Confession: I started thinking about Caroline’s first birthday party when she was six months old. I knew we would take the day off of work to spend with our girl and I wanted to have a fun activity to do that would be fun for everyone. The zoo seemed like the perfect idea!
After Caroline opened a few presents and had her morning nap, we picked up some sandwiches, loaded the car with all of her grandparents and the stroller and took off for the zoo! First things first: lunch.
Then we were off to check out the animals! Caroline loved the big ones, like the tigers.
And she practically jumped out of my arms to get her hands on the armadillo. Good thing there was a thick pane of glass to keep her from it.
She was also a huge fan of the monkeys. Which makes a lot of sense, since she is our little monkey.
After a few hours at the zoo, our little monkey had enough and we headed home. We continued the celebration with dinner, her grandparents and cupcakes. She liked her cupcake but only ate a little bit before declaring that she was all done {“aaahhhhl duh!”}.
The next day, we had planned an outdoor party for family and friends. Surprising even myself, in the two weeks leading up to Caroline’s party, I completed a couple of projects from my Pinterest board.
First, I made nine tissue paper poms to decorate outside. {I’m going to hang a few in Caroline’s room and in her playroom instead of throwing them out.}
Then, I sewed the bunting.
And, I made a video of Caroline’s first year. I would share it with you, but it’s 20 minutes long. We love it.
Finally, my mom and I made the cake! A beach ball cake for a beach themed party 
The cake was baked in a 16 inch pan, which was incredibly intimidating to flip onto a cooling rack. Actually two cooling racks, one was not big enough. My heart was pounding, but I made it happen. We doubled a yellow cake recipe that my mom has been making for my birthday since I was little, frosted it with cream cheese frosting and covered it with cut up fruit to look like a beach ball.
For the party, I put together a menu that we could have done ahead of time. I didn’t want to be stuck in the kitchen or have Jeromy stuck at the grill for the whole party. We served: pulled pork sandwiches, fried chicken, potato salad, broccoli slaw and watermelon.
I was really hoping for leftovers, but there weren’t any!
And now some photos that don’t need any explanation.
We had such a great time celebrating Caroline’s first birthday. I’m pretty sure she did too!
Zoo photos are my own, all birthday party photos courtesy of LinDC Photography. Lindsay has been capturing big moments in Caroline’s life since the day after she was born. We’re so grateful, Linds!!
We love you!
