xoxo, the chapmans: LumberJack is 1!

i'm not even caught up on my blog to the part where Jack was born yet - but i decided that in an effort to not get further and further behind on this whole thang... (and to hopefully catch up! fingers crossed!) for every time i sit down to post in the past, i have to post things in the present...(or almost present since it's already been a month since this happened. but i basically live a month behind anyway, so this is doing pretty good. i digress). and so! one of my very favorite things in the present is my lil Jack -- who just turned one!

but before i get all ooey and gooey and turn into a sentimental slob, i wanna write about the partay! while i was in the hospital after giving birth to Jack, i remember turning to Mike at one point and saying, "We should totally do a Lumber Jack birthday party for his first birthday! Get it, Lumber- JACK?" Mike has always known that i was semi-nuts but i think that this really earned me a spot in the "100% whack" category. but i was totally serious -- and the idea stuck with me the whole year! so LumberJack is turning 1 was the theme.

the invitations:
(would you believe that this was a free evite from Paperless Post??? i mean, i came up with the little poem, but isn't that art just so perfect for this theme? you'd better believe i was stoked out of my mind when i found it!)

decor:

lots of red/tan/gold, buffalo plaid, burlap, homemade pennant banners and tissue paper tassel banners, chalkboard signs and junk, and wooded stuff randomly strewn about and that i didn't get very good pictures of. (why do you always run out of time when you're getting set up? why? why? why??)

^^ i love this 'Lumber Jack is 1' sign because Alice helped me make the whole thing; we used buffalo plaid washi tape to outline the pennants and cut out the letters and she was so cute sitting there assemble the whole project with me.

food:

have you ever cooked from the America's Test Kitchen cookbook? if you haven't, what are you waiting for? go on amazon.com and buy one right now because i've made like 50 things from that book and they were alllll INCREDIBLE. love love it. so for the main dish i made the Smoked BBQ Roasted Pulled Pork or something like that. we served that with dinner rolls to make little pork sandwiches. and also had hot dogs, watermelon, frozen grapes, chips & dip, cupcakes & the cutest cookies you ever saw that my mom brought. i mean, flannel shirts, trees and logs?? are you kidding me right now? so adorable.

activities:
so i had planned to do an axe throw contest and a log toss -- had all the things for them and we just ran out of time! i had these little baggies of tootsie rolls all assembled and made for prizes that said, "i LOG that you tried your best!" kinda stretching it, but whatever. you gotta rock that theme to the max, people! unless you run out of time. then you just did all that work for nothing. (FAIL).

we did have time for LumberJack coloring pages (found online here), lots of trampoline time, and some Pinata fun with Lumber Bob (aka, Sponge Bob in a beard + flannel shirt- funny back story: my friend Maria heard that we were throwing a birthday party for Jack and asked if we had a pinata. when i told her we didn't she was shocked and said, "How can you have a birthday celebration without a pinata?" i assured her we'd have fun and that it'd be ok without one. well, about an hour and a half before the party was going to start, my friend Maria showed up at my house with the big ole Sponge Bob and said, "i had this laying around my house and want Jack to have it for his party." i love her! so cute and loving. and of course the kids LOVED it. even though i got zero pictures of that, too. (one thing is for sure: i realllllly stink at taking pictures at my kids' parties). oh, and we also ate. oh, and just hung out. and had a lot of fun just eating and hanging out.

and my very favorite part of any 1 year old party:
the cake smash!
which Jake definitely did NOT like. i don't think he's a fan of chocolate. (like his mama!) i should have gone for something a little milder, probably. but it did make it super fun to watch! so there's always that.

oh! and we did a "Jack's Tall Timber Photo Booth" too - lots of beards and other woodsy things there. loved watching all the cute little people snap photos with their beards on - so classic!

and, i mean, the thing that makes any party is the people. we had some dang fun people to party with that night. thank you to all who came and partied with us and made Jack and our family feel loved.

a special thank you to my mom and grandma for making the last-minute trip to be with us and spoil us for the weekend! it meant so much to have you there. xoxoxoxoxooxox (infinite hugs and kisses)

oh, and a bonus highlight: Hazel & Jack's first kiss. it didn't go so well for either of them.
let's just hope they'll wait a few years for the next one.