Birthday Weekend Salmagundi...

(Reader beware: Longest. Post. Ever. )

This past Saturday, we had a first-birthday bash for Trevor. Trevor soaked up every bit of attention and loved having such a receptive and attentive audience around! It was a "Puppy party"- mainly because when I was thinking of what sort of theme may interest Trevor, "Dog" (or "Dah") was his primary source of joy at the time. Sure, he won't remember any of it, but he at least got a kick out of all the pictures of dogs everywhere!

In an effort to be thrifty, I decided I'd make the invites, cake, and party favors myself. (This is the part where Nathan rolls his eyes, laughing at the thought of me calling this a "thrifty" endeavor). It COULD have been thrifty...if I had had a clue what I was doing. But, since I didn't, "trial and error" became my mantra over the past few weeks. "Trial and error" and thrifty don't mix. What can I say? I'll be MUCH better equipped for the next party.

Here are a few pics of the non-errors...

The invitations:

The favors: For party favors, I made little dog themed chocolates (which were VERY easy and very delish!) and attached them to little plush puppies. The night before the party, Nathan attached the chocolates to the animals and to keep them fresh, we stuck them in the fridge. It made for a funny photo op.

The Cake: To make the cake, I did a google image search for dog houses and found one I liked. (Hmmm...am suddenly thinking of copyright infringement...surely it doesn't apply to a homemade bday cake?!) I drew the design on parchment paper, and then transferred it to the cake. I cut out the outline and decorated to my hearts' content. I was surprised at how easy it was to do, and even more surprised that the cake came out tasting and looking great!

For Trevor's cake, I used some of the cake I trimmed away to make a smaller dog house. Trevor thought the cake was great...until it became messy. Trevor is not a fan of messy things (something I LOVE about him)... here is a pic of him checking things out.

I would love to post more pics of the actual day....but as is typically the case, we didn't take many. Thankfully, Jenny Buhl had the video camera going so we will have something to document the day!

On Sunday (Trevor's actual birthday), we decided to head to the Dallas Arboretum for some family fun and pics of our little one-year-old! Before we even got to the arboretum, the CRAZIEST thing happened...

Sunday, there was a family fall festival going on, and the place was PACKED. We had to park in a remote lot and take a shuttle. As I was getting out of the car, I decided to try to hide my purse. I reached under the front passenger seat to see if there was a drawer. (We have recently purchased a mini-van and I wasn't quite sure whether there would be one). ANYWAY, I find a drawer and pull it open to find something inside that had been left behind by the previous owner.

It was one of those zipper bags used to carry cash. I'm curious of course, mostly to find something out about the previous owners...so I pick up the bag and look inside. Unbelievably, it is filled with just under $200 in cash! At this point, Nathan is dragging out the stroller, diaper bag, and getting Trevor out of his seat...I'm sitting there doing nothing, shocked at what I'd found. I then realize that there is a T-shirt order form inside the bag with the money... it was money that had been given as part of a T-shirt fundraiser for charity. So, I sigh... as Nathan points out the obvious- "you know we're going to have to get that back to them right?"... "Yes." I'm sure I said it like a child reluctantly sharing something after a parent's prompting.

So, we get home and I look up the charity online. It is for the Tara Sawyer Memorial Fund. You can read further details on the website. But basically, Tara was a 10-year-old super talented baseball player and devoted Christian who died in 2002 as a result of contracting Amebic Meningoencephalitis after swimming in a lake. It just so happens that she had been swimming in Cedar Creek Lake... the same lake where I lived with my family throughout high school. Take time to check out the website... and read the story her brother wrote. It's well-worth your time.

As for the arboretum, we managed to capture a few decent pics of Trevor. None of which involve pumpkins or hay or anything fall-related... Trevor just wasn't feeling cooperative in crowded places that day!

Trevor experiencing the petting zoo!

Fun with daddy!

Daddy's boy

Sweet boy!

Thought I'd post a pic to confirm... I am as big as a house! ;-)