I’ve been waiting pretty much my whole life to plan a first birthday party for my child. I wanted to do a Candyland themed party but Zach shut that idea down real quick. He decided it should be a “Sloan Ranger” themed party. He was adamant. So, I decided to put my dreams of making giant lollipops and “sugar coated everything” on hold. One of my children will have a Candlyland party. Mark my words.
We rented our neighborhood clubhouse and Zach and I set up all the tables and decor after church on Sunday.
I wanted to get a game for the kids [Sloan’s cousins] to play and since Zach wouldn’t let me get a real pellet gun and glass bottles (he claimed that one of our nieces and nephews would shoot another and we’d never be forgiven) I had to settle for a plastic version. Best $10 I ever spent on Amazon. 
Sloan by months. It’s crazy to see how far she’s come and how much she has grown. 
The favors were trail mix – “Happy Trails – the Sloan Ranger”.
There was also a face painting table. I was worried the kids wouldn’t be able to come up with warrior face paint ideas – so I made a chart of actual indian face paint. Turns out I was wrong. They were super creative on their own.
Sloan loves herself a good crowd. She was happy as can be watching her cousins dart around and stealing bites of everyone’s cornbread.
Zach only had one other request when it came to the party and that was the food. I had planned for Dutch Oven – but Zach convinced me that ordering BBQ from Smokin’ Bones in Bountiful was a better idea. He couldn’t have been more right. We got roast turkey, beef brisket, (giant) square of cornbread, potato and green salad. The birthday cake was made by a local girl in Kaysville – Delish Cake Spot.
Sloan’s guests ate from pie tins and the wooden cutlery I painted.
We had a watering hole – along with some root beer, cream soda, and good ol’ fashioned Coca-Cola.
The face paint turned out to be a hit. Well, at least for the little ladies. I didn’t ask any of the parents how they felt about it, though…
The same girl made Sloan’s smash cake – a little two-layer naked cake that I put on a slice of wood with some succulents.
I was the most excited to see Sloan dig into her cake. I don’t feed Sloan sugar (apart from the few licks of my soft serve vanilla cone now and then) and I knew she would have a ball wrist-deep in her cake. 
Turns out she didn’t really like to get her hands dirty. Once I broke off a chunk for her, though, she didn’t mind taking a taste. 
Luckily she had many eager cousins that were willing to help her really get in there. 
Easily the Shoot-Out game was the highlight for Sloan’s boy cousins. I ended up sending it home with Zach’s brother and his three boys. Hopefully they get as much enjoyment out of it as Zach did before the party. I am actually surprised the batteries weren’t dead by the time the party came around.
After everyone had a slice of cake we opened Sloan’s presents. She was totally spoiled by her family. Diapers for days, darling outfits, a ball pit tent with 200+ plastic balls, dolla dolla bills for her college fund, and adorable books. She is set for the next year, that’s for sure. Honestly, they could have given her bags filled with tissue paper and she would have been as happy as could be.
Sloan’s birthday party felt a lot like Christmas. It came and went so fast and I was sad when it was all over. I can confidently say Sloan’s favorite part of the entire party was her guests. I’m so grateful that both Zach and my family could be there with us to celebrate. Sloan loves each and every one of them.
This year has flown by. I knew she’d turn one eventually, but part of me has been in denial. I haven’t been sad about, though. I’m excited. I’ve decided my favorite thing about being a mom is watching Sloan grow and learn new things. I’m just thrilled to be a part of it all. I imagine I will only love her more and more as each year goes on. That is something to look forward to.
We love you, Sloan. You’ve made this year everything and more we could have ever hoped for.