Madeleine's Floral 1st Birthday

Madeleine turned one last month and I’ve been wanting to share a few photos and details of the festivities. Her birthday landed on a Sunday, so we were able to celebrate with family and friends on the actual day in one of our favorite parks. We hung DIY garland from Paperboy Party around the perimeter of the event space and I ordered this gorgeous Rifle Paper Co. banner to spell out “Happy Birthday Madeleine.” I made a floral letter “M” (that now hangs in her nursery) and printed her monthly “birthday” photos in a square format to maintain cohesiveness via Artifact Uprising. 

Because I’ve learned not to do everything myself when it comes to events, we had the food catered, but I couldn’t resist making dessert. I baked three kinds of cupcakes—chocolate and vanilla with buttercream frosting, and pumpkin with cream cheese frosting—and topped them with some of the cutest cake toppers I’ve ever seen. I also made a smash cake for Madeleine to have all to herself, along with chocolate-dipped pretzel rods in shades of pink. M didn’t disappoint when it was cake time! She dug right in and devoured fistfuls of cake. The weather was hot, the food was good, and the company was great—it was such a special day. 

You know, everyone tells new parents to enjoy their children while they’re little because the time goes by so quickly. One year in, I’m completely in agreement with that sentiment. I will say that some weeks felt long (especially those newborn weeks!), but as a whole, the year was gone in the blink of an eye. 

Madeleine’s first birthday was a celebration for her and of her: all of the major milestones she had in her first year of life, the personality traits we’ve fallen in love with, the funny expressions she makes, the giggles that constantly bubble out of her mouth, and the radiant love she shows everyone she meets. But it was also a celebration for Brian and me. We made it through our first year as parents and found our hearts more full than ever before. 

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