On Saturday, we threw Mio a birthday party to celebrate her turning one year old. We held it at Dan’s parents’ house because our own place is too small to accommodate all the guests, but it still got packed with almost forty loving friends and family, and we are so thankful to everyone who made it out to celebrate with us, despite the torrential rain earlier that morning. I had started planning this party about a month ago, and the past couple weeks had been all about preparations for it, and despite some stress and a couple anxiety attacks, I’m happy to say that it turned out to be a wonderful party, and even better than I expected! Thank you to our friends who helped with the cooking and grilling during the party, as well as those who swooped in to help with last-minute preparations. We couldn’t have had such a memorable, enjoyable party without you all! 🙂
Because we have over 300 photos to sort through and video footage that still needs to get uploaded, I’m going to split this up into a few blog posts, or else it will take me forever to get them up. (Additionally, I feel no shame in milking the party for as many blog posts as I can get out of it, because I-worked-hard-godammit! :P)Â So this first post will highlight the party decor, food, favors, etc., while subsequent posts will focus on the birthday activities. Enjoy!
…and this doesn’t even include the hamburgers and spare ribs that were cooking on the patio. Special thanks to John and Brent for grilling them! 🙂
…and a couple older kids for the babies to look up to, too.
We were reminded of how truly lucky we are to have such wonderful people in our lives, seeing the outpouring of love at Mio’s birthday party. Stay tuned for more posts in the coming days on the fun activities we had prepared for Mio!
April 3, 2012 @ 1:34 pm
Lovely…
April 3, 2012 @ 11:20 pm
Thank you! 🙂
April 3, 2012 @ 1:40 pm
Oh my gosh!!! Loved everything!! You are an amazing mom Misono!!
April 3, 2012 @ 11:20 pm
Hardly! I just had a lot more time on my hands since I’m currently a stay/work-at-home-mama. And I have Pinterest to thank. 😉 hahaha*
April 3, 2012 @ 1:49 pm
OMY SCHNITZEL! This is the nicest 1 year old birthday party I’ve EVER seen! MOVE OVER Martha Stewart!!!! Misono chan everything you do is amazing! I’m so jealous of your amazing talents! And I’m so happy for your little Mio! I love that name! One of our client is MiO. Its a drink made by Kraft Foods. The drink is pretty sweet & sugary so may not be a suitable drink for little Mio chan. 🙂
I love seeing your pictures! Keep being creative!
April 3, 2012 @ 11:27 pm
hahaha* You crack me up! Thank you for the awesome but totally undeserved compliments! 🙂 I did work hard, though, so I’m glad that my efforts were recognized! 😛
Yes! I actually have bought some MiO and quite like it! lol. I’m one of those people who have a hard time drinking lots of water (even though I know you’re supposed to drink at least eight cups a day!) and am sort of a juice fiend, so it’s a nice way to spruce up the taste to make it easier to drink. So cool that they are your client!!! 🙂
April 3, 2012 @ 2:06 pm
You make me hate you, at times. You are such an OVERACHIEVER!! Look at this!! How is any parent ever supposed to measure up to this beautiful a birthday party? I have yet to have a child and I already feel like I could never compete. LoL
All joking aside, this is a gorgeous party you threw for Mio!! She may not remember it in her head, but at least she has these lovely pictures to look back at and see how much love you put into this!!
April 3, 2012 @ 11:30 pm
Thank you Stef! The past couple weeks have been almost all birthday party prep so I’m glad that it paid off and that you like the fruits of my labor! 🙂
Probably not going to throw a big birthday party next year, though… this one was just special because it was the first! For Mio’s second birthday, I think we might just do a small affair with family. But this was definitely fun and memorable! 🙂 Definitely going to make a scrapbook or photobook so that Mio can see it when she’s older!
April 3, 2012 @ 3:11 pm
OMG! Such a fabulous party! I really love the mason jar idea. I wish that I had thought of for my sister’s bridal shower. You could totally be a party planner Misono!
April 3, 2012 @ 11:31 pm
Thank you Miyo! The mason jar idea just came to me when I was seeing how popular mason jars were at parties/showers/weddings these days. I thought, why not frost them with a custom message to make it even more special? 🙂
April 3, 2012 @ 3:24 pm
Love the frosted mugs! Those mason jar mugs seem to be popular party favors. I own 4 now, which I collected from various bridal showers and baby birthday parties but I’ve never seen anyone frost them before. What a great idea 🙂 You’re so craftsy!
April 3, 2012 @ 11:36 pm
Thank you bestest! 🙂 Yea, mason jars are all the rage at special events/parties these days! I saw so many photos of them at event idea blogs, and then thought, “I wish there was a way to take it a step further and customize them… not as cheap-looking or temporary as an adhesive label, but something more permanent and elegant…” and then I thought of the idea of frosting them! It was a pain in the butt to do, though… much more than I bargained for. Will probably not do it again unless it’s for a smaller crowd or a simpler design. hahaha* The letters were so intricate so it made making the stencils super difficult! Still, I suppose it was worth it because our guests really loved them and took them home with them! 🙂
April 3, 2012 @ 6:39 pm
This puts any party I have ever thrown to shame, but more
Importantly, you inspire me to be more creative and improve the art of hosting. It was all soooooo beautiful and Mio was beaming with joy. I loved this post and will be calling you soon to learn a few baking recipes 🙂
April 3, 2012 @ 11:39 pm
Aww, thank you for the kind words Kibos! 🙂 YOU inspire me to get out there and travel more! Love reading about all your adventures in South America and beyond… definitely feeding my wanderlust here! It’s good that you’re doing all of that now, because it’s so much harder to go on a trip with a child in tow… although if anyone can do it, it’d be you and Mira!
Hope you’re settling in nicely in your new life back East! I’m jealous!!!
April 3, 2012 @ 8:57 pm
misono u should just open ur own bake/gift/craft/design shop one day! 🙂
April 3, 2012 @ 11:22 pm
That would be a dream come true! But I just don’t have the business brain to make it happen… 🙁
April 3, 2012 @ 9:48 pm
so creative, beautiful and lovely just like you and mio!
April 3, 2012 @ 11:23 pm
Many thanks! 🙂 We missed you guys, but glad we could have the birthday picnic yesterday! 😀
April 4, 2012 @ 6:31 am
Misono, there wasn’t a single detail you didn’t think of. I wish I had your artistic eye and skills! I’m sure Mio will look through the pictures and be in awe of how much her parents love her. ♥
April 6, 2012 @ 5:52 pm
Aww thank you Ramya! I do hope she enjoys looking back on the pictures when she’s older! 🙂
April 4, 2012 @ 6:48 am
Um, Misono, Mio’s party is beyond adorable! I’m such a sucker for those striped straws and customized mason jars! And the mini bunting!! I can’t get over it!! Mio is one lucky gal to have such a talented mama (and papa)! Can I hire you to be my wedding decorator, lol?
April 4, 2012 @ 12:09 pm
Aww, thank you Celia! 🙂 I love those paper straws, too, and had to incorporate them somehow into the party! 😀 Same with the mason jars and the bunting! 🙂 I got a ton of help from Dan in putting everything together — good thing he is creative, crafty, and doesn’t mind playing assistant to all my crazy projects! lol.
If we lived closer, I would have loved to help decorate your wedding! But if you ever need tips on where to find certain materials or just decorating ideas in general, please feel free to shoot me an email and I’d be happy to help with suggestions! 😀
Mio’s First Birthday Party: Part II Issho Mochi & Erabitori | Blooming by the Bay
April 4, 2012 @ 11:55 am
[…] Mio’s first birthday party, we wanted to incorporate a Japanese traditional element into the celebration, and decided to have […]
April 4, 2012 @ 12:06 pm
Ahh! So bummed that I missed it!! Now I need something as fabulous as my child’s birthday so that I have a reason to throw a cute-tastic party….le sigh.
April 4, 2012 @ 12:11 pm
We missed you, Katie! But hope you had an awesome time with your parents! 😀 Hope there’s another opportunity to hang out soon. 🙂
April 5, 2012 @ 4:12 am
very very VERY nice. WELL DONE!
I’m sure it took lots of preparation but it looked fantastic.
April 6, 2012 @ 5:51 pm
Thanks Hyo! It was a lot of work put into it but it was all worth it! So glad it all came together in the end! 🙂
April 5, 2012 @ 8:43 am
Misono~ I am so moved at how much heart you put in to each detail of the party! every cookie, sushi roll,party favor~ You are a better mom than I could ever imagine~♥ so inspired by you!;) hehe Ditto what someone elso mentioned that I may call you for recipes!! 🙂
April 6, 2012 @ 5:53 pm
Thank you Miyoung!!! 🙂 I’m just glad it all came together in the end, and that I don’t have to stress about it anymore! lol. Definitely let me know if you ever need help with party ideas – I can at least point you in places to look for inspiration! 🙂
April 5, 2012 @ 10:20 am
this is prolly the most beautiful party i have ever seen thrown for a kid! every detail is perfect and so lovely. mio is so lucky to have an artistic mommy like you!! you are the very definition of hostess with the mostest!! =D
now take a moment to breathe and take a rest, since this must have been a LOT of work!!
April 6, 2012 @ 5:54 pm
Aww, you are too kind! I’m just happy that it all came together decently and that people enjoyed themselves at the party! 🙂
I have definitely resting and recuperating from party planning this week! lol.
Mio’s First Birthday Party: Part III Smash That Cake! | Blooming by the Bay
April 5, 2012 @ 2:50 pm
[…] from Part I and Part II of Mio’s birthday party posts, here’s the finale portion of Mio’s […]
April 10, 2012 @ 3:25 pm
Wow Misono! Sooo impressive! This was just so amazing! Mio is so lucky to have a mom that makes such awesome parties for her!! Gives me ideas for future parties for Kosei..haha! I am glad you had such a beautiful celebration! Great job!!
Also, can’t wait to see you and Mio! I hope she will have fun with the boys! They are also very active so hopefully they will have fun together :)!!!
April 11, 2012 @ 3:13 pm
Thank you so much, Mie, for the sweet comment! 🙂 Please feel free to borrow any ideas for future birthday parties for Kosei. I can recommend more sites to check out if you need more ideas! 😀
Can’t wait to see you guys, either! Mio is pretty rough and tumble, so I have a feeling she’ll fit right in in playing with the boys! Looking forward to us all getting together! 🙂
April’s 100th Day Celebration | Blooming by the Bay
July 13, 2012 @ 2:54 pm
[…] than Mio. (Hyangsun and Tony had been expecting her to be born in May, and they actually came to Mio’s birthday party on March 31.. and then April was born the next day, a month before her due date!)Â The decorations […]
March 28, 2013 @ 7:18 pm
My mind is blown by the amount of work you put into Mio’s stunning birthday party. You are an amazing party planner!! Mio is a very lucky girl.
March 28, 2013 @ 9:28 pm
Thank you Marcella! 🙂 Such a sweet comment! I did put a lot of work into it, but I think because of how much time and stress went into the preparation, it’s made us want to do things a lot more low-key this year. We’re not throwing a party for her turning two next week; just celebrating with the family with cake! 🙂 I figure I’m off the hook until she can start asking for a party and will actually remember them… 😉