The coolest Birthday Party -- EVER!

I'm in the midst of planning the coolest first birthday party that you've ever seen.  It's taking up a good deal of my time, and between that and my design work I haven't had very much time for my own blog.  Which makes me sad, because I really do enjoy blogging.  Since the party is on my mind, I've decided to blog about it.  Well, I also need somewhere to put my ideas.  A place where Aiden won't find them and rip the paper they're written on to shreds or draw me a picture on them.  You get the idea.

Jagger's party is going to be a Halloween themed costume party.  I absolutely love Halloween!  It's one of my favorite holidays, and I am so beyond psyched to plan this party and go all out with decorations and all that!

The first order of business is the theme.  Since I've decided on what I want it's time to pick the decorations, plates, cups and all that good stuff.  For this I did an extensive search of the interwebs, and this is what I have come up with!

Meet The Boo Bunch!

You can check out the full selection of Boo Bunch decorations and party supplies here!  I am getting both of these and these plates, cups, napkins, table cloth, door cover, this banner, the cupcake tower, these edible images and this banner which will say Happy First Birthday Jagger!

Happy Birthday Week, Ashlee!

Tomorrow I am going to turn 25.  I will be a quarter of a century old tomorrow.  I will be half way through my 20's tomorrow.  It's actually kind of making me sad, because I feel like it was just yesterday that I got married, but really it was 2005, which makes it 5 years ago.  It's crazy how fast time flies when you get married and have babies!

So far for my birthday I have gotten:

1. A bomb ass yoga and pilates kit from my husband, that includes DVD's, a book, resistance band, giant ass exercise ball, two pilates balls, a mat and a pilates block!  I've been wanting it for forever, and he got it for me!
2. A subscription to Netflix, so that I can get some do some of the cardio videos they have on there that I love in the mornings.  Which means that I can switch it up!  Awesome!  Plus, I can watch all the movies I want to, I watched The Prince and The Show Girl last night, oh how I love Marilyn Monroe!

That's all so far, but I'm sure there will be more to come.  I'm so excited about my birthday week 2010!  As you all know, I take an entire week for my birthday, and sometimes I take a month.  I do this because I feel that I am far too special to have only one day to celebrate my birth!  I'm looking forward to what tomorrow will hold for me, as it is actually the day that I was born.  Also, I will be contributing another fabulous guest post over at CB's blog One Crazy Brunette tomorrow, so that's my gift to you all.  Double the Ashlee, double the fun, right?


Now for a birthday song that doesn't describe me or my birthday at all, because I am special.  But I like it anyway, and I send it to all my friends on facebook for their birthdays, so I might as well put it here too.

To my Dearest Justin, regarding the day of my birth

Dear Justin,

Don't worry, this isn't an angry letter.  I'm not going to verbally decapitate you in public or anything.  It's a nice letter, one that you'll appreciate my having written in a week or so, trust me!  Since it's almost my birthday, I thought it might be a nice idea to write you a 'What does Ashlee want for her 25th Birthday reference guide!'  I know, I know....I'm so sweet!  You don't have to tell me, really, I'm just trying to help you babe.  As you know, I take an entire week for my birthday, oh by the way I just found out that my big sisters daughter takes the whole month/week too, weird huh?  Anyway, since I like to celebrate for the entire month of my birth but really tend to just focus on the week of that all important day, I want you to know that I don't expect a small gift each day of the week and a big gift on my birthday.  Really, it's not necessary!

What you can do for me is get me just a bunch of small stuff to be given to me on the actual day of my birth.  How is this different from giving me a small gift each day and a big gift on my birthday?  It just is, trust me...it is!  I don't want to be an inconvenience, so I thought it would be better for you to just give them to me all at once.  This is an important birthday you know.  I'm half way through my twenties as of 3rd September.  That's a big deal to me, so the pressure is on for you to deliver this year.  Yep, that's right, I'm turning up the heat on you...or something like that.  So, have you thought about what to get me yet?

First Birthday Gift Ideas

I'm a list maker, a compulsive one at that.  I make lists for everything, sometimes I make lists for things two or three different times.  Only because I have a 3 year old son who loves the way paper feels in his hands when he's crumpling it into a ball and tearing it into shreds.  Since I have around 10 different word documents full of things I want, might want and need for my youngest sons first birthday party, in October, I've decided to post about the things I want to get him for his birthday, as in gifts.  I have around eleventy million word documents, and I don't need anymore.  Plus I thought it might be nice to get some feedback on my gift ideas for his first birthday presents. 

So here are the things I want to get for him.  Feel free to tell me if you have it for one of your children and how they like it or anything else.

These Large ABC wooden blocks are from Growing Tree Toys.  I had a similar set for Aiden as a gift for his 1st Birthday, and he adored them for a long while.  So I want to get a set for Jagger as well.  Hopefully he'll like them as much as his brother liked his!  I've decided on this set because they come in a wooden box with a slide on lid for storage, which is a huge plus in my book!


This Wheely Bee Ride on Toy, which I also found at Growing Tree Toys, since I was already there after my block search.  I've been looking at these for such a long time, and I think they're just adorable.  I'm really fond of the Lady Bug one, but I think that one is more suited to a girl.  I am stuck picking between this one, the cow and the mouse.  Help!  I'm indecisive!  I don't know anyone who has one, so if you've got one let me know how your son or daughter likes it, and if it's a good buy for a first birthday or not in your opinion.


The Bounce and Spin Pony, which I found at Wal-Mart!  I love these things.  Aiden got the Zebra, which is just too cute for words and he just adored, for his First Birthday.  So since we already have the Zebra, I want to get Jagger the Pony, plus it's interactive and I think that is so freaking cool!  It just seems like the cutest little thing, and I think Jagger should like it, as much as he likes to bounce right now anyway.


I'm also looking into getting him some of the Veggie Tales DVD's and that kind of stuff.  Now, I've not see any of the Veggie Tales DVD's, but they do come highly recommended so I am very hopeful that they will live up to what I have heard and read about them.  I'm quite hopeful that they will be very good, attention keeping movies for my soon to be one year old little man to watch.  I'm also thinking of getting some other DVD's for him, as well as some new books.

Aside from these I'm looking for some bath toys that I can get him, and some other small things too.  I'm probably going to be getting him that cute little Fischer Price mailbox, and I might get him a Kitchen too.  Aiden loves play kitchens, hell Aiden loves real kitchens.  When we're at WIC he uses their play kitchen to make us the weirdest food combinations.  So I might split that gift between Aiden and Jagger since their birthdays are close together.  If I do get a play kitchen I will be using one of my favorite online shops, Melissa & Doug, to get them some awesome wooden food sets that I've had my eye on for a while now, especially the Pizza Party set, the Cutting Food set and the Sandwich Making set!  They're amazing, you should check them out if you have a play kitchen for your kids!

What did you buy your kids for their first birthdays?  Any suggestions for me, like toys your kids just loved and played with over and over?