Hudson's 1st Birthday Party

Our Little Family!

Steve and I, the proud parents of a ONE YEAR OLD (almost)!

Hudson is REALLY excited about his party!

I can't believe I am already writing about Hudson's FIRST Birthday Party!  For one thing, it seems impossible that my little baby boy is almost ONE YEAR OLD (next week)!  Second, I spent months (seriously MONTHS) planning and getting everything ready for Hudson's party, and IT IS OVER!  Yesterday was such a blur!

Hudson's Birthday Invitation!  I got it from The Paper Giraffe Shop on Etsy.  

For the past week I have been organizing all of Hudson's decorations and making last minute trips to the store to pick up food and random things I had forgotten.  On Friday I started putting up some of the decor!  haha While Steve was out of town one night, I spent the whole evening after Hudson went to sleep working on his banner.  It didn't get completely finished until Thursday night!  Anyway, I started blowing up balloons (realized it is a bad idea to blow them up too early because they deflate...), hung the paper lanterns to make the caterpillar, and CLEANED like a crazy woman!

My parents and sister arrived Friday night to help get everything ready.  I loved having them here.  They are all such a big help!  Dad and Steve cleaned the garage, moved furniture, and patched the carpet where Milo (our cat) ruined it.  Mom, Jess, and I decorated cupcakes, cleaned, hung balloons, made food, and got everything ready.  It was truly a team effort.  I know it doesn't sound like a big deal, but when you have a baby, two dogs, and a cat all running around at the same time you are trying to put the finishing touches on something, it gets a little tricky!  :)

The Very Hungary Caterpillar in the entry.

Christie Bransom, one of my best friends from collage arrived first.  She made Hudson his smash cake.  It was by far the most beautiful and adorable cake I have ever seen.  She is so artistic and talented.  It was white with little sugar circles along the bottom and a caterpillar on top!  Everyone LOVED the cake!  Hudson thought it tasted pretty good too (and it really did, I tried it)!  Then Steve's parents arrived.  Elitha (Steve's mom) brought her famous pasta salad.  It is delicious and everyone ate it up.

This is Christie B. hanging out before everyone arrived

Christie working on her masterpiece!

We had so much food!  There was: fruit salad, pasta salad, cupcakes, chex mix, M&Ms, cheese and crackers, baked party sandwiches, lollypops, water, and of course sweet tea!  It was a good thing we had so much food because we had a FULL HOUSE!  There were a total of 32 people at Hudson's First Birthday Party!  Tons of family came along with a few friends and all their kiddos!  It was wonderful having everyone over.  I'm not going to lie, I was a little worried that we wouldn't be able to fit that many people in our house...  It was a little snug, but not overly cramped.  :)  PERFECT!

Some of the kiddo's playing!

Aunt Jessica and Christie Bransom

Christie and Hudson

Grandpa Farmer and Grandpa Smith

Hudson's little friends having fun at his party!

Friends!

Grandma Smith holding Hudson and chatting with Steve before the party.

Grandpa Farmer with Hudson.

Grandma & Grandpa Farmer with Hudson

Hudson and Elitha (Grandma Farmer)

Grandma Farmer talking with family.

Cousins and friends playing!

We sang Happy Birthday to Hudson and I blew out the candle for him while Steve videotaped everything.  Then Hudson got to eat his cake.  He was a little unsure about everything that was going on at first.  Can you blame him?  There were 31 people watching his every move!  After a minute or so, he got the hang of it and went to town on his very yummy cake!  Hudson got cake all over his face and in his hair!  HE LOVED IT!  After that was done, I took Hudson and cleaned him off as best I could .  Then it was present time!  Hudson made out like a bandit!  He received so many wonderful toys (he has been playing with nonstop since his party).  He got books, cars, balls, puzzles, blocks, a wagon, musical instruments, and even some DOG TOYS!  haha Christie (the same one that made the cake) knows how much Hudson loves to take Sadie's dog toys, so she just got Hudson some of his own!  AND GUSS WHAT!?!?!  THEY WERE A HUGE HIT!  haha  Who would have thought?!

Singing Happy Birthday to Hudson.

Opening Birthday Presents!

Uncle Phil teaching Hudson how to play!

Aunt Jessica reading Hudson one of his new books!

Steve, Hudson, Me (mommy), and Aunt Jessica

After the party was over and everyone had left, we all sat around "freeing" Hudson's new toys from their packaging and talking about the days events.  It was such a wonderful day and we are so blessed to have been able to spend it with such wonderful friends and family.  I warms my heart to know so many people wanted to celebrate our son's first year of life with us.  I have said it before, and I'll say it again, Hudson is one lucky little boy to have so many people that love and care about him. 

After everyone else had left, we were all just reminiscing about the day.

Grandma and Grandpa Smith with Hudson later that night.

How sweet is this picture?!?

Somebody was VERY sleepy....

He was so tired, but had trouble falling asleep...I blame all the sugar!

Hudson wasn't the only exhausted one... Milo was sleepy too!

Sadie was tired too!

So, that was Hudson's 1st Birthday Party in a nutshell.  It was amazing and wonderful and I couldn't have been more pleased with how it turned out.  It is a little bitter sweet knowing that THE FIRST birthday party is over, I can't wait for future parties!  I already have some ideas about next year ;)

Hudson's new toys!  Not to shabby...

All those new toys and this is what I find him playing with...