Happy 1st Birthday, Anna & Esther!

This weekend was a special celebration in our new little family- 

Anna and Esther turned 1 years old!

This milestone was marked by a Giraffe themed 1st Birthday party celebration with friends and family and a day of playing in our living room filled full of all kinds of new toys. It was such a joy to share this special time with everyone and enjoy our two little blessings!

One year ago, we were two nervous newlyweds (our twins were honeymoon souvenirs) getting prepared to go into the operation room for a C-section. Looking back, we seemed like kids, scared, anxious, and with no ideas of what to expect and just scratching the surface of our relationship.

Now, we have two of the most beautiful good little babies we didn't even know to ask for (God definitely had immeasurable surprises in store for us). We have a year's experience of two different babies under our belt, feel a little older (I am sporting some gray hairs and Kyle losing more of his ::wink::), maybe a little wiser (maybe not), a little less selfish in some ways, and both filled with more joy and love to share together. It's so crazy to compare the then and now all within a year's time!

Party Photos Courtesy of Talei "Lei Lei" Akins Photography

Anna was our little ham during the party. She surprised us all by walking around and socializing with everyone and not being her shy little self that she usually is. She played with the other kids, let people interact with her, and pick her up. She totally took advantage of being one of the little stars of the party. She also took a few bites of cake, which surprised us more. She refuses, any other day and since the party, to take any food from our hand or off a plate. It must be pureed and sitting in her chair. Instead, she was licking every bit of icing off of her lips and coming back for a few more bites. So cute!

Our Little Ham, Anna!

Esther, on the other hand, wanted to observe everything and everyone within the arms of her Mommy. She was definitely taking everything in, but only in her safe space. She did venture out a couple times to play with the other kids and her new toys, but it didn't last for too long. She also refused to participate in the ritual cake eating and normally she eats off of my plate any chance she gets. We also realized she was teething, so she wasn't quite feeling herself either. My poor punkin'.

Essie staying close to Mommy

The girls were spoiled with lots of toys from everyone! We got to join in the fun of opening presents with them. It will probably be one of the last times too. 

And of course, there was cake!

Planning a giraffe party was a lot of fun and a little stressful since I more than procrastinated to the very last minute since I was in vacation mode from our Destin trip the week prior. There's not a lot of giraffe party themes out there, but thanks to Pinterest, I was able to create our own. 

Invitations set the tone:

Created by CutiesTieDyeBoutique

Think pink and giraffe....

The giraffe cake in the shape of a number one, I made with inspiration from Cake Believe. Giraffe cookies are Nutter Butters with Honey Nut Cherrios and Mini Reese's Pieces iced on. If you ever replicate, check to make sure the cookies in the pack aren't stale. I didn't find out till after the party, I had a bad pack. :( My Mother-in-law had previously made these cookies on tops of cupcakes at our babies' shower, which was a Noah's Ark theme, so the idea came from her. 

The most fun I had was putting together the party favors. We got some of our babies' favorite things at the dollar store...tiny board books, baby maracas (those are not actually Easter eggs in the basket), animal crackers, a pack of giraffe crayons, plastic balls, and I sewed together stuffed Giraffe taggies. I made my own sewing pattern from viewing another blogger's (Fig and Ruby) stuffed giraffes.

We made giraffe headbands to wear during the party, put together a photobooth, and made chalkboards so that guests could write messages to Anna and Esther kind of like a memory guestbook since I wasn't sure if our girls would cooperate for photos with everyone. However, no one used the photobooth, so I think it served more as decor for the party instead. 

Now that the party is over, I'm thinking of all things giraffe I could have added to the party. Kind of like realizing we had giraffe balloon animals and forgot to put them out for the kids! :(  Oh well... Our babies only turn 1 once!

Thank you to all our friends and family who have shared in this precious time with us! 

You are so special to us!

Happy 1st Birthday, Anna & Esther!

We love you dearly!