My baby girl turned one this month! We had such an amazing party and I am so excited to share it with you! Since making party decorations is what I do for a living, it was fun as well as super stressful trying to narrow down what theme I wanted to do. I wanted to make sure that everything was perfect and it was! I am excited to share all the little details with you as well as the listings on my shop where you can buy your own!
I swear I had a list of like 8 parties that I was debating when I first started pinning things for her party. I still have them in my back pocket for themes to create for other birthdays or even for my shop. When I saw the Pow Wow theme, I already knew it was one of my favorites. Avery has some Native American bloodlines on her dad’s side, so I thought it would be fitting that we had a Pow Wow party to celebrate her big day.
This banner was hung in the front of the house to announce this is where the party is at! Click on the picture to be directed to my shop!
We had the party in my Grandma ad Grandpa Bloesser’s backyard. They have the most beautiful backyard full of flowers and all sorts of amazingness! Thank you so much for letting us take over your house and backyard for this big day! I will forever cherish the memories of this special day! Now onto some decor!
The teepee was a huge hit! I sewed it myself. I really didn’t use a pattern, I kind of perused through Pinterest and took ideas from here and there to make my own pattern. I love how it turned out! Click on the picture to be directed to my shop for the listing for the ONE banner in the picture!This was the first item that I created for her party. My life is Happy Birthday banners, so this one was fun to create for my girl! Click the link to be directed to this listing!I had other ideas for the high chair banner, but time was running out, so I went with this. I actually love the way it turned out! Click on the picture to check out the listing!I think she liked it too!
Her namesake grandma, Great Grandma Jean made her smash cake, it was carrot cake and it was delicious! Also a big shout out to Alex’s mom, Grandma Tafoya for crocheting the adorable tiara for her party hat! Aunt Heather also sent Avery her boho chic vest for her party as well! It is amazing how blessed my girl is to have so many people that love her! You will see as I march on with this post that it was really a family affair! Everyone pitched in on food, decorating, taking pictures, etc. to make this day happen!
Here is a closeup of her smash cake with the adorable bunting you can find in my shop as well! I am obsessed with this cake topper! It is so much fun!
I was so lucky to have some great photographers for Avery’s birthday! This one was taken by my cousin Charly. She lives in Elkhart, KS and takes so beautiful pictures. Check her out on Facebook and she comes highly recommended by me! Thanks again for all the candid shots and family shots you did for us! You have an eye for it girl! My sister Heather also stormed through the party getting some amazing shots as well! Thanks sister!
I loved the centerpieces for the party. My grandmas rounded up enough mason jars and we had them sitting around on tables. I have not listed these yet, but if you message me I can get them up for you!Love this shot!Avery’s monthly banner was so fun to see her grow! This banner will be listed soon as well! It had mini clothespins to clip each month on. So fun!A big shoutout to Uncle Jace for providing us some shade on that hot summer day with his racing tent! I was worried about the heat, but this helped a lot!I made these adorable dream catchers out of doilies and crochet hoops. In the center is Avery’s birthday board that will be listed on my shop soon!A close up of her birthday board.Pa made Avery an awesome totem pole for the event! He used a wood burner and it turned out so cool! Thanks dad!Loved this. I put pictures back to back on the porch entrance of Avery’s newborn photo shoot.Another awesome picture by Charly!My friend Jordan sewed her adorable party outfit. Check her out @ Looney Beans Closet on Etsy by clicking on this picture!I wanted to make sure the big kids had something to do to keep them entertained. I had a few ideas, but ended up printing off some headdress bands for them to color and feathers to add to it. I was afraid they were going to think it was boring, but they had so much fun! We also had a slip and slide out front after Avery opened presents!These party favors were a big hit! Be watching for a blog post on how I made these soon!They had a ball with the bubble tomahawks and headdresses!I wish I would have gotten Avery in here with them! We love our cousins!
Now let’s talk food! We had the party at 11:00 AM, so we served lunch. It was such a beautiful day outside and everyone enjoyed visiting awhile before they started helping themselves to all the yummies we had inside.
The food was delicious. My mom made these amazing sliders. I made them again when we had Avery’s playgroup birthday celebration at our house last week. Be on the lookout for a blog post on them!We also had taco salad for a second option and gluten free for daddy!
And now for my favorite part…DESSERT!!! This was so special because every grandma had a food item at the party!
The dessert bar was a big hit! It was so special because we had a variety of deserts and all made with love! This picture was taken before Gege put her delicious punch in the bowl. It was so good!Alex’s mom makes the best cheesecake around. She also made some yummy mints as well!Granny made her yummy chocolate cake!Great Grandma Jean made these amazing carrot cake cupcakes! The toppers and wrappers can be found in my shop by clicking the picture!Another shot, because I am obsessed with this picture! I like to dabble in photography as well!Glammy ordered some to die for cookies from a Loving’s Cakes in Garden City, KS. Click the photo to check them out on Facebook.
So I stole an idea from one of the moms in my playgroup and I love the way it turned out! Unfortunately, I put it above the dessert bar and hardly anyone noticed it! I had to take some pictures in our backyard though because I loved the idea! I rounded up a picture of Alex and I on our first birthdays with our cakes and Avery’s smash cake picture and it was a comparison of us all on our first birthdays!
Daddy, Mommy, and Avery with their first birthday cakes!DaddyMommyAvery
I have a ton of pictures that I went through and decided just to make a little slideshow with them all for your viewing pleasure! The day was perfect and thank you to everyone who was able to make it out to celebrate one special lady! We were surrounded by everyone we love and we really appreciate it!
I am sitting down to write this post and it still seems so unreal to me that my baby girl is turning one. It seems like only yesterday that I was sitting in the back of the car with her on the way home from the hospital. I can remember Alex and I talking about how we almost couldn’t even look at her without crying.
Baby girl on her first car ride. Daddy drove super careful and mommy rode in the backseat with baby. It was the longest drive ever.The day our lives were forever changed.
I can remember our first night at the hospital and Alex was holding Avery and singing “Rock-a-Bye Baby” to her. I can remember how much love in my heart there was for both of them at that moment, I though my heart would burst. Avery is a pretty lucky girl to have such an amazing daddy. It is so fun to watch him with her.
Dinner time fun with daddy.We do a lot of baby wearing at our house. Daddy even got his own Tula for baby!
Today is Father’s Day as well as Avery’s first birthday so I wanted to throw a quick shout out to my husband. Thank you for all you do for our family. You work so hard so that I can stay home with her and we are so blessed for that. Thank you for rubbing my feet when I was swollen and pregnant and for putting up with my crazy hormones before and once she was here. Avery is really lucky to have you to call daddy. It melts my heart when she lights up when you come home and when she loves on you.
Those first couple of days, weeks even were full of so many emotions. Here we were with this new life and all of a sudden we were in charge of keeping her alive! There were so many things that we were adjusting to. One thing that was really important to me was breastfeeding. While preparing for her arrival, I went to a class and did a lot of research and reading. I guess I was not aware of how hard it was going to be.
A baby nursing at a mother’s breast… is an undeniable affirmation of our rootedness in nature. ~David Suzuki
Her latch was not great at first and I was cracked, sore, and bleeding, but I pushed through and went to a support group to seek out help when she was only 5 days old. My mom took me and it was one of the best things I could have ever done for us. Not only did I find the advice and support I needed, but I stumbled upon the most amazing women that would soon lead to our playgroup that we go to every week.
I cannot tell you how blessed I feel to have become part of that playgroup. It is such a great way for Avery to build her social skills and has been a great outlet for me as well. I have built amazing relationships with these other mommies and it is so fun to watch our babes grow up together! I look forward to our playgroups and get together every week!
This was our first playgroup date we went to! Look at How tiny they all are! Avery couldn’t even sit up by herself and leaned on her buddy Theodore for support! I knew that day that we stumbled upon something great!This is one of my favorite pictures from playgroup! Introducing my daughter, the camera hog!We celebrate monthly birthdays!Park fun!
Just a quick shout out to my playgroup mommies and babies! Thank you for including us in the group! I cherish the moments, laughs, and support from you all and look forward to many more as the babies grow!
Back to breastfeeding for a minute, I have a few pictures I want to share. It was such an accomplishment for us to make it this far and to celebrate, I have a few pictures to share. Sorry if it bothers anyone, but I think these pictures are beautiful and to celebrate one year of nursing, here they are!
This is one of my favorites. We have had so many special moments bonding through this experience and it is very special to me!
It is crazy what a journey breastfeeding has been for me. I am sure there will be some people shocked that I shared these pictures, but they. Really do mean so much to me. Breastfeeding isn’t something that comes natural like you think it does. It is hardworking and I am so blessed that I found the r support to make it this far! Not all moms are that lucky.
Words cannot really describe the feelings and emotions you have when you become a mom for the first time. The love in my heart for this girl is bigger than anything I have ever felt before. She is my everything. Her giggles, smiles, and curiosity is what keeps me going everyday and I’m so lucky to have her call me mama.
Avery has such an amazing personality. She can literally light up a room wherever she goes. She loves to wave hello and grin at anyone she sees. That little nose scrunch and toothy smile will brighten anyone’s day. She loves to give kisses and hugs. My girl melts my heart everyday. I find myself looking at her in awe and just thinking how lucky I am to have this sweet girl in my life. She is curious, smart, adventurous, and tough. I will do a separate post about her birthday part, but for now I leave you with some of my favorite pictures of Avery this year!
This is one of my favorite pictures of Avery and me.Avery’s first Halloween!My girl really knows how to work a camera! Look at that grin!Everyone always asks, does she ever cry? And yes, though she is usually very happy, she does have her moments!The girl loves ribbon spools! She scours the recycling for them everyday and will not put them down until it’s time for supper!There is nothing more adorable than watching my baby brother in his role of uncle!This bath picture is one of my favorites! Look at that smile!Boobie Popsicle!s were a big hit when Avery started teething before she was 4 months old!I love this picture of Avery with her Grandma Tafoya! She was only a few days old here.That smile though…Glammy got Avery this sweet ride on toy that is one of her favorites! I love this picture!Two things Avery loves….bubbles and swinging!Avery got to help grandad feed the calf a bottle. The girl loves animals. Look at that smile!Daddy and Avery off-roading on the trail!Avery Jean and her Great Grandma Wanda Jean!Avery on her first visit to the pumpkin patch with her Godmother Jillana.Avery with my Grandpa Underhill that passed away this year. I am so glad we have pictures to cherish before he was gone.Avery with her Uncle Paul on Christmas!Avery loves to share her food!Avery with one of her Godmothers, Jenna.Avery is all smiles for Gege!Avery and her Great Grandpa Bloesser in their jammies.Avery and her Pa!This picture melts my heart! Chloe absolutely loves Avery!I love this picture of Avery and her Grandpa Tafoya!Granny loves to get some Avery time!Avery with her doggies Chloe & Mia after breakfast on the patio.Avery with her Great Aunt Janice.Avery and her Aunt Heather and Aunt Shalie.
Well as many of you know, I have about a million pictures of this little cutie, but I think I will stop there. I will leave you with a video of Avery’s One Year Photo Shoot by the amazing and talented Kelley Baker. Not only did she capture these beautiful pictures, but she also created this darling slideshow of the pictures for us to cherish. Thank you Kelley!
Alex and I went in on a half side of beef with my sister and her husband last year. It is so nice to just go straight to the deep freeze and pull out whatever I need to thaw. The one thing that never gets pulled? Tenderized Round Steak. I have finally figured out a few recipes to help get rid of some of the tenderized round steak in our beef stash.
This recipe can be substituted with regular steak, which would be delicious as well. What I like about this recipe is that I can get everything cut earlier in the day and have it ready to put together when I am ready to make supper.
I had already sliced up my peppers and onions before I decided to do a blogpost on this, so here is everything prepped as I get ready to slice up my tenderized round steak.I make a little marinade with olive oil, chili powder, cayenne, garlic powder, red chili flakes, salt, and pepper. I don’t really measure anything and just give it a good stir.Toss in your steak slices.Put a lid on, give it a good toss, throw it in the fridge and forget about it for a few hours!I sauté’ the veggies first with a little olive oil and garlic powder. I usually use minced garlic, but we were out. The tenderized round steak cooks pretty cook, so don’t throw that in before the veggies are soft or it will be way too tough.Add the tenderized round steak and cook until done. Don’t they look yummy?So good! I was even being good, as I used greek yogurt instead of sour cream!I will leave you with my adorable daughter sharing her quesadilla tonight. First with daddy…And then with mommy from across the table! My heart is so full!
Me and baby girl doing skin to skin at the hospital. My heart grew a whole lot bigger the days she joined our family. I never knew you could love someone that much.
Today is my first Mother’s Day. I had a pretty amazing day today. Woke up at 6:30 AM thanks to the sweet girl who calls me mama. Breakfast for her in bed as usual, then Alex made me French toast. Not just any French toast, but Martha Stewart French toast. He even substituted Grand Marnier instead of orange zest and added some cinnamon sugar (yum)! It was delicious. He didn’t even make a gluten free substitute, so he didn’t even get to try it! He usually makes a few pieces for him, but it was just for me and it is a lot of work, so I felt pretty special. Avery didn’t even get any because it takes awhile to make and that girl needed a nap. She had a waffle instead and mommy got to relax a bit.
Alex and I had coffee on the porch, where I walked out to a rose and card.
It was sweet because he slipped it out there and I was surprised. Avery did not take much of a nap, so we brought her out on the patio with us and she played in her exersaucer while we ate. I love eating breakfast with my family and eating outside!
Martha Stewart’s French toast is amazing! Thanks honey!
Here’s My Mother’s Day gift from Avery!
It was supposed to start raining so Alex decided to mow. I have been wanting to plant some flowers and so Avery and I went and got sweet potato vine and flowers! It was nice spending time together. It started sprinkling right as we were finishing up. We had so much fun!
Getting ready to plant some stuff with my beautiful baby girl! What a perfect Mother’s Day!After Avery’s afternoon nap we snuggled and watched Curious George!
The rest of the day consisted of FaceTiming with his mom and mine. We then went and had burgers and ice cream. It was a great end to the day! I have to throw a huge shout out to my husband who works so hard for our family that I get to stay home with my sweet girl and get to soak in everything it is to be a mommy! Thank you Alex. I love you and couldn’t really be a mommy without you!
This past year has been so crazy. Being a mother is something I have always wanted to do and I am so blessed to get to enjoy every moment with my little cutie. She is a little mini me and I love her to pieces. She brings so much joy into our lives. I can’t believe I am planning her first birthday already. I can’t believe how fast it really goes! I love that sweet girl!
A few shout outs to some amazing mommies in my life!
Happy Mother’s Day to my sister, I mean my mother! You are beautiful inside and out. I owe everything to you. Thank you for all that you are and all that you do. You are such a strong and hardworking woman. I love you so much.A shout out to my amazing mother-in-law JoAnn! If it weren’t for her, we would not have Alex! Thanks for all you do and still do!This beautiful lady here is my mom’s mom. There would be no me with out her either! She is such an inspiration! She is so creative and I don’t know what I would do without her! We love you Grandma Bloesser!This gorgeous gal is my daddy’s mama. I look up to her so much. She is so strong and is always someone I can count on. I love our talks and I cherish so many memories with you! It is one of your lullabies that Avery loves and I know it because of you! Bimbo!!!
Just wanted to say thank you to all the important mommies in my life. The list could go on, because I have a ton of beautiful mommy friends that help me get through all the craziness of motherhood. So thank you to all of you other mommies out there!
