swimming pool or even a great public swimming pool this summer, either. (YEAH RIGHT!)

^^^no one was hurt in the taking of this photo.^^^

 ^^^here we go!!!!!!^^^

^^^eleanor was not about to have little brother get all the attention at his party. i mean! and for a girl who hates getting dirty or wet or anything, she sure didn’t mind getting her fists into that birthday cake! ^^^

^^^i think he had a really great time.^^^

^^^eleanor’s friends are some of the silliest and cutest in town.^^^

we love you so much, samson. happiest happy 1st birthday!

*a few of these photos were taken by marci and also meg and also marisa. thanks again ladies for helping out taking pictures!