Party People

The Party People (They still all fit on mommy's lap and can frequently all be found there) Westin, Brooklyn, Kynlee, Gage

Not only was the babies' actual birthday precious and memorable, but so was their first birthday party! We were so blessed to have so many family and friends join us in celebrating the joy and survival of our first year with quadruplets!!

I debated for a long time on how to throw a party for boys AND girls, but inspiration hit when I saw a really fun cake in a bakery window that I desperately wanted to make . . . and so the theme was born: DUMP TRUCKS AND PEARLS. You're probably wondering what kind of cake this must have been, well it was a toy dump truck with a cake in the bed of the truck. I knew immediately that I wanted to make my own version, but as this is not very girly, I needed something on the opposite end of the spectrum for the girls and so, you know the rest of the story!!

The Set Up


The Cakes

We had a houseful of kids and adults that made for a very lively party. Guests included grandparents, a great-grandma, aunts and uncles, friends and even the OB who delivered the foursome!

Dr. D reunited with the babies

The girls were occupied with a little dress up. Feather boas, beads, hair accessories, crowns and of course pearls!! They didn't all seem to fully appreciate the greatness that is dress up clothing, but we got some cute pictures and with time, they will one day understand!

Brooklyn and Kynlee

One of our party guests

Unfortunately for the boys, they got caught in some of the dress up crossfire and well . . . the pictures will say the rest.

Gage (it could have been a lot worse)

Westin in feathers

Uncle Jacob was appalled, he is apparently still scarred by the pictures we have of him in girl's dress up clothes when he was little (he had three older sisters, he never stood a chance) and did not want the same fate for his nephews. Alas, he lost that battle.

We did have one precious party-goer who thought that playing dress up was fabulous and she kept posing for the camera and asking for more. Too cute.

After we exhausted the dress up fun, the boys were given a little time in the dirt to regain their masculinity. They played with dump trucks (of course) and other construction vehicles in a small sandbox. The boys loved the sand, but they had a little trouble fighting for space with the big boys. However a good time was had by all! They got a little masculine dress up opportunity too. Granna found construction party hats, though they turned out to be kind of awkward on, but the idea was fun!

Uncle Jacob sporting the construction party hat.

Playing with the big boys

Westin and Gage

After dirt and dress up . . . PRESENTS! Talk about chaos: four one year olds, mountains of wrapping and tissue paper, toys and friends all over the living room!!! I think I lost a child or two during this part of the party. I'm sure they were terrified of being buried alive in tissue paper, but everyone survived and they were given some really fun stuff including: cars, a baby doll stroller, tractors, puppets, books, a picnic basket toy, an octopus toy and I'm sure more that I am not calling to mind at this moment. A big thank you to everyone for the fun gifts. (I've been working on cleaning out "baby" toys over the last week to make room for the fun new loot.) There big present though, is still not up. We got them a swing set for the backyard!!!

Present opening aftermath! Yikes!

This was a joint gift from us, the grandparents, Big Mama and Pa, Uncle Brian and Aunt Jessica and some family friends who sent a surprise contribution. Now we just have to get it put up and the fun can begin. (This gift was really for Mommy who will very much enjoy being able to send kids out to play in the summers to come!)

And finally, there was the ever fun song and cake time!! By the time we served cake to the babies as well as all the other children there, I think you could see more cake on the floor than you could see floor. Seriously!

Cake Time! Kynlee, Brooklyn, Gage and Westin

It was a great first birthday celebration. One that will always be a blur of activity in my memory, but also one I will never forget (much like the whole first year of these guys' life). Once again Happy, Happy, Happy, Happy Birthday to my sweet little people: Brooklyn, Gage, Westin and Kynlee. Go easy on me this year as you guys become even more mobile and vocal!!