So, to solve the favor-handing-out conundrum, I just told everyone what the deal was when they came: your bag is in the chest, it has your child's name on it, you get to pick your parrot, and don't forget the chocolate coins that are in the cooler with our 72 bottles of water. Lots of people went ahead and put the parrot of their choice in their bag right then, which worked very well. About an hour and 15 minutes into the aquatic festivities, there was a gradual and natural shift from the pool to the gazebo, so Jason ran back for the Party Pail of ice cream, we dished everyone up, lit Ezra's cupcake candle, sang, and enjoyed eating. We all ate at our leisure for a while, then kids' patience began to wane, so everyone headed out (with their bags and coins), making for a grand total party time of 1 hour 45 minutes. It was AWESOME.
Highlights:
One family came with everyone, Mom, Dad, and 6-month-old son, in eye patches :D
Our youngest guest, a one-month-old, had the most clever costume EVER. Seriously, if I were creative and genius enough to have thought of this, it would have been Ezra's Halloween costume last year. They had him in a white onesie with the sleeves cut off, black Sharpie stripes drawn on it, and the best part: knit pants with one leg rolled up and the other tied at the ankle, making him a pegleg! Man. That was awesome.
Watching Ezra's one friend have a blast with her mom tickling her neck with her new pink parrot :D
Having adult guests say that the healthy cupcakes were good! And watching the young guests devour them :)
Getting nice feedback about how the kids are still digging their parrots/getting requests for the recipe...which leads us to...
THE RECIPE!
Healthy First Birthday Cake Recipes - Sugar Free Applesauce and Banana Cake
8 oz (2 cups) whole wheat flour
1 tbspwheat germ
1 heaped tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
6 medium, ripebananas- mashed
8 fl oz (1 cup)sugar-free applesauce
2-4 fl oz (1/4 to 1/2 cup) soy milk
Preheat the oven to 325 deg F (160 deg C).
In a bowl, combine the flour, wheat germ, baking soda and cinnamon.
In a separate bowl, combine the applesauce with the mashed bananas and 1/4 cup milk.
Pour the applesauce mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. If the mixture seems dry, you can add up to another 1/4 cup milk.
Pour into a greased 9" x 9" square or 9" round pan and bake for around 1 to 1 1/2 hours. The cake is ready when a sharp knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Read more:http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/healthy-first-birthday-cake-recipes.html#ixzz1UkWRKi4Z
8 oz (2 cups) whole wheat flour
1 tbspwheat germ
1 heaped tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
6 medium, ripebananas- mashed
8 fl oz (1 cup)sugar-free applesauce
2-4 fl oz (1/4 to 1/2 cup) soy milk
Preheat the oven to 325 deg F (160 deg C).
In a bowl, combine the flour, wheat germ, baking soda and cinnamon.
In a separate bowl, combine the applesauce with the mashed bananas and 1/4 cup milk.
Pour the applesauce mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. If the mixture seems dry, you can add up to another 1/4 cup milk.
Pour into a greased 9" x 9" square or 9" round pan and bake for around 1 to 1 1/2 hours. The cake is ready when a sharp knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Read more:http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/healthy-first-birthday-cake-recipes.html#ixzz1UkWRKi4Z
I did mine as cupcakes, shown below. I baked them for 24 minutes. I used pirate cups from Hobby Lobby, which unfortunately looked nice but performed very poorly. The cupcakes fused with the paper. :s
I left a few unfrosted to make it possible for younger/milk-allergic guests to enjoy. Here's the frosting recipe. I think I may have used a juice concentrate that was too strong...my husband liked it but accurately described it as "a kick in the teeth." I think I could have whisked it for longer, too...the longer it's whisked, the thicker it seems to get. All in all, a very cool recipe:
http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/sugar-free-frosting.html I used the Apple and Cream Cheese Frosting recipe. I went ahead and just linked it because there are a lot that are cool. It's a great website.
And here are a few pictures from the day:
We went to Red Lobster with a gift card that night and they gave him his first scoop of ice cream :) We opened presents afterwards and had a grand ol' time. (Actually, I'm kind of nervous to watch the video we took of "him" opening presents...it was a lot of, "Ezra, look at this, now that, oh, that too, stop playing with that toy and look at this card..." In hindsight, since it was so late, we probably should have done presents and cards the next day. :s )
Whew. Now on to thank-you notes. And cleaning the house, lol, which I put off while prepping for the party for the two weeks before. I tell ya, I'm tired. But it was totally worth it! :)
Oh, and for your use and viewing pleasure, here are some of the links I used while brainstorming and planning the party:
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