Parties

Somewhere around the time that Nolan was born, I started to fall in love with little kids’ birthday parties. I had always fawned over the cute details of bridal showers, baby showers, and weddings, but I started thinking about my baby Nolan’s first birthday party, and I got SO excited!

I’ve put a lot of time and work into the parties I’ve thrown for my sons because ultimately, I want to create unforgettable memories for them (and for all of the family and friends that attend)! Granted, my boys may not remember their first couple of parties, but we’ll have the photos to show them. Nolan STILL talks about his donut party—8 months later! So I don’t think there’s a chance he’ll ever forget it :)

Andrea is doing a linkup today—Show and Tell Your Favorite Party. I can’t exactly decide which is my favorite, so I’ll share the FOUR kids’ parties I’ve thrown (three for Nolan and one for Ephraim). The most recent was Ephraim’s Peter Rabbit 1st Birthday Party.



It was a winter party (end of January), so the spring garden theme made all of us happy!



This cake was a labor of love by Steve and me, but I thought it turned out PERFECTLY!



I had some fun with Candy Melts making Lettuce Oreo Truffles and Carrot Pretzels. :)



Making the invites, graphics, and signs might be my favorite part of party-planning!



We waited until Ephraim’s birthday party before we gave him cake for the first time, and he was really into it! Then it smashed into a million pieces and he cried and CRIED!



For more photos of the Peter Rabbit party, click here.


Nolan celebrated THREE years with a DONUT PARTY! It was a huge hit :)




Nolan’s birthday is in early September, so it’s still summery weather. This day was a little rainy, so we stayed indoors and had a sugar overload!




Steve and I made this “cake” out of a styrofoam cone, toothpicks, and donut holes. Yum!




The kids liked donut ring toss!



For more photos of the donut party, click here.

The year before that, we went all out with a TRAIN theme for Nolan’s SECOND birthday!




The color scheme was orange, navy, red, and mint! I love buying M&Ms in custom party colors :)



My mom makes the pretty sugar cookies at all of our parties!



To see the rest of the train party, click here.

And lastly, for Nolan’s very first birthday, we did a classic NAUTICAL theme :)





Look how little and innocent he was!

For the post on the nautical party, click here.

Looking through all of these party photos really puts a smile on my face! They were some of the BEST days of my life!

As the summer approaches, it’s time to start thinking themes for Nolan’s 4th birthday party! I asked him what he wanted a few days ago, and he said a dog party. We will see!

What has been your favorite party (to host or attend)?

Friday Favorites

Hello Friday! Here are my favorites from the week:


Last Friday, I made a trip into the big(ger) city to do some shopping with the boys. They did fine in Target and Chick-Fil-A, but Ulta was a little bit of a challenge ;) After the nail polish posts I did, I wanted to try new base and top coats. I have never bought a base coat before, but a friend told me that it helps protect your nails and keep them healthy while providing a smooth canvas for the polish. I also knew that I wanted polish labeled 5-Free (without formaldehyde, etc.) I went with Andrea’s recommendation for Whim! When I got home, I painted one coat of Whim base, two coats of a cheap Sinful turquoise, and the Whim top coat—and it has been my longest lasting manicure EVER! I have washed dishes, I have gardened, and it is just starting to wear away at the end of day 6! I couldn’t get polish to last longer than 48 hours before. I highly recommend it!


If you missed it, on Monday, I did a post talking about my favorite accessories—namely jewelry. My best pieces aren’t things I picked out for myself; they’re sentimental gifts from my favorite people. :)


Last week, I mentioned that there’s a sweet robin who made her nest right outside the window next to my computer desk. It was a harrowing climb, but I was able to get up close to the nest to peek inside. I saw four perfect blue eggs! I can’t wait for the baby birds to hatch! I hope I can catch a glimpse of their cute beaks sticking out of the nest.


Yesterday, I wrote all about Ephraim and his development at 15 months. Even though we’ve seen these stages before with Nolan, it is still the most miraculous thing to watch your baby grow! It never gets old :)



Wednesday, we had the most beautiful weather! Ephraim happened to take an extra long afternoon nap, so Nolan and I headed outside. He played in the sandbox while I got to work on the garden. Steve had made a pile of kitchen-rubble next to my raspberry bushes last fall, and I realized a lot of paint chips had gotten into the soil. I used the Shop-Vac to suck up all of the paint chips in the soil and the driveway, then I put down some new top soil. 

Our raised beds grow weeds like CRAZY, so I did a lot of work clearing out three of them. Then I planted our two new blueberry bushes! I figure that if our raspberries do so well next to the driveway, blueberries should thrive there too!








My friend Briana texted yesterday morning to say that her new baby was born on Wednesday night! She lives in our old town (about an hour away), and I really wanted to go visit them in the hospital. My wonderful mom took over as babysitter so I could make an afternoon trip out of it!

Steve was teaching yesterday in the same town, so I swung by his office to surprise him :) This is the first time I’ve been on campus all year, and the school year is just about done! This pink tree is outside his building, and I had to get a photo of it!



Steve went to the hospital with me, and we were SO excited to get to meet this brand new little guy! He is the third boy in his family, and he doesn’t have a name yet. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone without a name before ;) He was nine and a half pounds—but to me, he was still so tiny! Isn’t he adorable?!





On Tuesday, I shared my new favorite cookie—this cornflake, chocolate chip, marshmallow goodness! It’s a bit of a high-maintenance cookie, but you won’t be disappointed :)

What are your plans this weekend?

I’ll be reading lots of books with these little guys, and hopefully getting some outside time in as well!

Follow along with me on Instagram! @floralandfudge

Linking up for Friday Favorites with Erika, Andrea, & Narci.