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!
He is so cute and I love the taxi cabs as party favors!
xx
Kelly
Sparkles and Shoes
Awww, I think that they had lots of fun! Beautiful b-day photos!
http://lartoffashion.blogspot.com
Look at that big grin! :) I bet he had a wonderful day, looks like you all did. Glorious, summery photographs! Thanks for sharing!
http://lifeiswhathappensblog.wordpress.com/
Oh man, what a great theme! And you did such an awesome job capturing all of the fun details and faces. Happy Birthday to your littlest!
nativetohappiness.blogspot.com
such a lovely birthday celebration…i know this is a little detail to mention…but i have to tell you that i love your handwriting (on the invitations)…cursive is a bit of a lost art…it’s fun to see. hooray! xo
that looks so perfect!
that is the cutest theme i’ve ever seen!
Oh my goodness those little front teeth are too much. Such a beautiful day you had! Loving all the yellow!
and that upside down picture of josh and samson… i can’t even. you are so blessed to have such wonderful boys.
<3becky
http://www.loosefromthezoo.com
cute party for a cute boy.
can’t believe s is already one.
What a wonderful celebration! Marci, Meg, Marisa and youserlf made a wonderful job with the pictures! I absolutely love This is NY, it makes such a good gift!
Damaris
http://www.thecatyouandus.com
Your family is so adorable! Happy Birthday to your adorable little man!
just like everything you do…. absolutely amazingly-adorable birthday party. I was gonna give you hint about the birthday cake icing not melting. If you have to make a cake for outside the secret to not letting the icing melt with homemade icing is not to add the butter. You use straight shortening. Here’s a recipe you might like. it doesn’t taste as good as the 1/2 butter buttercream, but it won’t melt either. http://www.wilton.com/recipe/Snow-White-Buttercream-Icing
awesome! wish i’d have known sooner. thanks for the tip!
This looks so cute! Happy Belated 1st Birthday Samson!
These are just the cutest pictures! Thanks for sharing. Love the idea of a birthday party inspired by a vintage children’s book.
aw happy birthday to him! xx
Valentina
http://valentinaduracinsky.blogspot.com/
What a beautiful party! Such a lovely family you have, they are lucky to have you as their mother! Can’t believe he is already a year old!
p.s. Mind sharing where you found the yellow tubs? We too lack a yard or pool and that is a great solution!
thanks! i got them at zabars here in the city.
you can tell he really enjoyed his b-day party!
lovely photos!
I think basing party themes on books/films really works! It definitely did here anyway, what a lovely idea.
Looks like such a fun birthday! I love all the details you paid attention to, like the embossed invitations and taxi cab favors.
The party looks wonderful. i love all of the bright color, and your “Saturday” blankets. I’ve been eyeing those blankets, worth the 50? Ok for the beach?
uh-dorable. It looks like everyone had a blast. I think im going to have to throw my own birthday party in a park this fall.
As soon as I saw the close up of the cookies, I said outloud, ‘those are cute, but I bet they taste awful.’ And then I read your comment. haha. I think the bakers of those cookies sacrifice taste for looks. Pity!
could your kids BE any cuter??! i feel like i’m repeating myself when i say that……i probably am. but really. they’re adorable. what a fun party!
I was craving a couple of those hotdog cookies…until you said they didn’t taste very good. Happy Friday!
AW!!!!! One of my favourite blog posts of yours! x
http://www.cindynguyen.ca/
Oh this looks like such a lovely celebration! You did a wonderful job putting it all together, And These photos are so beautiful even though he won’t remember, he will have these to look back on!
xoxo
Juliette Laura
http://juliettelaura.blogspot.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/InfiniteStyleShop
The party looks fantastic. Great theme. Hanna
He looks so happy! What a beautiful party!
Goshies! Love the whole concept for Samson’s 1st birthday :D
http://www.speakstyleandrock.blogspot.com
So adorable! I love how E helped Samson with his birthday cake (which by the way, looks awesome!)
your family is so beautiful, and i adore this happy, smiley photos of yours! i wish samson a happy birthday!
Hey now, don’t be hard on yourself over the cake! It looks delicious! Gorgeous gorgeous photos of you and your sweet family. And what a lovely day for a park-party- I bet you had everything crossed that the weather held out! We could never rely on it here in England…sigh!
http://www.ciderwithrosie.com
such amazing snaps!! looks like a wonderful day!
Hermosa fiesta, hermosos bebes, hermosa familia! Feliz cumpleaños Samson!
I’m pregnant with my first little bubba and can’t wait for the first birthday party already :)
http://www.girlaboutchelts.blogspot.com
It looks like the party was a hit! What an adorable theme and a beautiful day celebrating! Hope you all had fun and a happy belated birthday to mister Samson!
Those last two pictures! Perfect!! And I love that you went off the book theme. For my little ones first last summer we did, Wheels in the Bus themed because its the only song he would calm down for :) This year you’re making me think outs for the box with that cool but classic NYC feel!
Lynden Laundry
http://lyndenlaundry.blogspot.com/?m=1
what a gorgeous party! such great details.
e’s hair style is sooooo cute! I could eat her up :)
that photo of E with the little girl in the red dots dress , she reminds me of a young Drew Barrymore with that smile. so cute.
ok, what a darling party! I lOVE the ny theme! so cute! all the fun details are so cute, but what I love most of all is all the smiles on your cute kids faces :)
What a bright and happy party it looked to be! So charming. Love the little taxicab party favours.
What a lovely birthday party! I wish I had a birthday in spring or summer because of picnics! It’s the best thing about summer – laying in the park with friends, chatting and eating some good food. Anyway, E & S look soo cute! And so do the other lovely kids! Beautiful!
I love how you chose the theme!!! Such a lovely party and it looked like a great day for a picnic. He sure looks happy!
so perfect!
you guys are the most precious family!!!
http://the-darjeelings.blogspot.com/2013/06/my-bloggeryoutuber-obsessions.html
such a precious family!
Your family is so cute:-) I love the theme for the party. Definitely something to keep in mind in future years when I have kids.
My god, this smile, those teeth…I’m dying!
What a cutis pie you have here,
This party must have been so much fun and love and happiness.
Happy Birthday little Samson!
Samson looks JUST LIKE papa!! Such a sweet party; I love that book, too! And bummer about those cookies. They are adorable but taste trumps all in the world of baked goods!!
I’m so jealous. Working from home, it’s hard to meet new friends, especially those with playmates for my little girl. The party looks like so much fun for kids and mom n dad!
Cheers! from,
http://www.mychampagnesunday.com
I love all of these photos! The pop of yellow, so beautiful! Your kids are too adorable for words.. love looking at your posts.
XO Kay.
@LOVETAZA! I am from the Czech republic and LOVING that you mentioned the book from Miroslav Sasek. He was from the Czech republic, too :). Love love love all his books!! :)
I LOVE everything about this darling party!! Way to go, mama! That must have been some feat getting everything to the park!
Joyeux anniversaire, from a french girl who is born the june 14 too
always a pleasure to come on your blog
Isabelle
I am obsessed with your baby boy – he always looks like he’s having such a ball and is always the life of the party! Genius party theme, too!
What a great theme – I love the way the yellow pops!
Love the party! I found a great baker on etsy who makes super cute AND delicious cookies….check out yummy delicious cookies by whimsical originals. I’ve used her twice so far and she doesn’t disappoint!
Also, where is your dress from? It’s gorgeous!
I have really, really enjoyed your blog and pictures over the past year. Your children are beautiful and look so joyful!
love her wanting to dig into his cake too :) At least she didn’t throw a hat across the table at her brother, like mine did, then break out into a screaming tantrum and thus, totally ruin him wanting to dive into the cake at all. :/
I absolutely adore the theme of his birthday! Everything looks perfect. And sweet Samson looks so happy with his cake :) xo
glad to see that his birthday was a big success! Love the yellow cabs gift, and the food looks delicious! You’re a great party planner ;)
http://smittenbyangels.blogspot.com
Gosh, I can’t believe a year has gone by since this little man arrived into the world. While we don’t know each other, I have so enjoyed getting to know your family through this blog…
This looks like so much fun! Happy Birthday t o your little man!
Shannon
http://GBOfashion.com
your blog is so dam beautiful naomi! i love how your family is always so happy and gorgeous. you guys really do brighten my day and i hope one day when i have littles, they will be just as cute as yours! looks like samson had a really great time and everything looks amazing! you talented women you! i love your deco style. would love to know where you purchased the cake holder. it’s pretty adorable too and the perfect size! thanks! xo tilly
you seriously have the cutest, sweetest family! i had a blast at my sons first bday party too –what great memories you have!! you should check out my blog some day–i know you probably get that request from thousands of people. i would love love love to one day do a guest post on your sweet little blog! my cite is ourhilife.com
Hello! Happy Birthday to Samson! Wish all the best!
I’m so happy that i found your blog!! It’s so cutest and optimistic!
Bota from Kazakhstan, xx
Wow…looks wonderful!
Such a nice theme for the first birthday of a child!!!
And so many wonderful photos!!!
what a georgous party for a cute kid…..Eleonore is such a beauty ♥…love the way you arranged the tables…with the balloons and all the colors…..and the cookies…look yummy ♥♥
It looks like you had a wonderful time! I love the yellow cabs as party bags.
It looks like you had such a good day, great idea with the picnic in the park – minimal cleaning!
We gave the This is London book to our niece for her birthday, she knew her auntie and uncle lived in London but now she gets to see what its like (or there abouts..) and she loves it!
Adorable theme & presentation & decor….just like all your parties. How did you transport all that stuff to central park?!
Samson’s lack of memory is the only flaw of this perfect party! What a great collection of friends to have helped you transport all of the details to the park.
it must be something about those heavily decorated sugar cookies, i’ve been to two parties with them and they look divine but as i joyously bite into one i have to try not to bug out my eyes in severe dismay. chalk anyone?
lot of dramatic words above, bottom line in my experience –
heavily decorated sugar cookies = ICK.
gorgeous photos! love all the yellow. xx
Samson is just the cutest!! I love your yellow dress. And that last picture of you and Samson is frame worthy!!!
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WOOOOW!
It looks like an AMAZING party.
Happy 1st Birthday dear Samson !!!
Great photos. LoVe it….
And those sweet little taxi cabs. So damn cute!
So stinking cute, and even though it was hot, at least it didn’t rain! I won’t tell anyone but I thought your cake looked delicious.
Awww! Happy Birthday Samson! He looks like he had a blast!
what a beautiful, fun, colourful day!
your two treasures look so alike
xo em
My heart can’t handle all the cutes! Your blog always makes me feel so happy.
where is your adorable yellow top from??
That last one is precious! He is such a happy little guy :] You are so blessed to have such a wonderful family and I love how much you appreciate each moment with them. Thanks for sharing, Naomi!
GreyandK.wordpress.com
Love, love, love the retro children’s book theme! Next time if you’re looking for some tasty and super adorable sugar cookies try samanthascookies.com. They’re fabulous!
happy birthday to your little boy! this looks like the loveliest, most summer-y and happy gatherings! i love it!
Oh, his little smile is the best!!
Happy Birthday, Samson! What a doll, and such a lovely party! Perfection at its best!
Thanks for being so cute and making Mormons look incredible. You sure are wonderful!
What a sweet party!! Happy baby, and vibrant colors.. So perfect! We just celebrated our daughter’s first, and our sons fourth.. Summer birthdays are the best!!
XO
http://happilyeverpresent.net/
I was just wondering what type of shoes you wore with that dress? I’ve just bought it for my birthday meal in a couple of days and I’m stuck on what to put on my feet. I love your style so much :)
What a cute party!
Do you have a car? How do you get all of this stuff from your apartment to the park (with two kids in tow)?! I can’t imagine hauling tubs of ice and soda, big ballons, a cake, flowers in vases, etc. even just down a flight of stairs, especially with kids! Or do you steal a shopping cart, haha. Just curious, I am a California native thus not sure on how people live without cars ;)
he is such a doll! I remember reading on E’s first birthday! also when she was born! I can’t believe I have been reading your blog this long. I just love it so much! :)
where did you get your picnic blanket? I love it!
Wow! What an awesome party! I know it felt great to see all your party planning efforts come together. That E is looking like such a little lady these days and of course S, you just want to squeeze. Congrats on surviving another year with a little!
this is the cutest! what a fun and special day! I am loving the all things yellow. where did you find your bright yellow dress?? i am so intrigued by it!
You make me so happy, Naomi!!! Love your family.
Aw it looks like the most perfect party! :)
Rosie x | Every Word Handwritten
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