Hot Diggity Dog! It's a Party!

Yesterday we celebrated Roy Austin's first birthday! I am not really a big birthday-party-thrower for my children, but because I did a birthday party for Caroline's first birthday, I had to be fair and do one for Roy Austin! This is the last big party he'll have. Like Caroline, from now on it's just him, his parents and sister (and whatever other family members can come) to his birthdays! Because Halloween is just around the corner, I thought I'd make it a Birthday Party/Fall Fest. I already had his puppy dog costume so I planned the party around a dog theme.

Caroline was so excited about this party. Although she knew it was RoyBoy's birthday, I think she thought the party was for her! She is being Dorothy for Halloween this year...

Her cousins from Virginia came down for the party and they surprised her by dressing as the Scarecrow, TinMan and Lion from "The Wizard of Oz". Let's just say when she saw them, she screamed!!

The birthday boy had to be woken up from his nap for his big shin-dig so he was a little out of it. Here he is with his grandparents. I think Daddy was trying to slip him some candy corn.

My neighbors were kind enough to let us use their jumpcastle, which was the real hit of the party. Caroline was in this thing for the majority of the party.

Sweet little Kathryn the Cowgirl couldn't decide if she wanted to brave the jumpcastle or not:

Roy made a Pumpkin Patch Ball Toss cutout for the party (you can see part of it in the picture of Caroline above). My nephew, Juette, had a good time practicing his pitching skills. Woo! Look at that arm!

I had a table set up to make "Pupkins" (A pumpkin decorated like a pup) and one to decorate Halloween masks. There was also a table to make caramel apples.

Here is Dayna and Janna coloring their mask. Good, job, Dayna. Concentrate. Stay in the lines. Artistic abilities must deep run in this family...

...here is Grayson with her "pupkin":

Caroline's little friend, Anna Kate, and her parents came to the party. Any guesses who she was dressed as?:

That's right! Emily Elizabeth Howard!! Kristin, this was such a great idea! (and by the way, Kristin, made the costume!!). I may have to borrow this idea for Halloween 2009!

Savannah was a precious little ladybug and Jack was a fearless firefighter:

Cole came dressed as himself. His mom forgot it was a dress up party (we'll blame it on the pregnancy, Laura!)
This little guy wasn't dressed up, either-- and his momma is not pregnant. Sara, the dragon, is walking in the background, too:)


Roy Austin was very anxious for his first taste of cake. Little Norah was hoping someone would take him out of that car so she could hop on for a ride!


Look who else showed up at the party:

The "Scholle Shoutout" with JesseRuth and the cutest little Piglet I've ever seen!

"I'm still waiting for this sugar I've been hearing so much about for a year."

Speaking of sugar, here is the cake for the guests. It was a 3-tiered dalmation spot cake. When Caroline saw me frosting it in the kitchen, she said "Mommy! I like your cow cake!". Leave it to a child to tell you how something looks!

Finally! It was cake time, but forget blowing out the candle. Roy Austin opted to put the flame out by pinching his thumb and pointer finger together:)

He was also more interested in the balloon, but the second he tasted the icing--with the help of his sister-- he quickly forgot about it.

Easy, big guy.


Here is a video of Roy Austin demolishing the remainder of his cake. Notice "Dorothy" in the clip. She played hard yesterday, that's all I can say.

Here is the after shot:

Jane gets the "Mother-in-law of the Year" award for hosing it down for me! There was icing everywhere and in every crevice of that chair!

And she helped me clean up the birthday boy, too. No, your eyes are not deceiving you. He really did wear tights with his costume.



Here is my brother-in-law, Juette, who hates getting his picture taken. Gotcha, big guy. Don't worry, Graham Central Station is private.

After a change of clothes, Roy Austin did a little swinging with Miss Ashleigh. He had time to think and reflect on his first year of life...

What's a party without a favor? Roy Austin gave each family a jar of his cookie mix:



"Ol Roy's Sugar Biscuits" complete with a complimentary dog bone cookie cutter. Like I told the guests, I cannot guarantee the taste of these biscuits. They could very well end up tasting like the real thing!

We decided to open the presents after the party to give the guests optimal play time! Like I said, Caroline thought the party was for her and she loved opening her--I mean her brother's--presents: She even read the fine print to make sure the toys were safe for her brother's enjoyment. Wow, she really played hard. Check out her hair! Nana said that by the looks of it, the tornado finally hit Dorothy:)

With all of the trucks, boats, tractors and other toys Roy Austin got, all he cared about was his balloon: I think I do like big birthday bashes, after all. This morning, Roy Austin woke up at 8:30 and Caroline wandered down the stairs around 9:00! Thank you to everyone who came to the party. It was a fun afternoon! By the way, if anyone is missing some black sunglasses and a blue sippy cup, I have them!

Special shoutout to Dawn E. Reber and Hannah P. Scholle for copies of photos!