Hunter's Blue Bell Extravaganza

On Saturday, we hosted our son's first birthday party. The yard party gathered around the high chair--ages 79 to 4 weeks old---and watched this little man in all his royalty sitting behind his "I am 1" banner-- a mound of buttercream goodness at his fingertips. "Happy Birthday" began. It was so surreal. I thanked God for this moment as we celebrated H. I could not believe we had arrived at this point.

Theme: Blue Bell. And yes, we partied like it was an extravaganza!

You could smell the fall in this brisk morning. It was that kind of morning when if you took a breath and then inhaled just a bit more before exhaling, you could smell the fall. And...Spiced Pumpkin Pecan was the favorite of the ice cream tasters.

Contemplating how to start with this tower. First cake ever!

Let the display of delectable Blue Bell treats begin:

PB&J on Pumpernickel on Popsicle sticks.

'Lil Belle's Salty Snacks- pretzels and goldfish in the small blue bell containers--chips in the "big" container for the adults.

Belle's Favorite Hay Snacks: Picnic Shoestring Potatoes in Waffle Cone Bowls.

Factory Perfected Ice Cream Sandwiches (Pimento Cheese half-sandwiches wrapped in wax paper with a certified Blue Bell stamp of approval).

My favorite decoration was Hunter's Menu. We listed all of the ice cream combos we were offering and named them with an event he had that year. For example- the "I Love You, Too" was a special Snickekrdoodle ice cream, the list price was $7.27 because Hunter said "I love you, too" to Mommy on July 27th. Of course, the menu also stated all fees could be waived for a good 'ole country smile. :) Flavors on the menu included: Cookies 'N Cream, Vanilla, Dutch Chocolate, Snickerdoodle, Spiced Pumpkin Pecan and Mint Chocolate Chip. Toppings: butterscotch and chocolate sauce and morsels. And sprinkles and cherries, of course!

Ice Cream Cupcakes- recipe idea from cousin Leslie! :)

It's safe to say Hunter had a blast! "It's just so tasty, MaMa!"

Happy One-Year Old~ Too Excited for Words...

Thank you to everyone who was able to come! Our whole family was in attendance, and that was so special. Thank you also to my parents who were slaving away in the kitchen with the pb&j fudgecicles at the crack of dawn. And most of all to my husband who did everything I needed, including rearranging furniture in the house the morning of the party when it was 39 degrees outside and we were thinking ...there's no way people will eat ice cream out here! But it all worked out, as the weather really warmed up enough. As I gave Hunter a bath that night, I told him my main hope was that he felt special today.