jack's vintage toy first birthday party

in my opinion, first birthdays are a time for mamas to dream up a magical birthday celebration and then to indulge in their fantasies without having to compromise with their bambinos on what they want (since they are too little to say).  it is sort of an extension of nursery decorating...

so...indulge i did!

on saturday, we had a blast celebrating  jack's first birthday with a vintage toy themed party.  it was a lovely autumn day in florida, as you will be able to see in the photos.  friends and family helped make it a most special day.  here are a few of my favorite shots.

the above picture is of our new family birthday banner!  i love tradition and keepsakes and decided this was the perfect time to start a new birthday tradition for our little family.  the banner went straight from the party into our living room.  i plan to hang it in the house for every future birthday.  jack loves it and points to it every time we walk by and during our entire dinner! next year, i plan to start my other birthday tradition idea- a special plate for each family member.  the plate is to be used only on birthdays or other special days (first day of school, recital day, graduation, etc).

below, is the "head" table where jack and a few lucky guests who got to share a table with the birthday boy enjoyed their birthday brunch of quiche, baked cheesy grits, fruit, and bagels.

table detail shots of the vintage toys- paper stacking blocks, a woodstock toy, jacks,

lollipops, and wooden clown whistles.

the sweets table decorated with old fashioned candy (candy sticks, mary janes, and bit-o-honeys), jacks, and happy birthday loot bags.

singing happy birthday to you!  jack stared at all the guests and took it all in!  then, he clapped for himself over and over.

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cutting the birthday cake- chunky monkey cake (banana and chocolate chip)...YUM!

lip smacking jack loved his cake- he ate a piece of each one and cleaned his plate!

"wow! the frosting is delicious!"

i love this family photo that i really think shows how much fun the three of us had.  thanks to all for help making this a super fun day!