Henry's Favorite Restaurant

Henry and I had a nice treat when Nanna was in town this week: lunch at Gabriel's, which is owned by Johnnie Gabriel, who happens to be Ms. Paula Deen's cousin, who must somehow be related to Henry's Nanna. We know it has to be true based on her love of sugar and butter.

Henry and I shared a veggie plate (what else?). He polished off green beans, creamed corn, mac-n-cheese (only in the South is this considered a vegetable), and pinto beans. My little sailor was in veggie heaven! For dessert, I thought we'd see if Henry had changed his mind about cake. After all, Gabriel's red velvet cake is pretty darn good. Henry had 2 bites before he cried for more green beans. Clearly this boy did not get his Mama's sweet tooth!

Henry and Hayes go to the firehouse.

Henry and I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. William Hayes Whatley for the first time last week. We met at a very exciting play date location for two little boys - Uncle Danny's firehouse. Hayes is as darling as can be. Henry and Hayes were great sports during our photo shoot, and even had each other in a fit of giggles at one point! I know Henry can't wait to cause trouble with his future coon huntin' buddy.

Watch Henry Grow: The Video Edition

After suffering multiple hot glue gun burns while decorating for the party, I figured I should try something less harmful, so I made a movie to play during Henry's birthday party. Get your popcorn ready because this montage is a good 28 minutes long. And yes, there are two volumes to watch because YouTube limits its videos to 15 minutes. Clearly, YouTube was not created by a proud Mama.

Henry's Beary First Birthday Party!

Henry's very favorite book is Brown Bear, Brown Bear, and just like that, a party theme was born. We had a nice, small family party, but that didn't mean the decor (or desserts!) would be small. I love to throw a good party, and even if Henry won't remember it, I know he'll appreciate the effort when he looks back through photos one day. I channeled my best Martha Stewart and made everything from the signs to the pom-poms to the cupcake toppers. And Henry was worth every single hot glue gun burn. Also, special shout-out's go to Henry's Nanna for making the beautiful tablecloths, bib, and diaper cover, and Grandma and Papou for helping me with last minute party preparations!

For lunch we enjoyed ham, cheesy potatoes, green beans, and salad. Technically Easter food, but in this case, HAM was the perfect birthday food for our sweet Henry Augustus Makris. For dessert, I made vanilla cupcakes with chocolate and vanilla frosting, red velvet cake pops, and a buffet of every blue confectionery I could find. Oh and I can't forget about the Teddy Grahams! :) We also enjoyed Makris Punch (a family tradition) and Dada's favorite, Coca-Cola by the bottle.

Henry loved his lunch, but the smash cake was another story. After slaving away to decorate the perfect bear cake for my little bear, he took one taste and wanted nothing to do with it! In fact, he started crying and pushed it away! Maybe my little veggie lover would have preferred a carrot cake. Oh well. At least he had fun making a mess!

Henry received some truly wonderful gifts. One gift wasn't so wonderful though...a first year molar! It showed up the night before his party and that bad boy is still making its way through. Henry was a trooper though. By the end of the party, he was snuggling on Uncle Joe's neck and proceeded to take a 2.5 hour nap after the party!