Caden's 1st Birthday! {Plus a Party Package Discount Code!}

I think this past year went faster than any other "1st Years" for our children. Most likely because we were busier than ever this past year trying to move, homeschooling and just the fact that we have four children now.

And I must confess, there were some tears around here on our baby's birthday knowing that the first year was over.

And they weren't just mine.

I must admit, I was a bit shocked at how broken up this little guy was that his baby brother was growing up, but it was just one more expression of the deep love that has swept over our family for this sweet baby.

And truth be told, I shed my fair share of tears later when I got in the shower. Tears because I wanted to keep my baby a baby, but also tears shed in huge gratitude to God for blessing us with such a sweet, healthy baby.

But, enough about that. On to the partaaaay!

When we were deciding what kind of theme to do for the birthday boy, our oldest son suggested we do airplanes. I thought that sounded like a great idea and went to work on finding the cutest airplane themed printable party package on the market.

I immediately fell in love with this cute red, white and blue airplane package from Callachic. The style and colors were a perfect fit, especially considering our baby's birthday was the day after the 4th of July.

 

The invitation for this package was just too cute and had me sold!

 
I do love how having a DIY printable party package brings a theme together. It's such a quick and easy way to do so!

 

I loved the framed "Baggage Claim" sign for the kids to pick up their party favor.

 

The birthday boy hanging out with guests!

 

 

Believe it or not, this little guy just started on solids about 3 weeks ago, so I wanted to take it easy on the "first cupcake". I used our favorite grain free cupcake recipe from Against All Grain and the birthday boy loved it! (What's not to love about a black forest cupcake??? It's amazing just like everything else from Danielle's cookbook!)

 

 

I made his cupcake in a silicone cupcake liner that he received as part of a decoration in a baby gift when he was born. I loved that we could reuse it for his first birthday and it was perfect for him as he ate away at the cupcake. (He loved it so much he was not a happy camper when it was time to take it away!) :)

 

 

Opening his first birthday present!

The party was a huge success and we had so much fun (I even brought out some snow that I had saved from the winter so the cousins could have a snowball fight!)

Many thanks to Callachic for making my baby's 1st Birthday so special! As a gift to you, Callachic is offering you 10% off your order when you use the code "purposefulhomemaking" at checkout at www.callachic.com.

Whether you need baby shower invitations, bridal shower invites, birthday invites or  more, you'll be hard pressed not to find something incredible at Callachic that will be perfect for your event. And for lots of party inspiration (including free downloads!), be sure to check out the Callachic blog. Happy party planning!

Thanks so much for visiting Purposeful Homemaking. I'd love for you to stay connected through the following social medias such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest. Don't forget to sign up for emails on my right sidebar so you don't miss anything!


Purposeful Homemaking received one or more products mentioned in this post at no cost in order to conduct a thorough and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. Additionally, this post may contain affiliate links for which I will earn compensation should you choose to make a purchase. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Thank you for your support of Purposeful Homemaking.

Oh Baby! How Can You Be Turning One?

So our sweet little boy is almost one. Saturday is the official day and I must admit, I feel a little bit teary eyed thinking about it.

But I can't help it. This boy has captured my heart over and over again and our family is smitten with him. Smitten!!

Having another baby was kind of a big deal for me. I prayed for a year and a half about whether or not we should have a fourth child. I wondered how in the world we could afford another baby, how I would manage "morning" sickness while taking care of three other children, homeschooling and so much more.

And yet, when I was in God's Word, He consistently reaffirmed to me that we should have another baby (my husband was already on board, but I was the one hesitating because I knew much of the responsibility would be on me).

Since we were on a really tight budget, it seemed irresponsible in my immature way of thinking to take on another baby. I thought I would know if God wanted us to have another baby if He gave my husband a raise. He didn't.

And yet, I couldn't escape the pressing in that He did indeed want us to have another one. So, I decided to walk by faith and trust that the Lord would provide. Interestingly enough, He gave us that raise AFTER we found out we were expecting. (Thank you, Lord!)

Of course, the all day "morning" sickness came, but somehow, with God's grace, I made it through those months.

Then about 16-18 weeks into my pregnancy, I got a call from the doctor informing me that some blood work indicated that our baby was at an increased risk for Down Syndrome.

A few days later, I went in for an ultrasound to find out the gender and to check and see if all was going well.

I hate to admit it, but I was disappointed when I found out it was a boy. In my mind, this was the last baby and we thought two girls and two boys would be perfect. (I later found out that God's plan was a million times better than mine!)

Additionally, we were also informed about some health concerns for me and that our baby had an echogenic bowel which was a soft marker for Down Syndrome. The baby's risk at that point increased a lot more between the blood work and the bowel situation. Needless to say, it was kind of an emotional day for me, which only got worse when our little girl cried her heart out when she found out she wasn't getting a sister. (Please keep reading, don't judge me for being disappointed about the gender.)

Thankfully, two months prior to the news about the blood work and the echogenic bowel, they had just come out with a new test that was 98-99% accurate regarding various syndromes and the best part was, it was noninvasive.

I simply had blood drawn and from that, they were able to extract the baby's DNA to see what was going on.

Two weeks later, on Valentine's Day, we found out that our baby did have the correct number of chromosomes. (I believe in God's sovereignty, so by God's grace, even if our baby did not have the "correct" number of chromosomes, they would have been the perfect number because that is what God chose. Every life is important and every baby is made in the image of God.)

So, at that point, we just continued praying that God would heal his bowel. And He did. A follow-up ultrasound revealed that all was well.

I cannot help gushing about this baby. I am so glad God gave me this baby boy because he has just stolen my heart. He is the happiest, easiest going baby ever and his siblings are IN LOVE with him. They adjusted (well, there really wasn't an adjustment period) to this sweet little love without any issues and have been the best helpers I ever could have imagined over this past year.

It's really hard to sum up my love for this little one and I can't tell you how many times I have given thanks for him. Over and over, I assure you.

So is there a moral to the tale?

For one, we CAN trust God to provide our needs in spite of naysayers who say He can't. We are living proof that while we don't get everything in life we want, we certainly get all we need. God is good!

Additionally, children are the greatest blessing ever. Granted, they take a lot of work and money, but my life is the fullest it's ever been because of these four precious souls in my care.

On Saturday, not only will we celebrate one of the most precious little lives I know, but I will also celebrate God's incredible favor, blessing and goodness in giving us this treasure. And oh, what a treasure he is!!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the past year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Thanks so much for visiting Purposeful Homemaking. I'd love for you to stay connected through the following social medias such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest. Don't forget to sign up for emails on my right sidebar so you don't miss anything!