Events: Wesley's #1

Now that Wesley's 2nd birthday is quickly approaching in early June (it just so happens to also be 10 days before I'm due with little sister), it's time that I get his pictures posted from his 1st birthday party... only 9 months late. Better late than never.

Picking a first birthday party theme is tricky since the babes are still so little they really don't have many opinions yet. From just a few months old Wesley loved playing ball, so that made me want to do something sporty, but I wanted something a little more original too.

Brainstorming sports memorabilia led me to the foam finger number 1, which felt like a perfect fit for Wes. I was surprised more people hadn't already done this as a first birthday party. Or maybe they just hadn't posted about it online. Either way, the party turned out great and, most importantly, Wesley had a great time.

Here are just a few pics from the super fun day.  

I designed Wesley's invitations and then took them to a local bakery, Beth's Bake Shoppe, to have them duplicate it (along with Wesley's special smash cake). It turned out great and tasted even better!

I filled a photo album with pictures of Wesley's first year and it was a hit with our guests. I did a similar thing for Carter and he loves looking through his album, so I know Wesley will too when he's a little older. 

Love these babes!

I lucked out to find Wesley's shirt at Children's Place last year, but Etsy had numerous #1 foam finger designs as well. 

A friend made the cake pops for us. It pays to have good connections! :)

I filled the treat bags with mini foam fingers & squishy balls (both from Amazon) and baseball peanuts. Then used some little stickers I'd had made when I printed the invitations for the labels. Overall they were super cheap & easy to throw together. 

The special fancy birthday hat lasted as long on Wesley as it did on his brother 2 years before (Note that neither boy let us even tie the hat... THAT'S how long it lasted!).

At first Wes slowly ate a little frosting...

But it wasn't long before he dove in. Literally.

In the end he was a giant mess of happy-sugar-high baby. Just the way they're supposed to be following a 1st birthday.

I love their smiles so much! I feel like this picture perfectly describes the day. (Note: I was glad I had a second birthday outfit for Wesley since his first outfit was DESTROYED with cake! I don't even want to talk about how long it took us to clean his high chair.)

So now it's time to plan birthday #2! 

Design: Logo Love

I've always enjoyed studying logos. As newlyweds one of Chris & I's favorite date spots was a local bookstore where we'd sip coffee and flip through piles of books and magazines. Chris always picked up what I classified as "nerd" books (typically about programming and computer science) and I'd pour over the design and photography books... and of course the occasional fashion magazine.

I especially loved looking at the LogoLounge annuals filled with graphics from top designers. While I've never been featured in one of their books (nor have I ever submitted anything to them), someday I'd love to crack open one of their books to show my work to my kiddos.

In the spirit of logos, these are a few of my faves I've created recently. I'm looking forward to creating more logos soon, and maybe even submitting to LogoLounge.

Design: Superman Valentine Box

I was excited to see Carter's preschool class was having an official Valentine party, I have so many fun memories of making Valentines & Valentine boxes with my dad.

I wasn't surprised when I asked Carter what kind of box he wanted that his eyes lit up and he proclaimed "Superman"!

We used a box from Target's party supply aisle, wrapping paper, construction paper, and tissue paper for the cape.

Now we just need to add his name to the belt and we're set! The best part? Carter (aka Superman) LOVES it!

I'd call his first Valentine box a success. 

Design: Carter & Wesley's Big(ish) Boy Room

Since we found out we're having a baby girl this June, at the first of January I decided to get to work redesigning Carter's room into a space he and Wesley could share (that should leave me plenty of time to turn Wesley's room into a girly wonderland!).

I found inspiration in a room I saw in Pottery Barn Kids magazine, but since that bed alone would've taken my entire budget, I decided to find my own, cheaper, solution. 

I couldn't be more pleased with how it turned out, especially after hearing the boys squeal with delight once I unveiled it!

I'm still looking for a red, cursive "&" sign to put between their names on the door. 

I hated the idea of our oldest son always getting the top bunk, so when I found these little loft beds they were the perfect solution. These are also shorter than traditional bunk beds, so I like that a) if the boys fall, they won't fall from very far (eek!!) and b) the top bunk won't be directly in the way of the upper window. I love the natural light and didn't want to add curtains.

In addition to the forts beneath the beds, Carter's favorite part: His new Superman sheets (unfortunately they're not pictured)! One of my favorite parts would also have to be the forts, mostly because I can hide any of their ugly toys down there. Win!

Wesley hasn't complained, so I think he loves it too!

A few pics of their bathroom.

While Wesley won't start actually sleeping in here for a little while longer (why convert him from a crib when he's still perfectly happy), he does enjoy playing in here. Specifically jumping on his bed... ugh! :)

Now that their room is pretty much complete, I'm excited to move on to little sister's space in February!

A special thanks to my husband for assembling 2 beds and a bookshelf all in the same week! I promise no new projects for a couple of weeks! :)

UPDATE: I meant to include this pic in the original post and forgot. Here's a look at the room just before we painted in April 2012. When we moved into our house the walls were a watermelon color and it made the room very dark. Ick. 

Source List: 

• Loft Beds: Amazon!
• TeePee: The Land of Nod (similar here)
• Red Chair: Target
• Stuffed animal bean bag: Boon
• Stuffed fox: BlaBla Kids
• Ferris Wheel Print: Etsy
• Bookcase: Kidkraft Sling bookshelf
• Black beanbag: Walmart
• Bedding: Target
• Banner: Land of Nod

Reynolds Número 3

We just announced the news publicly that we're expecting baby #3 in June 2014! For the digi announcement I wanted to create something a little more unique to our family, so since Carter is REALLY in to superheroes right now, that was my next logical step.

I started by having Carter assign a superhero role to the baby (he's given the entire family roles - I'm Wonder Woman, duh), and he selected Green Lantern. Not the most popular superhero, but his choice nonetheless. Then I used the boys Halloween costumes to create a before & after type pic.

It turned out just the way I'd hoped.

As a throwback, here's how we announced #2 (AKA Wesley :).

I love this one too, but seeing how quickly Carter has grown makes my heart ache!

Now we wait another month to find out if it'll be a super little guy or a super little girl!

Events: Carter's 2nd Birthday

Since both boys have birthdays coming up, I've been in full party planning mode recently. Since I also plan events at work, I really never leave party planning mode - but that's OK because I enjoy it.

Last year I did a nautical themed party to celebrate Carter's 2nd birthday. I was still on maternity leave from having Wesley, so I hate to admit it: the party was kind of a blur. That being said, it was a great time and I loved how everything turned out.

Cupcakes made by my MIL; nautical flag toppers from Shindigz; anchors handmade by a friend.

It's not a party without a bubble machine.

Nautical flags from Land of Nod. 

Party favors: Goldfish & Lifesavers
{Note: Don't leave them packaged together for long or else you end up with weird tasting Goldfish. Ew}.

Nautical flags from Land of Nod.

Carter's "Why is everyone singing and looking at me, and furthermore, why do my parents have an open flame this close to me??" face.

My awesome dad made this boat just for Carter. Yeah, he's pretty much the coolest.

Land Ho!

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Can't wait to throw Wesley's first party next week, then Carter's 3rd birthday party next month {and then sign a breathe of relief for a few months}!