Happy Birthday!

We celebrated Cadence's birthday on Friday, and after what felt like two nonstop days of prepping for it, everything was done just in time for party time!  We went with a theme incorporating Cadence's "spirit" animal, as determined by Kristen Linton--the whale.  Little did I know, the whale theme is a popular one for birthday parties, so I was able to find lots of inspiration online.  Obviously most of it was a little two over the top and expensive for my tastes, but we were able to incorporate several "whale" things into the party--my favorite being the whale watermelon fruit bowl--thanks to Aunt Emma!  We had mini pigs in a blanket, BLT bites, chips, whale crackers, fruit, water/lemonade, and of course cupcakes!  I made real cupcakes for the grown-ups, and some baby friendly mini cupcakes that consisted of applesauce, bananas, and whole wheat flour.  Cadence's cake was also comprised of the "healthy" batter, and she really liked it!  She did not forcefully smash the smash cake, but had fun picking up finger scoops of icing and eventually getting some bits of cake.  She really enjoyed the wonderful chorus of Happy Birthday she received, and all in all just had a good time strolling through the party and seeing everyone. 

For her gifts, we asked her guests to bring something for a girl we sponsored through CandleWishes, and I'm so glad we made the decision to go that route--it was so sweet to see the little girl's face when we dropped off her gifts a few days later.  We definitely want to do this every year, and I look forward to Cadence actually understanding the impact of being generous to others.