Hudson turns 1!

So the big birthday celebration for Mr. ONE-derful came and went this past weekend.  It was everything I anticipated after the amazing adventure we've been on for the past year (and 10 months, let's not forget pregnancy).  Our friends and family donned party hats, took Polaroid snapshots documenting the fun, and even paid a few compliments in regards to my charming little boy and the delicious mac 'n cheese.

While I was going to post a birthday note to Hudson on the blog, I decided I'd keep my overly sappy emotions between me and him.  He can read the card when he is a bit older.  In the meantime though, you better believe the kid is getting swarmed with hugs, kisses, and "I love you's" galore.  I love him so much!

My most favorite planning element of the party was having guests bring diapers to donate to a local nonprofit, Operation Breakthrough, that provides early childhood education and social services for children in the urban core.  "Giving is the greatest gift of all" has always been at the forefront of my thoughts since I was young adult and is something I want Hudson to understand in the coming years so he can carry it through his lifetime.  Whether it is to those in need of a hug, a meal, or something far greater like basic necessities.  The feeling one gets after giving to another in need far surpasses that of any luxury. So in addition to 'giving' my son a fun birthday celebration, we wanted to give back to those in need of a purchase I often take for granted.

1st birthday selfie was one of our first to-do's on H's big day!  This adorable onesie came from Noah's Boytiques. Hudson is 30 inches tall, 20 pounds, and has two teeth with three more cutting through! 

This balloon from Carousel Lane was out front during his birthday party, and has stayed inflated ever since, so we got some pictures with it this morning before loading up the car with diaper donations.

Nice and cozy with over 2,000 diapers!

Dropping off the diapers on the morning of his birthday made my heart sing.  Giving back is at the heart of how I define a gentleman whether it's time, talent, or monetary. One of my goals as a mother is to instill selflessness and compassion in Hudson, and hope to do so through acts like these.

On what others consider fun: decorating a first birthday party!  No theme this year as I figured there will be plenty of those in the future.  I had some pretty tissue tassel garlands that never arrived in time for a surprise engagement party we threw for Adam's brother back in June, so the colors were my starting point: mint, navy, gold, and white.  From there I turned to Etsy to turn my ideas (from my Pinterest boards) into a reality.

This is were the most exciting part of the party took place!  Instead of having H's incredibly hard to clean (yet beautiful) Bloom highchair covered in icing, we opted for a cheap wooden find on Craigslist and spray painted it navy.  The decor: Shanz Party Decorations tulle pom garland, and the most precious sign and highchair bunting from Audriana Paper.  And the sweet birthday hat in this picture is from Carousel Lane - customized with his name and #1.

The big moment!  Seconds before he smashed into his cake, a friend captured this photo - we had him wearing a seersucker diaper/suspender/bowtie combo from Holly Squires.  His party hat during the cake smash and for his first birthday photo shoot came from Little Blue Olive - I love following her on Instagram, such amazing creations!  The tissue tassel garland cake topper is from Carousel Lane.

Proud of my guy's cake smashing skills. :)

This is the "after" shot of an amazingly well-documented party, thanks to my brother Jake.  Original idea was to have guests snap a photo upon entering our home, then tape it is a photo album and write a note.  Obviously this is a lot to ask, especially if you have a baby in your arms, so Jake snapped photos throughout the party.  The Sugarboo Designs Chalkboard served as a great backdrop!  We wrote "Snap a photo and leave Mr. ONE-derful some wishes".

The dining room was party HQ with desserts, drinks, and a full mac 'n cheese bar.  The lighting was a bit off since it was mid afternoon, but the photo above is of the dessert buffet.  I can't bake to save my soul, so we had Dolce Bakery make the pretty and tasty creations. Cake stands came from Pryde's, 'H' marquee light from STUFF, and the wonderful photography by Clicks by Charity. Cake toppers "happy" wire from Itty Bitty Hip, glitter + mint 1's as well as glitter gold Hudson letter's from Orange Blossom Paperie. Tissue tassel garland from Love Garlands, and tissue flowers from Lovelyfest Garlands.

Close up of the ombre petal iced cake creation - as delicious as it was pretty!

This photo from H's birthday shoot (a few weeks before the party) might be my favorite.  Not sure how I am going to ever be able to say no to this sweet face.  We put Summer Brew in one drink dispenser, and lemon water in the other.  

No 1st birthday is complete without a bar for the adults.

We filled our office shelves with framed photos of H - Home Goods usually has frames within the same brand and/or color scheme.  Lucky for us they had a bunch of gold ones that we snatched up a few nights before the party.

Not the best lighting - we set up a donations table for Operation Breakthrough in the office.  I hung Shanz Party Decorations tulle poms from the ceiling to make the room more fun.

And finally, here is the mac 'n cheese recipe that I multiplied by at least 18.  I forgot to snap a picture of the display!  We had chalkboard paper underneath labeling all the toppings available - bacon, sausage, chicken, pepperoni, prosciutto, peppers, tomatoes, scallions, sweet potatoes, carrots, Gates BBQ sauce, taco seasoning ... I believe there were a few others, my memory is escaping me.  The massive amounts of mac 'n cheese were piled high in the middle of the table inside chaffing dishes.  I've copied the recipe below from slickhousewives.com - note though my updates in red.

Delicious Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese Recipe (4 servings)
Ingredients:
2 cups uncooked shells macaroni
2 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar (sold as blocks, just shred before melting), I also added in some smoked Gouda and Muenster cheeses too
4 tablespoons butter Shatto Butter (Kansas City brand), use half garlic butter/half regular butter

1/2 cup sour cream Daisy brand - half light/half regular
1 (10.75 oz) can condensed cheddar cheese soup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk (I used 1%)
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Boil the macaroni in water for six minutes and drain{all dente}. In a medium saucepan, mix butter and cheese. Heat over medium high heat and stir until the cheese melts. Spray your slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Combine cheese mixture, sour cream, soup, salt, milk, mustard and pepper in your slow cooker. Add the drained macaroni and stir again. Cook on low for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally!