Isla's first birthday

Planning for Isla's first birthday was more than picking out colorful plates and napkins. We were on a mission to get the yard prepared for a summertime bash. Our yard has probably been neglected for the past 5 years or so by the previous owner. Being so pregnant last spring and had a newborn in the summer, no yard work was accomplished from us! Not even pulling weeds! It was an overgrown mess!

Our goal was to remove all the old stone they had used in the flower beds and replace it with fresh mulch. What a huge project! Due to the ridiculous weather, we were only able to really clean up the west side of the house. We didn't even have time to lay down new fabric, edging, or mulch. Hopefully we can still finish the yard this summer. I had even waved the white flag to planting anything this year. I had wanted to tear out bushes, replant new shrubs and flowers, trim up old trees....yeah, that did not happen. What a WET summer!

Well "come hell or high water" I was going to get this deck stained! It wasn't even the principal of looks, but also a matter of saving our deck from rotting away. Wood had mildew growing on it. Boards were extremely dry. It was to the point were we would have to replace a very large expensive deck if we did not treat it. After 2-3 different intervals (due to that ridiculous rain again!) we were able to stain about 95% of the deck for the party. The spindles facing the yard were not finished, however they were not visible to our guests. Pictures below show some of the before and after shots.

 Our very sad looking deck.

Justin working hard as usual!

As written earlier, we had to do the deck staining in segments because of loss of daylight and rain. We were able to pull everything together for the party including pretty potted plants and hanging baskets. I spray painted some old out door chairs my mom had in a bright orange. I wanted bright colors to go with my pier one umbrella. Everything ended up looking really nice!

I had such a hard time deciding on a theme for Isla's birthday. I wanted something summer-ish but also super cute and unique. Everyone kept telling me to do a princess party, but I wanted to wait until she was older to have that kind of party. I just happened to walk into Ella's Pink Bowtique downtown Geneva on 3rd street one day while Isla and I were on one of our walks and there was this amazing pink flamingo outfit. It was a 2 piece set with ruffle bottom bloomers in bright pink with an adorable white top which had a sequin flamingo. I just cannot even describe how adorable it was.... and expensive. $40 dollars! I thought to myself that it just wasn't worth it! Also it only came in 9-12 months and Isla was starting to fit into her 18 month clothes. 

I was dedicated to find another flamingo outfit! The search did not last long since good old reliable Carter's had a lime green and hot pink flamingo dress. Definitely not as big of a show stopper as the other outfit, but certainly adorable and only $12 dollars! Finally I had my theme!

Everything else for the party was a total breeze. The dollar store always has their "Hawaiian tiki themed" party items every summer so I bought some pink flamingo yard ornaments. Flamingo cups, plates, flowers, and picture frames all painted/transformed into a hot pink mess! Hot pink cupcakes from Sams club and a few other goodies and we were done! It turned out super cute! :)

The cup cake table was the focal point of decorating. The dining room had a banner and some balloons/pom poms to add some fun. That was as far as I went! We wanted most of the day to be spent outside.

The party was a hit and everyone enjoyed themselves. We all had a blast watching Isla open gifts and eat her smash cake. I was so busy running around I didn't even really get to chat with anyone! I barely even saw Isla! Here are some pictures from the day.

A special gift from Uncle Brad and Auntie Jill.

Enjoying presents!

Always wanting to share :)

One last performance before bedtime!

We are so blessed to have such a beautiful daughter! We cannot express how much we love her. She is the most amazing gift we have ever received.

The weather forecast was so upsetting, but the most amazing part was that it didn't even rain once. It was chilly, an unbelievable 67 degrees at the end of June! It was a record breaking 100 degree trend when I delivered her. What a difference! God was good and answered our prayers by keeping the party dry and outside. It had seemed to rain everywhere but our little house! We are absolutely looking forward to the next birthday party!