Owen’s First Birthday: A Football Party {a look back}

May 8, 2014 /
My little man, Owen, turned one on September 26, 2013. I never got around to sharing a birthday post back then, but decided with the draft coming this week, I would share it now! If you aren’t up on the NFL draft, well let me tell you…it is a very big deal. At least in my house it is 🙂

My husband is a very serious football fan. Not the kind who yells loudly at the TV or wears sports paraphernalia of his favorite team. Nope. Not that kind. A real fan. One who studies the players before they make it to the NFL. Who knows all the intricate details of the game. Who keeps his thoughts to himself when other men talk flippantly about what’s going on with certain teams and players. One who knows more than some sports anchors.

He is a through-and-through-football-in-his-blood kind of fan.
And that means, that over the years, he has made me one too. I still don’t fully get the game, but I get the enjoyment in it so much more than I did before I knew him. And I actually have learned to love this side of him. He is passionate about this game but would never push it on me. Rather, when we sit on the couch and he talks about players or something that happened in a certain game, I can see his love of the sport and that makes me love it too.
So when it came time to plan Owen’s first birthday, and I let Josh have free reign in choosing the theme…it was no surprise to me when he went with football. This kid looks like he’s ready to be drafted doesn’t he?

I was feeling a bit overwhelmed at the time with two kids under two, so I looked on Etsy to find a premade invitation for the party instead of making my own. I found this one from Sweet Gumdrop Creations, and she was generous enough to give me the editable file so I could tweak it a bit.

This party was simpler than other ones that I have done. I learned from Hazel’s first birthday, that less can be more, since I barely got to spend any time with the birthday girl at her own party. I did not want that to happen again.

We had other people bring dishes to pass and help with the decorations. I still wanted it to be the best football party it could be! I kept feeling like we really needed a goal post, so at the at the last minute (literally the night before the party), my mom made one for us.

My mom has been making party decor for her Etsy shop Altered Eco Designs for awhile, so I think she enjoyed the chance to add something to Owen’s. She used cardboard pieces wrapped in yellow duct tape to create it, and I put it in a canister with some moss around. The banner and number one were simply printed onto cardstock and cut out.

We purchased a football field table cloth, some mini Buffalo Bills helmets (my husband’s team!), and football picks to decorate the cupcakes.

I tend to like cupcakes for parties, over cake, and was thankful that my sisters-in-law helped decorate these ones for me.

I made some food cards with referee stripes and football themed plays-on-words.

Here are the delicious Apple TURNOVERS that my mom made 🙂

My mom also made this cute little football clothespin “guy” (as Owen calls him).

We made simple party favor bags and put them in an old enamel bowl.

Inside, the kids found soft mini footballs, football tattoos and some snacks.

The birthday boy sure enjoyed his cupcake, and scored a lot of cool gifts. He was definitely the MVP that day!
If I had more time (and not two little ones in diapers), I would likely have done more decorating and planning, but all in all it was a great day. And keeping it simpler, allowed me to spend lots of time with my baby boy. It is hard to believe this little guy will be turning two in about five months. 
The time goes by so fast. I want to cherish every moment.

If you are planning a football party in the future, I put together a list* of some great items you might like to add to the festivities. 

1. Reusable Heavy Duty Plastic Tablecloth with a Football Field Design (72″x52″)
2. Football Face Tattoos – 6 Sheets

3. Soft Footballs (12 count)

4. Football Helmet Cupcake Cake Decoration Toppers – 12 ct

5. Game Day Football Picks Party Accessory (1 count) (50/Pkg)

6. Football Stadium Chip And Dip Serving Set Great For Parties and Kitchen Decor
7. Beistle 57161 2-Pack Packaged Tissue Grass Mats Party Decoration, 15 by 30-Inch

You can be sure we will be watching the draft over here for the next few days. My husband has changed my point of view on football so much, that I am actually looking forward to it, if you can believe that 🙂

Linking up this week with:
Be Inspired
The Inspiration Gallery
Inspire Me Please
Feathered Nest Friday
Fridays Unfolded
Till next time…
~Alice W.
*This list contains affiliate links.

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