A First Birthday Luau for our Rainbow Baby

It all began with this shirt…

When our faves from Knuckleheads gifted Little Man his very own button down Hawaiian shirt, we were excited for him to grow into it. But for some reason, we just couldn’t figure out on what occasion he could wear it, in spite of the fact he is in every way, born and raised an island boy.

LIGHTBULB MOMENT.

His FIRST birthday!

With only a couple weeks to plan the event (blame the procrastination on good ol’ fashioned exhaustion), we threw our little Rainbow baby a colorful, vibrant, music and fun-filled first birthday luau in his honor!

I have been racking my brain trying to plan at virtually the last minute – the simplest, most cost-effective, yet memorable celebration that paid homage to the beautiful and bold colors of nature – without the blatant use of rainbows. And you know me and my knack for losing sleep over crazy-overdone-overproduced-overwhelming-but-super-“us” parties! Because I already lost enough sleep this year alone (thanks to the celebrant), the last thing I wanted to worry about this time around, was the minutiae of food tents, matching decor, and thematic activities. I just wanted to throw him an epic celebration, without the epic stress.

Here are all the wonderful reasons why a first birthday luau is the best idea ever: 

1. FIRST BIRTHDAY LUAU LEIS

One of my best memories of going to Hawaii during our first baby’s babymoon was getting “lei’d” upon arrival. Get your mind outta the gutter, sister, who doesn’t like getting a lei around their neck whether it’s at the exit of a plane, or at a baby’s first birthday luau? So we decided to greet our guests with leis – and that just upped our decor/theme game tenfold! And just by simply buying one bag of these….

2. FIRST BIRTHDAY LUAU CAKE

When we were looking into cakes for our little guy, we were bombarded with Pinterest-worthy ideas. Between A 3D Hawaiian shirt fondant cake, palm tree 4 tier, coconut toppers, ocean themes – we were not short on ideas. But our dear friend and fellow mama, Meaghan – decided she would come up with her own little design. And this was the end result. Unreal. She even added a little smiling pineapple ball at the top for a potential smash cake for our smiling little 1 year old coconut. It was just too pretty for us to let any sort of smashing happen.

He was thrilled enough to just sit next to it. 

It was a three tier cake that we had to transport from her kitchen, to my kitchen, to the beach… Here’s a tip for you future top-heavy-cake-carrying-party-planning-divas. Transport it in a laundry basic with additional string support so it doesn’t sway in the car ride. Also, get your awesome cousin to hold it for you while you drive 5 miles an hour.

A special thank you to my dear, talented friend Meaghan who truly outdid herself as she always does. And to my amazing cousin/big sis, Eileen, who saved the day by saved the cake!

3. FIRST BIRTHDAY LUAU PARTY LOCATION :: THE BEACH

Location, location, location. Yes – when hosting a luau, it’s an added bonus to have a beach in the city (yay, island life). Instead of worrying about finding ways to entertain the kids and decorating the party to resemble that of nature’s finest – it was just as easy to find a location that had sand and a body of water for the kids to splash in. I was lucky enough to have a handful of amazing parents on close watch, while the kids enjoyed playing in the water. Can’t get anymore island living than that!

We were about 10 seconds away from teaching our friends the “Pearly Shell” Hawaiian dance routine on the sand with Little Mama in the lead, proudly showcasing her grass skirt, and about 20 seconds from a round of “Limbo”, but everyone was just having too much fun to change it up. There was just no major need for organized activity for this party. Win win for all! (Though, it would have been amazing to see some of our dad friends sporting a coconut bra and a grass skirt & dancing to the ukulele! Oh well, maybe next time…).

4.FIRST BIRTHDAY LUAU COLORS

Our little Rainbow Baby is as colorful as they come. He’s happy and vibrant and well… just like his mama – he’s loud. So bold colors were the only thematic options we dare choose from. We found it especially important to pay homage to our 9 babies that we lost before finally meeting our little guy. So we placed 9 rainbow colored balloons (plus three for Little Mama, Little Man, and their half bro, Big D) to represent our tiny angels’ ongoing presence in our lives. We will always be grateful, and this was the best way we could express our love and gratitude for them, wherever they may be. 

I must admit, I flirted with the idea of releasing the balloons as a symbolic gesture. But upon reflection and a loving nudge from friends who happen to be responsible stewards of the environment – we decided against it and to just enjoy having the balloons as part of our set up. It’s not fair to the ducks and other beautiful creatures who have already suffered enough from balloon waste in their waters. 

Moral of the story, if ever you want to release a bunch of balloons – DON’T. DO. IT. 

5. FIRST BIRTHDAY LUAU FOOD

Anyone who knows me well – or follows my blog – knows that I am all about hiring out. I love a good table  presentation when it comes to feasts and table decor. But baking my own goodies, that look good, no less? Yeah – let’s just leave it to the professionals, shall we?

I requested our friends from Ashleigh’s Delights to create some Luau themed cake pops which included flowers, pineapples, and even flamingos featuring all colors of the rainbow (and then some). She came up with a magical array of designs, and it added so much character and life to our table. The perfect addition! And they were yummy to boot!

As for my creative “contribution”, aside from ordering trays upon trays of Asian cuisine (not shown as they were all demolished by the time I got to them), I’m proud to say I cut out some margarita and floral shaped watermelon pieces. They were shockingly a hit – but who doesn’t love a juicy watermelon on a hot summer day? 

6. FIRST BIRTHDAY LUAU IS PERFECT FOR ALL AGES

This was a biggie celebration for us. It took us 5 years and too many losses to count to have this little boy. So we wanted to ensure we threw a celebration that included both the kiddies and their parents – the very people who helped us through our fertility challenges, endless appointments, and supported us when we needed it most. A luau was the best way to do this because the overall energy was fun for the kids, and relaxing for the parents. No stress. No drama. Just a beachy good time.

Bonus points – the kids were so exhausted by the end of it, I’m sure they were sleeping soundly by 8PM and their parents were loving us by the end of the night. 

Even the fur-kids got into the spirit…

And of course, our extra special guest was the woman who helped bring this little guy into the world. Being able to have our dear friend and chosen sister, Jenn and her beautiful family with us to celebrate was quite literally, the icing on the cake. And why wouldn’t she be there? She’s family after all!

Now if this isn’t Godmom/Godson goals, I don’t know what is. #eggdonoringdoneright

7.FIRST BIRTHDAY LUAU COCONUT WISHES

If you’ve seen any of my other parties, I always make sure I have a “wish” station. This is where I place cut outs, thematically driven, of course, for our guests to write on as a special wish for the celebrant. What I hope for, is when both my kids are older and reflect on their childhood and ponder on their place in the world – I want them to be able to read these beautiful messages written just for them from people who loved celebrating them year after year. I want them to know, without a shadow of a doubt, how loved they’ve always been. 

Also – how cute is this coconut? 

8. FIRST BIRTHDAY LUAU DRESS UP

Halloween and costuming is kind of a “thing” for our family. We love dressing the part and playing the role. A luau was probably the easiest way to fulfill this need of ours. Just one visit to the local Dollar Tree not only got us fun plates and cutlery, but grass skirts too. Little Mama was thrilled that she was finally given an opportunity to sport a grass skirt – a rare opportunity indeed. 

Of course Little Man was beyond thrilled to finally wear his super snazzy floral Hawaiian button down from Knuckleheads and straw fedora from Joe Fresh – but joining in on the fun was proud Grandpa. Even if all it took was a lei – it was the perfect accessory to get him into the Hawaiian mood. 

And you know Little Mama would never miss out on an opportunity for her little sidekick Jenny to join in on the dress up shenanigans….

9. FIRST BIRTHDAY LUAU SET UP (AND AMAZING PEOPLE THAT MADE IT HAPPEN)

Well – let’s be real… this set up, scratch that… this ENTIRE party wouldn’t have been as successful as it was if it weren’t for two very incredible ladies. My cousins from out of town decided (against their better judgement, I’m sure) to come to the island for a nice relaxing weekend. Their mistake was coming on the weekend of my rainbow babe‘s first birthday! Ha! Well – these very generous souls took over most, if not all of the set up, transporting, and delegating of the party. It was probably the best idea to utilize a rolling luggage, and a couple carts (get one here) to bring all the items of all sizes. On top of setting up and cleaning up like the rockstars they are, they also took photos and videos of the entire event. This is crucial for milestone events like a first birthday because just as important as the event itself, are the memories we can look back on. I am insanely grateful for these two. 

Moral of the story is – you don’t have to be a hero to host a party… welcome the help, utilize that village! You will thank yourself (and me) in the end. 

10.FIRST BIRTHDAY LUAU :: HAPPY FAMILY, HAPPY DAY

I’m going to let you in on a little secret. As much as I am a fan of big, well thought out parties – down to the fine details, my family isn’t so much. You know me, and all that is Cricut – I am obsessed with matching decor, cut outs, pasting jewel accents, word puns, photobooth backdrops and props. Heck, once, I even made stuffed Ninjas for all 30 kids in attendance! That means weeks upon weeks of paper, material, and sequin piling up on our kitchen table, living room couch, and hallway to name a few… Essentially the house would be invaded by a crafting bonanza. And that also means on the day of the event, a gazillion bins of knick knacks and what nots of all sizes have to be transported to and from the venue. 

Fortunately, for me – it’s not my job. Unfortunately for my husband, it’s his…

George was especially exhausted from the “party labor” as he called it, and practically begged me to keep things simple this year. An outdoor luau with music and a pile of leis was exactly what the doctor ordered! It was essentially your everyday party – just accentuated with bold colors, loud music, and big smiles. Once again, there was no need for the unnecessary details. The location and the theme lent itself to a memorable, fun-filled celebration. This made for one very happy husband, and of course two well rested, happy kids. 

Happy first birthday to my sweet baby boy who has brought so much color into our lives. You certainly live up to your name of being our rainbow baby! We celebrate you today, and everyday. 

Gah… I love this kid