Madeline's 1st Birthday Party

On Saturday, we celebrated Madeline’s very first birthday with a huge party at our house. And when I say huge, I mean it—it turned into quite the event with about seventy people filling our home. That number was a little bigger than what we initially pictured when we first tossed the idea around. At first, we debated long and hard about the guest list. Do we keep it small and just invite family? Or open it up to friends and neighbors too? In the end, we decided to go big and include everyone we could think of. Since it was Labor Day weekend, we figured many people would already have travel plans, but to our surprise, most of the people we invited RSVP’d yes. That meant Alison added an extra cake to her to-do list, and we even bought a bounce house for the basement to give the thirty-plus kids expected another place to burn off their energy.

The whole month of August became a blur of preparations. We tackled projects that had been lingering on our home checklist—windows washed, power washing, yard work—and on top of that, we deep cleaned every corner of the house. Alison and I spent plenty of nights talking through details, making lists, and baking cakes. By the time the party rolled around, we felt surprisingly calm. All that work ahead of time meant that when Madeline’s big day arrived, we could actually enjoy it instead of scrambling.

The morning of her birthday started on the sweetest note. Madeline woke up full of smiles, and we all went for a walk around Daybreak Lake. Alison and I reminisced about the morning of her birth, laughing about how different life looked just a year ago. Meanwhile, Madeline babbled happily, asking “what’s this?” about everything we passed and blowing raspberries at the ducks. It was such a simple, perfect family moment before the whirlwind of the day.

We made sure she got two solid naps, and the second one timed out beautifully—she slept for a couple of hours right before the party started. That gave us a window to finish last-minute prep in peace. Kristin and her girls arrived to help, and their help really was a game-changer. They brought another bounce house (yes, two bounce houses in the basement—it was basically kid heaven) and pitched in on the food setup. We had decided on a grazing table, and it turned out gorgeous. Alison and I had shopped for everything earlier in the week, but the cutting, arranging, and styling came together the day of. Kristin and Alison powered through slicing mountains of cheese, Anna excelled at creating a beautiful layout (with just a little guidance from me), and Skylee worked on labels and drinks. It was a full family effort, and it showed.

Meanwhile, Alison’s cakes became the star of the show. For weeks she had been baking and decorating, carefully freezing and then defrosting them just in time. She made four large cakes—lemon bar, funfetti, dark chocolate peanut butter, and vanilla bean—plus a little smash cakes just for Mads. They weren’t just beautiful; they tasted incredible. Guests kept raving about them, and it felt so special knowing Alison had poured her heart into every one.

By 4 o’clock, we were set up with no minutes to spare. Guests began streaming in—friends from work and school, neighbors, extended family, and even Madeline’s favorite teacher, Ms. Faith, who brought her family along. The house filled with the sounds of kids running up and down the stairs, bouncing in the loft and basement, and adults chatting outside over games and snacks. Everywhere I looked, someone was smiling, laughing, or chasing a child. Madeline herself did wonderfully. She’s moved past her stranger danger phase, so she was content being passed around between grandparents, friends, and Ms. Faith. She soaked up all the attention, and it was fun to see her enjoying the celebration in her own little way.

At 5:30, we gathered everyone together to sing “Happy Birthday.” With nearly seventy voices in unison, it could have been overwhelming, but Madeline handled it like a champ—wide-eyed but calm. Then we set a little funfetti smash cake in front of her. She didn’t dive in like some kids do, but she had a great time poking at it, smearing frosting, and sampling tiny bites. It was more play than feast, but that felt very fitting for her personality.

We opened a handful of presents during the party, but we didn’t feel the need to rush through them all. Instead, we let her open gifts slowly at her own pace, which made the experience much more meaningful. Guests began to head out as the evening went on, until finally it was just Kristin and her girls left. We put on Wreck-It Ralph Breaks the Internet, laughed together, and let Madeline soak up a little more playtime. Alison didn’t want to put her down for bed—she was savoring every last minute of the night—but eventually our birthday girl’s eyes got heavy, and we tucked her in.

Fittingly, about an hour after she drifted off, the clock struck 9:40 pm—exactly one year from when she was born. It hit me all over again that we’ve already had a whole year with her. A year of laughter, late nights, first words, wobbly steps, and more love than I ever thought possible. Her party was big, loud, and joyful—just the way her first year has felt.