Ava's Birthday Weekend

Warning: This post is probably the longest, and most photo-filled post in Gardner Gang history. It may only be suitable for the most dedicated blog readers. Continue reading at your own risk...

As soon as Ava woke up Friday morning, Matt and I entered her room singing, "Happy Birthday." Hilarious doesn't even begin to describe Ava's reaction when she saw us enter her room. She immediately buried her head into her mattress, as if she was embarrassed to be the center of attention. The birthday festivities continued with breakfast and present opening.... All of which we got on video. I'll have to grab some still frames from the video later.

For lunch, we went to Ava's favorite restaurant, Tokyo Express. Daddy, Uncle John, Aunt Erin, and Cousins Jack & Finn were able to join us for Ava's Birthday Lunch. Jack and Finn are two of Ava's best buds. She was thrilled to see them, and she was thrilled to see that they had brought her a special Birthday cupcake! This was the first time Ava had free reign while eating something so messy. She was a bit hesitant at first...

But eventually she got the hang of it.

The rest of her actual birthday was spent playing around the house while I finished getting read for her party the following day.

The theme of Ava's party was, "Winter ONEderland." Get it? I know I have a slightly biased opinion, but I think Matt put together a pretty amazing birthday invitation.

The Winter ONEderland theme was carried throughout the house with snowflake, snowman and Christmas decorations galore! The theme didn't stop at just the decorations, you better believe I incorporated it into the food as well. If you know me at all, you know that I love to cook and bake, and I had the best time making all of the wintry treats for Ava's party. Front and center on the food table were these guys. The Gardner Gang, snowman style.

Also on the menu, Frosty the Snowman. Who knew cupcakes could be so cute?

While we're on the subject of cupcakes, let's talk about Ava's personal birthday cake. My original thought was to make her a cupcake, but then I realized that in her excitement, she may pick it up and chuck it across the room. So instead, I made her a cake shaped like a cupcake. It is much less aerodynamic and if she tried to throw it, it wouldn't go very far.

Once the cupcakes were assembled and everything else was completed, it looked like this.

Ava is one lucky girl. 40 of her closest family members came from near and far to celebrate her first birthday. Aunt Erin and her family definitely win the award for traveling the farthest for the party. Thank you to everyone who came and made this day so special for our family!

While the grown ups ate and socialized inside, the cousins made use of the backyard and played outside. I'm not exactly sure what they were doing, but 6 boys + an exercise ball + a big backyard = a great time!

Before we knew it, it was time for the main event... cake! We sang Happy Birthday, helped Ava blow out her candle and let the fun begin. I'll admit, it took a while for the fun to get started... See, Ava is not a fan of having dirty hands, so it took her a while before she dove into her cake.

Once Ava tasted the sweet goodness her birthday cake had to offer, she didn't care if her hands, face, hair, chair and clothes got messy in the process. 

There is a chance Ava slipped into a sugar coma at some point during the party...

After seeing how much cake was mashed into her hair and on her face, it was obvious that wipes were not going to cut it. In the bath she went.

While Ava was bathing, I had some activities for the kiddos. First, the little ones got their craft on by making reindeer ornaments to take home. A big thanks to my mom and any of the other adults who helped supervise this activity!

  

When the ornaments were finished, they (hopefully) looked something like this...

After craft time was over, the kids enjoyed a game of 'Pin the Nose on the Snowman.'

As it turns out, the kids were not the only ones enjoying the games.

I tried my best to pay attention to every detail to make this party enjoyable and memorable for us and our extended family. Of all of the details put into Ava's party, my favorite one was the one I had nothing to do with... SNOW! How amazingly perfect that God made it snow as the guests were leaving Ava's Winter ONEderland party!

After recuperating from Ava's birthday party, it was time to head to Raleigh for our annual Kincaid/Gardner/Williams/Ussery dinner at the Angus Barn. Last year, our Angus Barn dinner was cancelled due to snow. This year, the snow was not going to stop us from getting to Raleigh and eating some steak! We got all dressed up, prayed for safety, ventured out to I-40 East and made the trip to the Angus Barn.

Ava enjoyed sitting next to cousin, Anna, during dinner.

Can you see the excitement in Ava's eyes? She knows what is coming her way... Cake #3. That's right ladies and gents.... 3 Birthday Cakes in less than 36 hours. But, how could we turn down a free cake from the Angus Barn? That's right... Not just a piece of cake, a CAKE! Yes please.

We finished up the evening with a family photo in front of the Angus Barn Christmas Tree. All in all, not a bad way to spend your First Birthday, don't you think?

If you are still reading, I am impressed! You must be a dedicated blog reader.

We give thanks to God for our amazing friends and family. Each and everyone of you play such an important role in our lives. We also thank God for Ava, and for giving her such a wonderful first year of life!