Oh how special this day was for us. My only little boy, my pandemic blessing, turned the big ONE. Up until his birthday, his older sisters, Raegan and Zaire, insisted that he was age zero. They would ask and ask “When will Xander have a REAL age?” Xander’s birthday came right in the middle of some true military family chaos. After six years of being stationed in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, we were heading all the way across the country to Monterey, California. His birthday would fall just weeks after completely uprooting our lives.
It was of the utmost importance to me that we have a celebration for Xander. You see, his sisters both had huge first birthday parties. Raegan had a full carnival, and Zarie had a First Fiesta; and while I knew we wouldn’t be able to host a huge party due to the pandemic and being in a new home, I was determined to make those memories.
Our initial plan for our move was to ship our vehicles to California and do a full cross-country road trip to our new home. We mapped out stops to see family and fun landmarks and towns along the way. We planned to be at The Grand Canyon on Xander’s birthday, and I thought it the perfect opportunity to throw him a One Wild Adventure birthday. We could snag a cake, camp out, and sing him happy birthday by the campfire. The United States Army had a different plan for us. My husband’s report date to California was moved up by a couple of weeks, leaving us without the extra time it would take to do our fun road trip. We would instead scurry to pack ourselves up, sell our home, ship our things out, and fly to California. I was still determined. Determined to pull it all together, a celebration for our last little puzzle piece. So I basically decided to bring the camping adventure to our new (not furnished and unpacked yet) home.
First thing was setting up his Birthday Occasions Bin™. You may be familiar with our #occasions in tradition, as it has become wildly popular, especially on Instagram. What is an Occasions Bin™? It’s a bin that I keep on my kitchen counter that is full of seasonal items to make the everyday a bit more magical. I love getting cute paper plates and napkins…sprinkles…you name it, and I used to just hoard it all away until a “special” occasion. Now I intentionally place it all out, so that we can make things like movie night or snack time a special occasion. Think cheesy goldfish, but in a skeleton snack up at Halloween. Our favorite drinks, but with seasonal silly straws.
For Xander’s birthday Occasions Bin™ I made one with a fun camping theme. I included the adorable partyware that we would end up using on his day. The entire set was from Lucy Darling shop, and I think the little forest shaped napkins were my favorite. I also put in his wood block cake stand, bear paw drink stirrers, and a little grizzly bear shaped skillet that we would use for birthday pancakes. The kids’ favorite part was the animal track decals I stuck on the counter in front. It’s ALL about the details.
I created a yummy Bear Cub Snack Mix that I kept out on the counter the entire week, for us to snack on, and t build the fun anticipation for Xander’s birthday. You can head to Instagram for a full reel tutorial on this easy and crazy yummy (yes, even for adults) snack mix.
I set up sleeping bags for the kiddos in our living room. I added in a little tent, toy campfire and smores set, and I even brought out some of our christmas tree decor to create the look of a forest. It was our own little woodland area. The fringe backdrop from Glam Fete was custom made with the most perfect colorway. I strung the “Xander’s One Wild Adventure” banner from Modern Birch Co. in front of the fringe garland.
All three kiddos went to bed in their smores jammies, and woke up to a BEARy good breakfast. Bear pancakes (click HERE for the pan I used), “forest” berries, and logs (sausage links). Xander’s little bear cup hat is a custom piece from The Daily Yay, and I plan to keep it as a forever keepsake. The kids played in the tent and all three napped in those sleeping bags, after a full day of exploring our new city.
Xander’s birthday will always be one of my proudest occasions…especially as a military spouse. A reminder that you adapt and make memories, even when your “plans” go awry. You celebrate all of the little things, and you love on the people right in front of you.
Vendor List:
Party Styling Mama: Occasions by Shakira
Fringe Garland: Glam Fete
Hand Lettered Sign/Tags: Chalk Designs by Me
Wooden Banner + Acrylic Drink Stirrers: Modern Birch Co.
Party Goods: Lucy Darling
Felt Ball Garlands: Pearl and Jane
Custom Party Hat: The Daily Yay
Helpful Links:
Felt Toy Campfire Set HERE
Animal Paw Footprint Decals HERE
Bear Pancake Pan HERE
Alpine Christmas Tree Set HERE
Play Tent HERE
Bear Sleeping Bags HERE
If you have any questions about this article or the birthday celebration, please feel free to comment below. Xander’s Wild Adventure has also been featured in the Winter 2022 issue of Mingle Magazine, which can be found on newsstands nationwide or here.
Want to save this party idea for later? PIN it!
xoxo
Shakira
2 Responses