Shu-Yin's Sanctuary: July 2016

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Vern's 1st Koala Themed Birthday Party

In a blink of an eye, my littlest koala baby turns 1.
We had a small celebration for him at home, where we invited mostly relatives.

It's been quite hectic as we just finished celebrating Shern's 7th birthday a month ago and here I was getting busy again preparing for another party. I actually planned and prepped all this just a week or so before the party. (Am I efficient or what? haha)

And then I was cracking my head to find a suitable theme. I always try to choose a theme which they like or in this case since Vern is too young to voice his opinions, then I chose a theme which best depicts him.
And so since this baby clings to me like a little Koala, a Koala-themed birthday party would be perfect to celebrate him turning 1.

And so I turned to Pinterest for ideas and inspirations, and it was then that I realized there are not many Koala themed parties out there, besides the few in which they celebrated Australia day,
But I still managed to pull together some great ideas and materials from it.

And thanks to my dear friend Josie, who designed this gorgeous digital invitation for me.

I got the theme colour inspiration from these colour balloons the Koala is holding, so the theme colour for this Koala party was blue, yellow and pink.

Firstly, let's talk about the preparation for the party.

Thanks to Josie who designed a koala .gif for me so that I could plan my deco around it.

Did plenty of fussy cutting on the koalas to make them into food toppers.

And I drew and hand-cut the lettering "YIU-VERN IS 1" and glued it to printed patterned cardstock to make a bunting.

Used the same patterned papers and wrapped it around kid-sized Milo box drinks and attacked round-scallopped koalas on it.

Most of these I did it around midnight after my kids fell asleep, thanks also to hubby to keep an eye on baby who kept stirring up.

And then based on the little party hat that Josie made for Khye during his 1st birthday party, I made one for Vern as well. It was pretty quick and easy to make one with my washi tapes.

A last minute addition was the Koala paper crown for some of the guests which I think would be a nice touch to add to the Koala-themed party.

The highchair for the mini cake smash session was also being decorated on midnight on the day of the party. Initially I wanted to do some tassels using crepe papers or so, but I couldn't find any crepe papers in my stash. So I made do with the same patterned papers and hand cut the letters O N E on it.

With the preparation all done the night before the party, it was time for setup the following morning.
This was how the dessert table looked like.
I am so very proud of it. Although simple but everything looked good.

Loving how the bunting graced the background. To me, I think the bunting is the most important piece of the whole look. It makes a party feels like a party! :)

This was the awesome one-of-a-kind birthday cake I deco. (click the previous blog post to read all about it)

Some photos of the food and the deco.

There were some savouries as well, the fried spring rolls, pulut inti, and fried noodles, and also the delicious chicken curry with potatoes. Now, where is the photo of the curry? haha.

On the entrance was a tiny space dedicated to Vern.

I developed some photos of Vern just the day before and got them hung on the wall.

And also some family photos on the table together with Vern's newborn photo album and my maternity shoot album.

Graced the table were also some of the Koala crowns and Vern's mini party hat!

Closed-up shots of the photos on the wall.

Made a simple layout of Vern to commemorate his 1st birthday. Also my first layout of the year. lol.

Now time for some group photos.

Start with a photo of the birthday Koala baby, with mummy. :)

One with mummy and daddy.

And a few shots of us 5 in the family.

So glad the photos turned out nice with all of us looking and smiling at the camera.(although Khye's smile was sooo...weird haha) .Is no easy feat ok! haha.

We even managed one with us wearing the Koala crown. But Vern hated it and kept pulling it out, hence the facial expression. haha.

One with Ah-Ma and Ah-Kong.

One with Kong-kong in as well. We miss you pho-pho!

And one with Min-yee and Yee-Pho inside.

This one's with our cousin, the Mah family.

With our dearest friend Justin and family.

With the Cheongs.

And the Tans.

Then we all gathered to sing the birthday song.

Cutting of the cake. ;)

A short clip with us singing the birthday song.

I managed to take a photo of Vern before his mini cake smash session.

I just took a cupcake and then let him have a little taste and some fun.
But at that time, Vern was a little cranky, and so he wasn't in a mood to smile, hence the grumpy face.

He was initially abit apprehensive about it and was only poking it and not putting in his mouth. But after awhile, he began eating the frosting on the cake. ;)

Look at him enjoying it but still with a grumpy look on his face.

This is my favourite photo of him. :D

One with the party hat on him and a messy face!

A photo with my aunt and sis and cousins.

And one with the Khoo-s.

And that was how we ended the party.

Here is one of the grumpy birthday koala baby and his presents and angpows. Thank you everyone for taking the time to celebrate with Vern.

And my littlest koala baby turns 1.
This is the message I dedicated to him on my fb page:

"Dearest Yiu-Vern,

In another few hours you are turning 1. I cannot believe that I survived 1 full year with you clinging on to me! 😂

Life has been rather a clingy affair since you were born. As baby#3, you sure know how to grab my attention, and that is by clinging on to me 24/7 and to make sure I never leave your side.

You are a smart baby; a fast learner with a mischievous mind. You eat like a champion but you dont fancy moi much; prefering food with harder texture.
You started walking at 11mo, which is the fastest among my 3 boys.

I love how generous you are with your smiles and laughs. I love how you shake your head left and right continuously, and I love your determination and how you are not afraid to try something new.

Your 2 elder brothers start noticing you as you become more mobile and demanding. They now need to build their puzzles and legos on the high table where you can't reach to "destroy" their masterpieces.
I guess you are now big enough to show your existence! 😁

Because of you, i need to wear flats, has a limited wardrobe of clothes in order to nurse you, i eat with only 1 hand. I have less time to blog, no time for manucure or facial, and even lesser time in the toilet.

But also because of you, i see how my love grows and multiplies, teaching me patience (and testing my patience as well!) and showing me how having 3 kids is like!

Although i know i am complaining that you cling to me too much, I know I will miss this as you grow more independent.
So i will start to cherish how lovely and lucky i am that you choose me to cling on to. I'm going to treasure every moment of you clinging on to me.

Going forward, i wish for you to grow up healthy and happy. And with this, i give you permission to cling on to me now and forever!

Happy 1st birthday my littlest koala baby!

Love you lots and lots and lots,

Mummy"

Credits: The nice and clear photos are by Ailin Goo Photography

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Saturday, July 16, 2016

Vern's 1st Koala Themed Birthday Party

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