An ETC birthday party, up close

I had my camera nearby and even grabbed for it once, but I decided to keep my hands and eyes free and present, ready to enjoy my babies’ first birthday party and not worrying about the right angle, light, focus, expression – you know the photo-shooting drill.

I’m still waffling between satisfaction and regret in my decision, but what’s important is that I enjoyed myself, and I was there. You know?

I’m also lucky to have friends who snapped some detail shots from the day, and I wanted to share some of those.

The cake:

The cake was perfect. P-E-R-F-E-C-T. From the fun design (three elephants, two with pink hair bows and one with a blue bow tie – each carrying a balloon reading E, T or C) to the OMG-delicious-can-I-please-have-more cake (red velvet and pumpkin spice, both with cream cheese frosting), I couldn’t have asked for more from Lori at The Sweet Life. Local folks, Lori is who you want to hire for your next cake. Her prices are reasonable, and the quality can’t be beat. Plus, Lori’s one of our favorite NICU nurses from that past life, so you know she comes with a personal recommendation as well!

The cake, part 2:

Toby’s egg allergy seriously limits what baked goods he can eat, and to avoid poor T having a different treat than his sisters (or vice versa), I found an egg- (also dairy-) free banana bread recipe that I dropped into cupcake liners instead of loaf pans. It was more dense and less easy to rip into than traditional cupcakes, but no one had allergic reactions, and everyone dug in, so I’ll call it a win.

(The little elephant felties I stuck in the babies’ cupcakes are what decorated the cake at my baby (babies?) shower last year. Awww!)

The decor:

Rob patiently filled 100 brightly colored balloons with helium the morning of the party. We had no real plan of attack and ended up dispersing them through the house with the help of a special, 4-year-old assistant named Ben. We left a ton floating above the food spread with ribbon tails dangling down to entice the toddlers running amok.

One gift, from Emilee herself of Emilee Beth Photography, served as a surprise welcome piece as guests entered the front door. The print is one she shot, and the frame is a gorgeous Organic Bloom frame. It looks pretty rad here, but I swear it’s even cooler in person. It’s a perfect piece that will grow with us over the years!