LumberJack First Birthday Party

A LumberJack plaid, tree stump cakes, a 'flapjack stack' smash cake, chili bar, and a beard prop...these were the highlights of Foster's first birthday party, and I'm so happy with how it turned out!

My sweet Foster Roan has a lumberjack-themed nursery. His name means 'little redhead of the forest.' So naturally, we thought throwing him a lumberjack party was only fitting. 

I found these awesome little wood-print gift bags at JoAnns, which were simply filled with a few pieces of candy for the kids that would attend. That's also where I picked up the beard and pipe for photo props. 

When you're a ginger family of 5, the beard has to be red, right?

The decorations were pretty easy, as they all came out of Foster's room. 

Next: the food. As a general rule, I try never to throw birthday parties at mealtimes. That way I can provide a simple array of snacks, saving on time and money. But for various reasons, this party happened to be on a Tuesday, so it started at 5pm after everyone at camp was done working. 

I figured what's more manly than chili?? Plus, I made it in the morning and had it cooking in the crockpots all day. Apart from setting out the toppings, I didn't have to think about it again. 

Easy peasy. 

And lastly, the cakes!

If you've followed along on my blog even for a little while, you have probably picked up on the fact that I love making my kids super fun birthday cakes. My mom always made us awesome cakes for our birthdays, and it was one of my favorite, most memorable parts of our parties. What's most impressive is that she didn't even have Pinterest to lean on for instructions or inspiration! Oh the dark ages...

At first my plan was to make Foster a tree stump smash cake. I found these flapjack cookies on Pinterest and thought they would make cute cupcakes, which would work for the guests...until of course our guest list grew way past a single batch of cupcakes. (How in the world does that always happen?!) 

So instead, I made two tree stump cakes for the guests. Then I decided to create a smash cake that looked like a stack of flapjacks for Foster. 

(Stay tuned for a how-to post on these cakes!)

All in all, it was great fun. I love birthdays, and especially when it means celebrating my babies! It's hard to believe my sweet boy is one already. To see my tribute post to him, and each of his 12 month pictures leading up to the big day, go here.

Happy Birthday to my little LumberJack!