Birthday & Christmas Update

We're almost halfway through November and I know a lot of you have been thinking about the holidays, especially those with babies turning 1 in December. I thought I'd share what I've got so far. Jack's birthday party is going to be at The Little Gym near my house. Unfortunately, our house is too small to have the party here and with his birthday being in winter, it has to be indoors. The Little Gym is very reasonably priced, they do all the set up and clean up, and I don't have to come up with activities to keep the kids entertained. It's going to be great! All I really need to worry about is the cake and balloons.

I'm doing a jungle animals theme with an emphasis on giraffes. I found a whole set of giraffe themed products at 1st Wishes. I can't get the whole set, and The Little Gym supplies all the paper goods anyways, but I'm going to get Jack the birthday banner and a few other things. I also got a number 1 cake pan today and I'm going to test out a carrot cake recipe next week. I'll let you all know how it turns out!

I got him a ball pit as one of his presents.

I've been planning on getting him a chair from Pottery Barn Kids for months now. But as it gets closer, I'm wondering if that's the best thing. It's a bit expensive and takes up a lot of room. But it will last for many years to come. I better decide soon!

As for Christmas, I'm not going to go crazy. Gifts are not what Christmas is all about. It's like the Grinch realizes, "maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas means a little bit more." I'm more looking forward to starting family traditions, looking at  decorations, listening to holiday music, and just spending quality family time together. This truly is the most wonderful time of the year and I'm so excited to share it all with Jack now!

With that said, I did order him some personalized gifts from PBK a few months ago. A preschool backpack and lunchbox for daycare. I went the more practical route because I know he'll get plenty of toys for both his birthday and Christmas from family and friends.

I love this backpack and I think Jack will look very cute carrying it. However, it's really small. I think if I had known just how small it is, I would have gotten the bigger one. But this one will be good for what we need it for and it's just his size! The lunchbox (which is almost as big as his backpack!) is great too and is very roomy. I can't wait to start using it! I also got him some insulated sippy cups, a pair of Christmas pajamas, and some stocking stuffers. I love stockings so of course I'm going to make sure that Jack's is overflowing. I'm sure I'll pick up some other things here and there, I just don't know what else to get. My mom already got him the Mega Blocks dump truck I suggested along with a few other things. The only other thing I really want him to have is a nice toy box.

No matter what, I'm going to make Jack's birthday very special and keep it as separate from Christmas as I possibly can. I love birthdays and I love Christmas and I want Jack to always enjoy both!

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!