Party Time

It's a good thing it was Allen's first birthday... and - well, you know, not a birthday he'll ever really remember... cause we threw him a party a whole four days after his real birthday! And who likes celebrating their birthday when it's not really your birthday?! It was by no means extravagant... just immediate family, a few decorations, some presents, and of course a cake! 

'Chugginton' was the very first cartoon he ever saw, and has been his favorite ever since... so naturally, we went with a Chugginton-themed cake for his party.

This might be the only birthday where he's more interested in what's on top of the cake, as opposed to the yummy deliciousness that's inside of it.

What an absolute blessing...

both grandparents in attendance!

Where Allen gets his 'Gringo' genes...

And where he gets his 'Latino' genes!

Allen and his Girlz!

Allen just loves to entertain the women!

The Etheridge men...

quite the handsome threesome!

So the winner of the best present had to go to Helen... who got Allen the cutest little singing rocking-horse (pony) ever! And the best part about it was that Allen absolutely loved it!

But in a close second came Moe-Joe...

who got him this really cool three-wheeled bike!

The bike actually doubles as a walker...

but Allen preferred to sit rather than stand.

Allen, his pony, and all his presents!

The colorful balloons were a big hit.

Dinner time!!! We fired up the grill, threw on some mouth-watering carne asada, and all sat down together to enjoy a delicious meal.

After dinner it was time for the age-old Mexican birthday tradition to begin. We hung up the piñata, gave Allen the bat, and sat back to enjoy the show!

Okay... so he didn't quite pick it up as fast as we had hoped, but Jei quickly moved in to show him the ropes.

And after a few good tips from Mommy...

Allen was going to town on that little puppy!

But after realizing we were going to be there a very long time before any of that candy came spilling out... I took the initiative and after just one swing, Allen suddenly had candy to enjoy!

And whether it was because I did it and not him... or because that cute little puppy had lost its head, Allen was definitely not a happy camper!

Luckily, Gema came to the rescue and showed Allen all the toys and candy that she had packed the little puppy with... which naturally made everything better!

Allen took time out from celebrating his birthday to Skype with his Nina Michele and wish her a happy birthday... which was actually on that day!

And then the time finally came for Birthday Boy to open all of his presents!

After a big birthday dinner, breaking open his candy-filled piñata, and opening all of his presents... there was only one last thing to do: light the candle and sing happy birthday! 

It was time to clear the top of the cake... and we weren't sure if Allen was more excited about finally getting to play with his toy trains, or finally getting to dig into his cake?!

But after realizing that his cake was both chocolate AND vanilla...

Allen tossed the trains and went straight for the cake! 

Feed me cake Daddy!!!

It may have been a few days late... but Allen Jess' birthday party was a huge success and lots of fun! We felt so fortunate to have so much family with us... which totally made the party that much more special, and thank them all for help making Allen's first birthday so memorable - well, maybe not for Allen, but for the rest of us anyway.