A little (or long-ish) post on his FIRST b-day party. :)

So every soiree begins with an invitation, of course! We wanted it to be fun/vintage/modern/retro/whimsical, all rolled into one.

The invite:

We thought about printing it but in the end opted for the digital route. Originally there was RSVP info on the invitation but since we used an online service that would handle that, it made sense to remove it.

Hehe, we created a hipster-esque logo for Camp Elias:

Decorations were kept pretty minimal overall… Colorful bunting flags that spelled “Camp Elias” book-ended by his logo were hung at the entrance.

We made a handful of signs for the tables, following in similar style and design to the invitation. Guests were first greeted with a welcome board, list of activities and a game of “Elias Trivia”. Also, we asked them to write a prediction of what Elias will be in 25 years. A time capsule will be saved for the little dude — not to be unearthed for over two decades. :)






Notice the re-purposed mini easels from our wedding? :P

Red and white checkered food tent labels were placed by the camping-inspired grub: duck, hog in a blanket (roast pork with steamed buns), beware of bears (gummy bears), crater tarts (custard egg tarts), catch of the day (goldfish), campfire flames (spicy cheetos), fire logs (spring rolls), and bug juice (drinks). ;-)

Two special buffets were laid out: a s’mores station with all kinds of chocolate (extra dark, peanut butter, cookies n’ cream, mint, milk, sea salt, cabernet, hazelnut, caramel), several marshmallow sizes (including JUMBO!) and various types of graham crackers… and a make-your-own trail mix bar of m&m’s, chocolate chips, banana chips, nuts, pretzels and raisins. Cute chevron sacks made for take-home goodie bags.

Small side note here for the A/V geeks: you can kinda see a slideshow playing on the screen in the background in some of the photos. Y took all the pix from E’s 1 year gallery and somehow hacked it so they would play off his phone wirelessly using Chromecast (thus not needing a laptop and having to figure out what kind of media connector was needed since even the event coordinator herself did not even know!). Most of us wouldn’t care less but it was a big deal to Y.

Party favors (in addition to the s’mores and trail mix goodie bags) were miniature carabiner/compass clips and small flashlight (that lit up!) keychains. They appeared to be a big hit as a good portion of them were snatched up before we got a chance to snap a photo.

And we absolutely CANNOT forget to talk about the fabulous cake, amazingly constructed by our very talented friend Angeline who has made quite a few baked masterpieces for us. We sent her some ideas and photos for inspiration but she outdid herself as always.

Y had a bit of difficulty figuring out how to cut the darn thing. ;-) We positively loved ALL the details, even down to the little camper’s butt and the candle in the middle of the campfire. We did light it but didn’t get a pic. :( Oh, and just FYI, it was a green tea sponge cake with red bean filling.

And to show our sincerest appreciation, we sent (on behalf of E) printed thank you cards:

As we mentioned in the previous post, it turned out to be a blustery, icy, freezing, rainy cold day… We shall definitely have a story to tell him later. :) A lot of plans were blown out of the water (almost quite literally!) but in the end, we’re reminded that people are more important than things and agendas and set plans. The party details, circumstances, and set-up definitely didn’t turn out perfectly and as we imagined but when it all comes down to it, we have a precious baby and sweet folks that cared enough to come bless our family… and you know, THAT was perfectly okay with us. :)) From the bottom of our hearts, we are so grateful for all of you that made it.

Guess who’s ONE???

“Man proposes, God disposes” resounded through our minds as we celebrated E’s first birthday. We had planned a party around a camping theme at an outdoor shop with time by the lake. But what do you know, we were showered with ice, flurries, snow, sleet, rain, and wind on that particular day (it was in the 80’s less than 24 hours previous, mind you!). But celebrate we still did! It was almost like a reminder that, just as with his birth story, things played out very different than what we had envisioned or hoped for but at the end of the day, we had HIM and that was really all that mattered. ;-) Ever so grateful for the close friends that braved it out to play and be crazy with us… Made it all the more intimate and special!

So how has the year been for us? (Looking back brought a sniffle or two…) But definitely a roller coaster ride!!! Yes, there have been long nights and difficult days and trying instances. It’s been even harder without having much family around. But all the more that we have had to lean on Him and because of that, grown closer to the Source of our Strength for each and every day. We’ve also appreciated each other more… when we both attempt to play our God-given roles as mother and father and selflessly try to give the other time to just breathe … eat … run/throw a frisbee … sleep. And as we see this parent-child relationship deepen and how we continue to provide and care for, and deeply pursue our little boy despite his crazy poops and wild antics and food flying meals (etc, etc, etc!); his inability to appreciate or show gratitude or reciprocate love… This is just a miniscule inkling of our Father’s relationship with us. How blessed are we? Still always learning, though, as He continues to teach and mold and refine.

Happy 1st Birthday, dearest sweet Elias. Here are some of our fave photos from his 1-year shoot/cake smash session. There were so many good ones — thanks, Jynna! And thank you Auntie Angeline for the incredible birthday cake and giant smash cupcake (complete with near sugarless frosting since we didn’t want him on an intense rush/high – ha!). Hand-stitched vest top and shirtless bowtie/bottoms outfits were found on Etsy. :)

Happy Chinese New Year!

Lotsa hong-baos for little E… We certainly weren’t that rich at 11 months! Guess it’s never too early to start the college fund. Elias is as active as ever — from the moment his eyes open, he is in constant movement… mind always racing like Daddy? He started a Mother’s Day Out program once a week and absolutely loves it! He craves social interaction so we think he enjoys being with other kiddos. And … he started eating on his own. Oh, the mess! And oh, the fun?

Some pix… By the way, it’s just getting harder and harder to keep him still! He’s the squirmer of squirmers… Forget keeping the month sticker on him. ;-) Special thanks to Rebekah for gifting him the cute Chinese outfit. Glad we got to meet up with her in Singapore, right after their big move. More visits to come in the future, we’re sure.

Miss ya’ll dearly. :*(