Liam is One Happy Camper: Baby Boy First Birthday Theme

We celebrated Liams 1st birthday on Saturday, and it was nothing short of amazing! Celebrating his first birthday felt like such a big milestone not only for him - but for us as parents too. Most of you know Liam is our first child, and while birthdays mark the number of years we've been on this planet, if it's your first born, it also marks the number of years you've been a parent. So much has changed in the last year. I feel like I have a new identity; a new purpose. I plan to write a full post on what 1 year of motherhood looks like but for now, I'm reminiscing on the most epic 1st birthday party I've been too to date. 

If you've been around since my pregnancy, then you may have remembered my gender reveal post. Our home is set up perfectly for outdoor entertaining, and I absolutely loved the set up of that party. I actually enjoy party planning and usually have a vision for what I want a celebration to look like. With the gender reveal I planned and coordinated everything on my own, but mamahood in addition to working full time leaves little room for this hobby of mine so I reached out to The Olive Branch for a little planning help. If I've learned anything over the last year, it's that simplicity and convenience are worth the money as a busy mom! Alexa was an absolute dream to work with. She executed on my vision perfectly and if you're in the market for an event planner - I can't recommend them enough. 

The One Happy Camper theme couldn't have been more perfect for a winter party. We noted on the invitations that the party would be outside and asked guests to please bundle up. It was a chilly day but the kids didn't seem to be affected what so ever. They had an absolute blast with the bounce house and ball pit, and I'm pretty sure everybody got a solid nap in afterwards! We also borrowed a couple space heaters for the shaded areas of our outdoor space and turned on the outdoor fireplace - all the cozy camping vibes (ok, maybe more like glamping but you get it).

Most of the small decor is from Amazon which I will link at the bottom of this post in case you'd like to recreate this theme. A list of all the vendors we used can be found below!

Host: @thecheekybeen

Planning + Design: @olivebranch.ht by @honeythymeevents

Photographer: @tripp.photo

Balloons: @sayit_withballoons

Florals: @lordandladystudio

Signage Decals: @redeyedesigns305

Backdrop + Grid Wall: @murphycoevents

Picnic Rentals: @luxurychicnics

Bounce House/Ball Pit: @littleheartsmobileplay

Camper Bar: @carolinataps

S'mores Board: @tegagraze

Cake + Desserts: @littlerosedesserts

Cookies: @chrissillysbakery

Coloring Pages: @draw_it_bymel

Stationery: @minted

Paperware: @ohhappydaypartyshop

HMU: @looklovebeauty

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2022 Goals & How To Set Them

It's the start of a new year, and the internet and social media is buzzing with hopeful goals and resolutions for the year to come. I'm one of those people who loves to set new goals and resolutions, but I'm also one of those people who tends to fall off six months down the road. Over the years, I've become better though! Writing down my goals and publicizing them for the world to see has provided a level of accountability that works... sometimes. 

We've (Shane and I) been taking a different approach over the last few years though. Instead of "resolutions", we call them goals. And instead of providing a broad statement of each goal, we get specific. You see, I think the problem with resolutions is that they're not measurable. "I'm going to workout more, I want to stop eating sugar etc." But, how much more are you going to work out? And are you cutting out all sugar? Or just added sugars? It's so much easier to hold yourself accountable if you set measurable goals that you can take action on. In addition to this, I'm setting timelines for these goals this year. Setting measurable goals provides another layer of accountability which will hopefully bring you to the desired destination in life. 

2022 Goals

 Shane and I do our goals together. He really likes to do a "goals reveal" so we pick a night to dedicate the reveal too in the beginning of the year and we get specific about how we are going to get there. Here is what mine are (Shane wanted to keep his private, so i'm respecting that):

Personal: 

8 hours of sleep per night for at least 4 nights a week: 

Prior to getting pregnant with Liam I had some hormone imbalances, gut issues, and low thyroid. Sleep, or the lack there of, is directly correlated with these problems so prioritizing sleep is something that's important to my health. I've let this slide a bit over the last 6 months, but need to get back to making it a focus before old problems peek their head again. I also just function better in general with 8 hours. 

Financial:

Earn more money

The title is broad, but I have a specific salary goal I am aiming for this year. Earning more money, means working harder. We are adding 1 additional day per week of childcare this year which gives me the opportunity to add to my workload and should result in a higher income. In any corporate job, I would strive for a raise each year - so I treat owning my own business the same way. 

Invest in an AirBNB

This is a goal Shane and I have together. We would like to purchase 1 investment property in the mountains this year (so before December 31, 2022) to use as a rental property. Our long term goal would be to add a second property somewhere at the beach. We have set a purchase price we are comfortable with and put a plan in place with a realtor to get the ball rolling. Obviously this hinges upon the right property becoming available, but it feels like we can find this in 12 months. 

Professional:

Start a podcast: 

This has been on my mind for years and I've just never taken the initiative to make it happen. My 2022 professional goal is to get this podcast up and running in the month of January and upload 4 podcasts a month (1 per week). 

Health & Wellness:

Booty Gains

2021 was the year of losing the baby weight, 2022 is the year of regaining the muscle! Prior to getting pregnant I had 70 lbs of muscle on this frame. I gained 40 lbs during pregnancy and have since lost 54. While the weight loss is great, I've also lost some muscle with that, so my 2022 health and wellness goal is to spend this year working on regaining that 7 lbs of muscle I've lost. I want to get back to recording what weight I'm using at the gym each week so I can follow a progressive overload model to achieve my goals.