i'll be honest, i've been dreaming about ava's first birthday party since before she was born. i originally wanted to invite all of our friends and have a big fancy rendezvous in her honor, but as october 23 came closer and closer, we reevaluated and took a different route. we decided that we wanted her birthday party to be a more intimate affair, a true celebration of the angel she is and the miracle that she has been to our family.
my brother and sister came down from college for the weekend and we planned to have a bbq party with the foods i craved while pregnant with ava: izze sodas, krispee kreme donuts, white cake, potatoes, and kitkats. i also craved fried zucchini, cold turkey sandwiches and anything with mayonaise...but those delectables didn't really work with our menu. we bbqed cheeseburgers and roasted potato slices in the oven and started with a house salad with homemade croutons and homemade ranch (david's favorite.)
we gave ava a donut to snack on and keep her occupied while we ate dinner (she is kind of a hellion in her high chair lately) and i didn't expect her to eat it all...but she definitely did. and then i kind of felt guiltily giving her the mini cake (i baked it in an emptied crushed pineapple can! the cutest!) and watched as she downed that sucker too. i guess my good mom card might get revoked for feeding my one year old straight sugar for dinner, but hey. you only turn one once, right? i insisted everyone wear a party crown and ava made a ginormous mess of pink frosting and i loved every minute of our little family party in the california dusk.
happy birthday my sweet, beautiful, happy, funny, smart, independent, sassy, kind, perfect little ava girl.
you stole my heart the minute you came to me and i have been better ever since. there is nothing on this earth i wouldn't do for you and i will protect you and love you and take care of you until the day i die. you are a gift straight from God and i know that He loves me and hears me and understands my heart because He sent me you.
all paper party goods found at target (some on clearance!) cake recipe found here (it is the bestttt!)