The week leading up to the first birthday celebration of Ava, Amelia and Owen Joyce we had quite possibly the worst weather of the summer. It didn’t just rain, it hailed so hard it looked like we had gotten an ice storm. Our beautifully large and flat backyard doesn’t do well when there is a ton of rain and as the meteorologists started calling for rain for the day of the party we started to craft a back up plan.  The tent would go in the driveway and we would use the garage for food, but it all worked out because the day was absolutely perfect.

The crafting had begun months earlier, thanks to my crafty, Cricut expert, best friends, Bekah and Vicki. The little details made the garage not look like a garage and added to an already lovely day. Their party was hot air balloon themed with pale oranges, pinks, blues and greens. We had lawn games, a bounce house, a craft table and various toys out for the kids. Our kids are some of the youngest of our friends, so we wanted to make sure there was plenty to do, especially with half of our yard roped off because of the weather conditions from the week.

The babies did so well! There was no crying during Happy Birthday and they each approached the smash cake in different ways. Ava ate small bites, making sure to keep one hand clean. Owen went all in right off the bat and was covered in icing while Amelia took a bit to get into it. They certainly enjoyed getting passed between grandparents and other family and friends.

It was definitely an emotional few days for me and Mike. Each time we sang Happy Birthday I felt my eyes fill with tears. I still pinch myself that these three are mine. Having three babies all the same age doesn’t seem abnormal to us. There are hard days but I feel so blessed that we have three healthy, happy children. I still look back and wonder how we survived the pregnancy, the hospital stays and the middle of the night feeds, but it was all worth it to watch these three chatter and giggle together as they explore their world.

Here are some of my favorite details:

I found a twin hot air balloon themed invitation on Etsy and asked the store owner to turn it into a triplet version. She was so helpful. We gave away bubbles as a favor and my sister-in-law made these adorable flower arrangements for all the tables.

We made hot air balloons out of paper lanterns, baskets and straws.

Their monthly milestone banner was Cricuted by their aunties. The cupcake toppers were also made with the Cricut. And so were their shirts- which promptly went into the trash after they ate their cake.

All three of their high chair signs were made on the Cricut and accented with various colors and style of ribbon.  We also made an Up, Up and Away banner that hung on the outside of our garage.

We got lots of party decor to spice up the garage from Party City. Thankfully our orange color happened to be the 2019 Pantone Color of the Year! Target also had lots of cute banner options.

We are so grateful for all the help we had prior to and the day of their party. We had grandparents helping with food and babysitting while we decorated downstairs. Bekah and Vicki helped decorate the day of and the day before and I recruited their significant others to help direct cars where to park. Bekah and Vicki also ran catered food down from my kitchen as things got low. Aunts and Uncles helped clean up cake off the floor and the high chairs while we ran the babies up to the tub. It was an amazing day, but it was successful thanks to our family and friends.

What a first year it was but we are excited to watch these three continue to grow and learn!