It’s so hard to believe an entire year has passed by, and my youngest daughter is ONE!

Even thought it’s been 12 whole months, I have a hard time remembering what it was like with just the 3 of us now. She’s such an integral and special part of the family. She’s smart, charming, LOVES books and will bring you which one she wants you to read! She loves snuggling and puts her head down to snuggle or pretend to sleep (it’s adorable!). She loves rosé wine (grabs and tries to guzzle mine every time!), most ALL food – especially kimchi, hummus, strawberries & blueberries, loves her sister so much she cries every time she leaves and loves her milkies from Mommy, especially at night (when she’s not distracted by all that life has to offer!) – yes, I’m still nursing .

I concluded her first year with a “closing of the bones” ritual with my postpartum doula (still writing that blog post), by finally writing and sharing her birth story and of course celebrating the milestone of making her first trip around the Sun!

Since it was a super busy time for us, I kept it small and simple. (I basically put it all together the week prior.)

My older daughter had a Peter Rabbit themed 1st birthday party (both to go with her nursery and because I LOVE rabbits, in case you didn’t know!) I went with the same theme, since I call the girls my honey bunnies anyway! And since some BUNNY was turning ONE! 😉

I did try a few new twists though to make it different and fun!

Hope you enjoy!
xo

MINI TERRA COTTA POTS WITH VEGGIES

Give cut up veggies a make over! Just because it’s simple doesn’t mean it can’t be stylish or fun! I got some small terra cotta pots and filled them with baby carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower & jicama instead of having my usual crudité platter. I also hollowed out a cabbage and poured in some vegan ranch dressing for dipping the veggie sticks in! Easy-peasy and super cute! Peter Rabbit AND your guests will ALL love this! 🙂

FRESH FLOWERS

What better way to show off some fresh flowers than a galvanized watering can? I got these flowers at the farmers market – in season, local and beautiful! I loved the color for a girl’s 1st birthday too.

DRINKS

For drinks, we had some no-sugar-added juice boxes, a pitcher of water (to save some plastic trees!) and a pitcher of sparking strawberry water with fresh berries (including blackberries… the Flopsy Bunnies would approve!)

INDIVIDUAL WHITE PICKET FENCE BERRIES

These cute white picket fence cupcake wrappers looked perfect for garden fresh berries! Just like with veggies, don’t underestimate the power of gorgeous fresh fruit! Just look how cute these berry cups came out! Simple, fresh, sweet, FUN & HEALTHY! Great for all ages, but especially the kiddos!

WATERMELON 1’s

Cut a good sized watermelon into 1/2″ – 3/4″ disks, and cut out the number with a cookie cutter! This is a tradition in our house. I do this for the older daughter’s parties as well! This can be a great activity to get your kids involved with.

BUNNY-THEMED FOOD

A few fun treats for the kids…

Bunny Snacks – baby carrots!

Bunny Droppings – raisins, of course (everyone got a kick out of that!)

Bunny Tails – vegan marshmallows!

CARROT CUPCAKES

To keep with my theme, I made carrot cake cupcakes with a low-sugar cream cheese frosting. Since I was giving the birthday girl a cupcake, they’re sweetened only with some banana. They were yummy! Recipe coming soon to the blog!

BIRTHDAY CAKE

Since it was a birthday, I *also* made a cake! It was a new recipe for me AND my very first time making a tiered cake! For a first timer, with no instructions or training, I’d say it came out pretty cute! Of course the perfectionist in me begs to differ. 🙂  But again I was going for simple… the ‘other’ theme for this celebration!  Vegan & gluten free of course too! I colored the frosting with ALL NATURAL red food coloring made from beets. I used one from India Tree.

(Plus, for her actual birthday my toddler helped me make a super yummy strawberry cake with strawberry frosting! Recipe coming soon!)

ACTIVITIES

Pin the Tail on the Bunny

It was a HUGE hit with the kids! Everyone loved it and had a great time!

Peter Rabbit Story Time
I had the whole series to pick from, and my toddler got to pick. She chose The Flopsy Bunnies.

Coloring/Creative
I made some Peter Rabbit coloring booklets and got a box of crayons for each child. I also had some bubble wands and chalk for the older kids to play with.

FAVORS

Each child got their very own Peter Rabbit Book to take home!

A TOAST…

A major life celebration / milestone deserves something extra special!

We toasted all of us making it through the first year! These are the same champagne flutes & bubbly we served at my oldest’s 1st birthday party too! Sparkling rosé from our favorite winery in Greenport/the North Fork of NY. It arrived just in time for the celebration!

It was a really great way to celebrate my baby turning ONE!