Birthday Weekend

This weekend was all about celebrating birthdays. On Saturday we took a break from the holiday season and had some birthday fun since my little guy turned one. Even though his birthday his only a few days before Christmas, I want to make sure Elliot's birthday doesn't get lost in all the holiday preparations. His birthday is as important as any other birthday and we will always celebrate his special day like we would if it wouldn't be in December.  This year, we decided that we won't do a big party for him so only the 4 of us celebrated his birthday at home (also Daddy wasn't feeling too well). And it was just right. I don't think Elliot mind at all that he didn't had a party. He still enjoyed himself because BEING 1 IS FUN!

He went to bed as an 11 month old and woke up as a one year old. Crazy how fast the past 12 months have passed.

His birthday gifts were set up in the living room and he was very fascinated with the balloons. Even though Elliot only got 4 small gifts from us (we think less is more at that age- and he really didn't need anything else), he didn't care much about the gifts but loved playing with the balloons.

Eventually, with help from his eager sister, Elliot unwrapped the gifts and they had fun playing together. He received the Little People School bus, a Duplo book, the Duplo Number Train and from his Oma a Duplo garbage truck. As you can tell, we are very much into Lego Duplo stuff around here.  He also received some cute clothes and toys from his friends. Thank you. So far, he didn't show much interest in the tent but I hope he will get used to it, especially since it is now in his room.

Of course no birthday is complete without a birthday cake. I made one little smash cake for the birthday boy and another cake for all of us to eat. It was a simple yet delicious cake with buttercream frosting. In the beginning Elliot wasn't too sure about the cake on his tray but once he tasted it, he ate most of the cake. This kid loves to eat and he truly enjoyed this sweet treat.

My favorite picture of all:

Elliot's birthday was perfect for this little man and we all had a good time hanging out at home, playing with the new toys, going for a walk and getting extra cuddles in. Happy Birthday, Elliot!

On Sunday morning, we went to St. Bonaventure Catholic Church and attended their Santa's Workshop. Every year, the church celebrates the Magic of Christmas by offering a morning of fun with games, crafts, refreshments and photos with Santa for the children. We all had fun, but especially Amelia enjoyed all the different arts and crafts activities. She made a bracelet, a birthday cupcake for Jesus, colored a gift bag, got Christmas tattoos on her hand, made a foam Christmas tree and another tree ornament.

We also visited Santa and the kids had yet again a chance to sit on his lap. Elliot wasn't really liking it but Amelia enjoyed it. I must say the church did a fabulous job with decorating the room.

In the afternoon, our neighbors had invited us to their daughter's 2nd birthday party. While Daddy still rested at home, I and the kids went and we met a lot of new people and Amelia and Elliot had lots of fun playing with all the other children. I think there were around 15 kids, ranging from 3 weeks old to 3.5 years. The weather was perfect and the crowd and food was great. The birthday girl, Hadley, enjoyed herself and so did we.  

As you can see, we had a fun-filled weekend with lots of celebrating. Now my little boy is no longer a baby but we are happy that he is toddling off to new adventures and achievements. But for me, he will always be my baby boy.