So what happens when your twin baby girls turn ONE!? After you've spent the last year of your life being more exhausted and happy than you've ever imagined?! You throw a fun birthday bash to celebrate! And when you know that you didn't make it through a year alone, you throw a THANK YOU FOR HELPING US SURIVIVE bash! Because let's be honest, our girls have zero clue what's going on (basically it's one big surprise party for them, ha!), and we need to take the time to thank our "village" for getting us to this point.
I had a few goals:
1. Focus on food and booze, because that's what people care about.
2. Minimal decorations, because a) I don't have much money and b) I don't have much time.
3. Easy planning and execution, because I want to enjoy this shin-dig, too.
4. Celebrate everyone else AND our girls
So let's start with the cute, simple, and fun decorations. I wanted to focus on showing how far we've come, and what's better than to use old pictures, teeny tiny clothes, and their monthly pictures. Oh, and of course - the colors of their nursery :)
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| the invitation |
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| dessert buffet (don't mind our formula stash ;) ), two smash cakes, and tulips |
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| this, times a million. from the bottom of our hearts <3 |
My most favorite thing: the mantle. I made a "we are one" banner, and filled it with pictures from their gallery wall in their room and corresponding newborn photo props, their E&S letters, and '1' party hats. The clothes line has their coming-home onesies (size preemie), hospital A and B hats, itsy-bitsy Halloween onesies (size 3-6 months), tutu and headband from their monthly pictures (size newborn.. yep, even wore them at 12 months!), and "one" onesies (sizes 9 months, E, and 6 months, S).
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| <3 <3 <3 <3 |
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| photo banner for each monthly photo, and "LOVE" canvas. waiting for just one more month - 12! |
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| complete and perfect hanging at our windows |
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| pretty tulips in a simple vase + tulle |
So that's it. Easy peasy, but very pretty, if you ask me. In fact, all of the decorations are still up, and I love looking at them.
I didn't take as many pictures of all of our amazing family and friends, but here's what I've got:
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| playing with the party balloons! |
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| I want them all! |
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| Ella attacking the GoPro |
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| pretty in pink ladies getting some play-time in |
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| pretty Elle |
So much fun: wrangling 10 babies 1 and under for a picture
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| Huxley, Emmett, Evelyn, Brooklyn, Alice, Seth, Mary-Grace, Hollis, Sydney, and Ella |
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| true life: wrangling 10 babies |
Our twin BFF's Hollis and Mary-Grace came to play! They are only 3 weeks younger, and will soon be hanging with the "one and over" crowd.
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| haha... what really happens when trying to get a picture |
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| we're such lucky mamas to have twin babies filling our arms |
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| birthday girls! |
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| Brooklyn and Ella: show down. |
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| Ella with Uncle J and Aunt Annabeth |
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| love our Ashley! She always keeps us fashionable |
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| Abby and her girl Ella |
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| Hey, Seth! Such a dapper fellow. |
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| I just love our sweet, crazy, pretty Sydney. |
After dinner, it was time to smash some cakes
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| proud parents with our sweet baby girls |
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| Ella always gets pink, and Sydney always gets purple! Love the pinwheels I found at my jam, the $ store.. makes for a pretty and fun background! |
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| I love that they're eyeing each other's cakes... so typical, lol. |
After we got messy, we cleaned the #doublesinks up in our #doublesink
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| Ella learned how to cut the faucet on |
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| so they both spent some time playing in the water, I just want to squeeze them! |
So we cleaned up after everyone had gone home. We didn't even get a chance to open gifts! So the next morning we had a chance to sit down with the girls and open gifts, and we really enjoyed that! Much less hectic.
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| love our new monster bathroom accessories! |
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| Sydney's ready for summer with our awesome pool + outdoor toys from Ashley, Jake, Jamie, Dan, and Brooklyn |
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| If Ella is laying there content drinking milk out of a sippy cup, you better believe Sydney is going to torture her, and Ella will giggle |
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| isn't this what our pool bags are for? crawling into? |
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| and swinging! |
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| can't get enough of this pretty face |
We had such a fun day. The weather cleared up and was warm enough for mega-sized Jenga. Daniel grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, coolers were filled with beer, the fridge was stocked with wine and sangria, and we had sodas and sweet tea for the sissies ;) We had a total of ELEVEN babies 1 and under in attendance. Our friends are experiencing a baby boom, and it's crazy and so fun, and I love it.
And for good measure, here's our birthday social media post:
Raising multiples is tough. It takes a village, and lucky for us, we have the most supportive, helpful, and kind village raising us up. So today we say thank you. Thank you for cheering us on, keeping us smiling, and for every ounce of support you've given us. Because of you, we are all alive (and happy). Thank you for the countless meals, Starbucks gift cards, and alcohol to keep our bellies full and souls sane. You keep us going with your "likes" and ever-so-kind comments
...via social media. For the "just checking on you" texts... and understanding when it takes us forever to respond. Your sage advice and wisdom help us get through the times when we just don't know what to do. For each person that has rocked a crying baby, given Daniel and I a (much, much needed) break, or fed a baby or two. You've taken night shifts. You keep them clothed, and looking oh-so-cute. To our coworkers that understand bags under our eyes, tardiness, and are compassionate when babies are sick. Ella and Sydney are the absolute luckiest girls in the entire world - they have the best of the best behind them - cheering them on as they grow. When someone notices we have twins, we so often hear "I don't know how you do it" - it's easy: you. All of you. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts. Because of you, we survived year one. #doublesinks
