Maya's 1st Birthday Party

We had a small birthday party for Maya over the weekend.  We just invited immediate family and godparents/spouses to keep it small and manageable.  Maya seemed to have a lot of fun and enjoyed smashing her piece of cake.  We had an owl theme and I had fun making the majority of the decorations.  I have to admit that I borrowed stole the ideas from this blog.    Well they say that imitation is the greatest form of flattery right?!

Here are some pictures!

These were a bit time intensive but I think they turned out really well!

These showed a picture of Maya each month so guests could see her growth!

I loved making those little owls sitting on top of the china cabinet.

Did you know that you can get a free sheet cake from Acme for the first birthday? Yup!  You just have to show them the birth certificate.  I just asked them to do the lettering on the bottom edge and I added the owl craft to liven it up!

As guests arrived we took some pictures outside.  We took a Target basket that I typically hide keep toys in and turned it into a faux hot air balloon ride (idea found on Pinterest- I actually had the basket before I saw the idea on Pinterest)!  Maya loved the balloons.

Of course, she needed an owl shirt to match the theme of her party.  Her hair clip is an owl as well :-)  

"Just poking up to say 'hey!'"

"Wow, check out these balloons Dad!"

She was pretty distracted while opening presents but does enjoy her gifts.  She received clothes, bubbles, a bathing suit (that will match her cousin's at the shore), books, puzzles, a dollhouse with all of the accessories, a pull alligator toy, a barn set with animals that make noise, and a boat bath toy.

"I love puzzles!"

"Woohoo, a dollhouse!"

No, her cousin Alex wasn't a present- his parents might have been willing to leave him with us though :-)

After we sang "Happy Birthday" Maya got to enjoy a piece of her birthday cake!

"I can't believe my mom is letting me eat this! It's not even cut up into little pieces!"

"More please!" 

 To make the day even more special, Maya took her first wobbly step before her party right in front of Dave and I!