Simply One

Before my baby was even a few months old, I was overwhelmed by the amount of attention the first birthday gets. When we have birthdays, family comes to our house, I cook, and we eat. We keep things simple because we're not party people. So I knew there wouldn't be invitations, decorations, and guests watching us open baby gifts. We did have fun at Isaiah's first birthday though! Our families came over, I cooked, we ate. Isaiah wasn't in a great mood, but we went with it.

I gave him his own cupcake, which he took one bite of.

I used the only decorating trick I know for the cake for everyone else. And he opened gifts and played with balloons.

By the end we were all exhausted and went to bed early. Entertaining is not a joke, and I can't imagine how tired I would have been if we had invited more people. Having it this way kept the cost down from the comfort of our living room.

So far his favorite gift is this motorcycle his aunt got him.

Since his actual birthday landed on Wednesday this year, we opted to celebrate Saturday, and have pizza on his actual birthday.

We had a late lunch at his party which consisted of:

• Hawaiian Ham Sliders
• Sweet & Sour Meatballs
• Mixed Fruit
• Sweet Potato Fries
• Cake

Ham Sliders:
12 Hawaiian rolls
Ham
Sliced Cheese
1t yellow mustard
1t poppy seeds
1t Worcestershire sauce
1t minced onion
1/2 stick butter

Instructions:
Mix the last five ingredients in a bowl - this goes on top of the bun. Split Hawaiian rolls, add a slice of cheese and piece of ham. Close bun. Repeat until all rolls are filled. Brush mixture on top of all the rolls. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs: 
Frozen meatballs
1 bottle Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ
1/2 jar grape jelly

Instructions:
Mix all together in a slow cooker on high for 3-4 hours or low 7-8.

Mixed Fruit:
Mix Grapes, Cantaloupe, Strawberries, Blackberries

Sweet Potato Fries:
I found these in the freezer section of the grocery store. I followed the instructions on the bag and added cinnamon and brown sugar when they came out of the oven.