Birthday Party Recap

As promised (and almost a week later), I've finally gotten around to going through Ellie's Birthday Party pictures. We seriously had such a good time at this party.....the house was packed, and I had a full week before the party snowed in at home to hand craft more and more sweet little details for this rootin' tootin' cowboy bash!

I think that love is in the details, which is why I spent countless hours staying up late at night cutting, gluing, coloring, baking, and scurrying around finishing up sweet treats and wild western decorations. I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty proud of how it all came together. But, it wouldn't have happened without a lot of help from friends and family. And, while the decorations and the theme were fun, I would have been just as happy with a simple little celebration......my daughter is so special to me, and any day with her is special (cheesy, I know. But it's the truth!)

So, be prepared for this mondo photo dump.......all out of order and full of sprinkles and rainbows and sunshine and cute.

(Oh and? There will be a second installment tomorrow. You're welcome.)

This isn't the greatest picture, but here's the birthday girl in all her glory!

This was the only picture we snapped before she took off that too-cute-for-words suede vest.

I was so bummed she didn't want to wear it.

Scott had a friend who generously donated some hay bales for our party!

I was ecstatic (even if they couldn't come inside. They looked just as great on the front porch!)

Elliott's babysitter is also a very talented artist. She took a left-over cardboard box from Christmas and turned it into this fabulous barn for the kids to play in!

I was so impressed with her handy-work, and the kids loved it!

As a last-minute addition, I decided I wanted to throw together a photo-booth. I would love to try this again sometime, with a little more planning. But, it was still really fun!

I'll share the photo-booth pictures in tomorrow's post.

The birthday girl with some of her favorite gifts.

I am in love with these flashcards that I colored and strung up around the house. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but.....**toot toot**

We are notorious for not taking family pictures at big events. Maybe this is why?!

When I said full house.......I meant full.

Ribbon pinatas (and tall brothers-in-law) are pretty much a genius idea.

Ellie pulled the magic ribbon!

While the kids scrambled to fill their bags with goodies, Ellie was content with just a sucker ;)

My birthday girl!!

I was so shocked that she just shoved that big ol' cupcake in her face! Way to go, little cowgirl!

Presents!

I've got crazy eyes, but Ellie was just too cute opening presents. The things that she picks as her "favorites" always surprise me. Like a toothbrush, a Dora rolling backpack, and a plastic "iPhone" that's not an iPhone at all. I just love her!

We kept the food simple: chili (GASP! from a can!!!), turkey dogs, chips, salad, and cornbread. Preparing food for other people scares me, but this was the easiest, most stress free party ever!

Oh, and I might have had lots of help in the kitchen (thanks mom and Katie!)

This was the waterin' hole *snort* I'm so clever ;) Boy do I love mason jars and paper straws.

Oh, and Solo brand sells small plastic cups that come with lids and straws for the kids......genius, I tell ya!

The sweets table was probably my favorite part of the party (duh). Ellie's babysitter (again) is very talented, and makes her a cake every year. I love what she did this year, and the cake and cupcakes were delicious!

I also made some "cow pie cookies" and s'mores on a stick. Yum!

See the cake?! Crazy cute.

Marshmallows, melted chocolate, graham cracker crumbs. Boom.

I would seriously be lost without my Cricut, too. So many of the decorations for this party were made with that trusty sidekick!

Ellie says "y'all come back now, ya hear?"

Phew, that's a lot of cowboy cuteness! I still wanted to put up some pictures of all the little details that I spent so much time on: the banners, the goodie bags, the water bottle wrappers, etc but I really don't want to bore you all to tears. Just know, a lot of hard work, scrap booking paper, and tape runners went into this party, all right? Tomorrow, prepare yourself for one more photo dump! I want to share all of the cute and silly photo booth pictures with you because, well, it's fun!