Since our baby girl was turning one, we decided we just had to celebrate. What better way to celebrate than with a party! We are blessed to have lots of wonderful friends here, so we thought we'd do it up big and have a Hawaiian Luau themed birthday party in our backyard. I gathered supplies and ideas (it helped having had a trip to Hawaii a few months earlier) and sent out invites designed by my sweet friend Charlotte in Dallas (www.thepapercupcake.com)
Finally it was August 28th, the big day! We had her party the weekend after her actual birthday, since her actual birthday is Friendship Fest here on base. My friend Kate Chapman came and took pictures for us, so I could just enjoy the day (and worry about all the other things a party entails- food, decor, setting up/cleaning/taking down...)
She showed up a few minutes early to get some cute pictures of Mallory before the big bash started. Look at those sweet little feet. 
She was a bit overwhelmed as people started to show up and Mommy and Daddy were rushing around doing last minute prep, so she wasn't super smiley in these pictures.
She was a bit overwhelmed as people started to show up and Mommy and Daddy were rushing around doing last minute prep, so she wasn't super smiley in these pictures.
Party details: the cupcake tower made by me, with hibiscus, umbrellas and little "Happy Hawaiian Birthday" toppers.
We set up a little water table in the backyard for the kids to play in. Mallory LOVED that thing, and spent most of the party splashing in it!
Daddy cooked burgers and hot dogs on the grill. Chips, potato salad, green salad, and other snacks were on another table. Sodas, beer and water were in the coolers. The REAL treat was on the big grill next to Brett...
we roasted a Kaula pig- just like in Hawaii! Everyone was pretty amazed, and he turned out great!
We rented the little kid bouncy playmat too, which entertained lots of the little ones. Mallory wouldn't step foot on it, silly kid, but most of the other kids loved it!
Some of our buddies: Anne, Bridget and Isabelle, Amanda, Karen and Nathan.
The set up in our back yard- bouncy area in the corner, tents and tables for shade and to eat, bbq grills, coolers, and water table. There was also a craft table set up with stuff to make your own flower lei.
Dinner is ready! Brett and John Schutte (his boss and also friend) take the pig off the grill and get ready to serve it up.
We wanted to take a group picture to show Mallory how loved she was on her first birthday! We had a great turn out and feel so very blessed to have so many wonderful friends here at Yokota!
After the group photo, it was cake time. Mallory was SO mad that she couldn't just dig in to her cake. (I think she'd been waiting for it all day- she wouldn't eat any of the other food we served). She didn't understand the whole singing/candle thing first.
We had goodie bags for all the kids- playdoh, a snack bag of goldfish crackers, bubbles and some stickers.
Most of the people left after cake and a wonderful party. We loved it and had a wonderful time. I felt so loved and was so glad Mallory had so many people there to wish her happy 1st birthday. A few friends stuck around to take a few more pictures and help us clean up. Mallory took a quick bath (she had cake in virtually every crevice of her body!) and changed into her birthday onesie.
