Honest Abe Turns 1!

I'm back with a little update! My baby turned one year old a few weekends ago.  And I. Can't. Believe. It.

I never really understood why moms would cry when their babies turned one.  But now I get it.  My baby is a toddler and it happened all so fast.  In a flash we sped through breastfeeding, tummy time, burp cloths, and bottles.  And now, all that is boxed up as sweet little memories of a year gone by.

Shortly after we decided on the name Abraham, I came up with the idea to throw him an Abraham Lincoln themed first birthday.  Sure he wasn't even born yet, but that's not too early to start planning his first birthday is it?  (don't answer that)

We didn't name Abe after the former president but we didn't mind making the connection with one of the greatest presidents this country has ever seen.

A couple months before the big day, I came up with the invitation.  And it is my favorite.

I created the invite by downloading the background image and then layering a neutral backdrop on top in order for me to add the party details.  I had some fun with the wording by looking at the Gettysburg Address for inspiration. I had them printed onto cardstock at staples.

Then I focused on the decorations.  I wanted to incorporate a patriotic, red, white, and blue theme.  I also added a bit of copper to keep it from feeling like a 4th of July party.



So I bought these fun red, white, and blue fans and secured a print out of a copper penny onto one of the fans.  It was a super windy day so we secured them to the siding using Zots. 

Meijer was selling these fun political napkins and I couldn't resist.  Abraham Lincoln was a part of the republican party but I did buy one package of the democratic napkins so everyone would feel represented.

We used cute little baskets with red, white, and blue liners instead of paper plates.  Fun!

Another way I incorporated Abe Lincoln was by creating names for some of the food.

For example:

Abra-Hamburgers
Lincoln Log Dogs

Lemon-Abe

 We also served Corn on the cob (Abe's Ears), fruit salad, pasta salad, and chips.

I had made cookies in the shape of Abe Lincoln's hat that I was planning to serve too, but I ended up running out of time to decorate them before the party.   Michael suggested I set them out anyway and let people decorate their own.  Major brownie points for the hubby for that idea! MAJOR!

It was fun to have a little activity for people to participate in while we waited to eat.
Not to mention.....cookies as appetizers = winning.

After eating we opened gifts.
 

Michael and I talked about different ideas of what we could get Abe for his birthday and we finally landed on the perfect idea. A few years ago we were given a couple of wooden Adirondack chairs that I refinished.  We have them sitting out in front of our house facing the river and we really enjoy using them.  So we decided to get one just Abe's size and engrave his name on it. We bought this chair on Amazon, burned his name onto the front, and stained it to match.

And yes, his onesie does have a shade-wearing Abe Lincoln on it.  I made the onesie using my silhouette machine and some heat transfer paper. The suspenders I found last minute at Meijer and the shorts I bought from a secondhand store.

While opening gifts, we played a little trivia game.  In between each gift we had a little trivia game that we played to keep the adults interested.  I called it "Presidents Say What?"  First prize took home Lincoln, the movie released in 2012, staring Daniel Day-Lewis (it's SO good if you haven't seen it!) and second prize was a roll of pennies.  :-)

And before it was smash cake time, we had to do a little photo op with our little Abe.

It lasted all of 40 seconds but it was just enough time to get this picture.

And finally, it was time for cake.

I found this fun red, white, and blue cake mix at Meijer.  This birthday party was not necessarily brought to you by Meijer... but it might as well have been.

I made a two layer cake and covered it with white frosting with star spangled sprinkles on top.  I made a copper "1" for the top of the cake as a nod to the penny and his first birthday. 

 It took him a while to get into it.

 

But he finally dove in once we gave him a fork to hold.  He didn't use the fork, but he liked holding it and digging into the cake with his hands and face. 

 

The party went by in a flash, just like his first year.  But we tried to enjoy every minute.  We are so thankful for all the family that helped with the party and all those who came to celebrate with us. 

Happy Birthday Abraham Mark.  We love you so much!