Gavin's Safari Theme Birthday!

So this is only 3 months late... but Gavin's first birthday was a BLAST. Jake and I love African animals so it was only fitting to make it a Safari theme!

I had huge help from Jake, my parents and my sister... I don't know how I could have done it without them.  Will Gavin remember any of this? No.  But I will.  It was so worth it!  

I made his Happy Birthday banner (which we can use for many birthdays to come!)

And also this photo banner with his monthly photos from birth-12 months!  

As most people know, the main event of any birthday party is the food and cake.  I am lucky enough to have the most amazing friend, Amy, who makes cakes for a living.  I gave her a few different inspiration pictures and she came up with this amazing (and delicious!) cake:

The top layer was Red Velvet with cream cheese, the middle was vanilla with white chocolate filling, and the bottom layer was chocolate with chocolate mousse!

Since Gavin can't eat normal cake because of his food allergies, I made him his own chocolate cake.  

The food table was named the "Grazing Table" (written with a chalk pen on chalkboard paper in a white-painted $1 frame.  My sister has the BEST handwriting in the world.)

All of the food was jungle themed and I found THIS great DIY label on Etsy that helped me make these labels:

Here were some of the food names:

Tiger Tails (Cheetos)

Tree Twigs (Pretzels)

Pirhana Pasta Salad

Tasmanian Deviled Eggs

Zebra Stripes (Striped Chocolate covered strawberries)

Gorilla Grapes 

Jungle Vines (Red Vines)

Hungry Hippo Dip (Hummus)

Rabbit Food (Kale Salad)

Python Potato Salad

Clearly I had way too much time on my hands... :)

I had THIS adorable sign made to display at the party... All about Gavin at age one!  It will be a great keepsake for years to come!

The drink table was appropriately named, as was the punch (Jungle Juice!)

I purchased Cheetah print duct tape and rolled it on water bottles to complete the wild theme!

I made the banner on Gavin's high chair using the same supplies as his birthday banner:

And it would be a birthday party without party favors! I found them on Amazon and it ended up being cheaper than making goody bags. And the kiddos loved them :)

The birthday boy wore this custom shirt (another Etsy find!)

Overall, the party was a hit with over 60 people in attendance!  Gavin is one lucky kiddo to be so loved.  It's scary to think he will be two before we know it!  Has anyone figured out how to slow down time?!