We celebrated Leighton’s birthday all weekend long, and we capped it off with a big top celebration at home on Sunday the 11th. Being the obsessive party planner that I am, I had been thinking about and planning her party for months. Spreadsheets and lots of Pinterest researching were involved, of course. 😉

I fell in love with these adorable cotton candy invitations months ago, so we went with the circus/carnival theme and decorated the house in pink, gold, and turquoise.

We stocked up on lots of treats — 3 kinds of popcorn, iced animal crackers, mini sprinkle cupcakes, sandwiches and chicken nuggets, and fruit. I think the most popular, though, was the King of Pops cart filled with the most delicious popsicles in town! Guests also got their own bag of strawberry and pink vanilla cotton candy as a part(y)ing gift!

We painted this cutie pie chalkboard easel to use as a welcome sign and will add it to her playroom, so it was a win-win. And I totally didn’t need them, but I couldn’t pass up the YAY party cups (above) when I found them.

I don’t have any photos of it running because we forgot to even turn it on until later in the party, but I made a slideshow of our favorite photos (so, so many of them!) from Leighton’s first year. I’ll probably turn it on from time to time and let it play in the background because I love it so much!

The kids had a blast running around the house, playing with toys, and throwing corn hole bags off the deck for an updated version of the game. Even with so many people there, Craig and I felt like we were still able to talk to everyone and enjoy our company, which was so nice.

One of the best parts of the weekend was having my childhood best friend come up with her husband and two boys to celebrate with us. They drove 8 hours to be there for the party, and her boys even chose to miss their football game so they could meet Leighton. It meant the world to me to have them here, as she’s always been like the sister I never had. And on top of that, she was gracious enough to photograph the whole party for us. I can’t thank you enough, Nicole!

The grand finale, of course, was Leighton’s smash cake. This was the 3rd one she’s had, so she has become a pro at the whole ordeal. I chose a pale pink, pretty simple cake that was covered in sprinkles on the bottom half. I’d seen this exact cake on Pinterest, and I have a deep love for sprinkles, so I knew this was the one. We got mini cupcakes from our favorite cupcake shop to match! Leighton was a bit dainty at first, but once she dove in, she wouldn’t stop! We had to take the cake away from her before she either ate the whole thing or got sick (or both). I think it’s safe to say she has a sweet tooth. And now Craig and I are working on finishing the rest of her cake because it’s way too good to let go to waste.

It was so much fun celebrating with our families and so many of our friends and their little ones. It truly does take a village to raise a child, and we are forever grateful for ours. We threw this party as a celebration of Leighton, but also as a way of saying “thank you” to part of our village. Our transition to parenthood this past year wouldn’t have been nearly as smooth, amazing, and fun without all of you amazing people who love on us and our baby every day!

For anyone who may be planning their little one’s 1st birthday (or any birthday) soon, here are the source links for some of our favorite party things!

Party sources::
Invitations: Minted
Lunch food: Chick-fil-A* // Jimmy John’s sandwiches
*side note about the chicken nuggets: CFA nuggets are always a huge hit with kids and adults alike, but the party was on a Sunday, when they’re closed. Their catering site offers an option to order nugget trays that are cooked and then cooled so that they can be reheated in the oven when needed! It was super easy, and the nuggets tasted just like they normally do. All 320(!!) of them were gone in less than an hour!
Smash cake: Cakes by Darcy in Roswell, GA
Cupcakes: Smallcakes in Smyrna, GA
Popsicle stand: King of Pops
Cotton candy favors: SweetopiaCottonCandy on Etsy
Popcorn bags: Mavora on Etsy
Tent cards & signage: Fiddle Sticks Boutique on Etsy
Cake topper: ItsyBitsyPaperCuts on Etsy
Birthday stats board: ChalkType on Etsy
YAY cups: Swoozie’s
Coloring sheets: Valerie Pullam on Etsy
Chalkboard easel: IKEA
Wreath: DevinsDecor on Etsy
Birthday onesie: Iloveco on Etsy
Birthday skirt: Hanna Andersson
Birthday hat: PrideandPrincesses on Etsy
Photography: Nicole Adams Photography of Arcadia, FL

And because there are just so many photos to share, here are a few more…