my dear ramona,
fun is with you. fun is on the floor making animal noises and reading book after book and pretending the sheep puppet is talking to you. fun is the laugh you give when papa swings you around and when mama tickles your belly. fun is you dancing to the record player and us trying to sneak a video of it. fun is morning snuggles and trying on mama’s jewelry and putting ponytails in your hair. fun is the noise you make when you see the box of cheerios when we walk through the kitchen. fun is petting violet and lacy and your fearlessness w animals. fun is letting you roam free around the yard, watching you learn how to climb rocks and pick flowers and splash in water.
fun is you with our friends. fun is your charisma and inclusiveness. fun is the smile you get when you see nona or diri or lashley or kimmy or miss tara or uncle ko or aunt beth. fun is your love for and excitement for others. fun is knowing you are so loved by them.
fun is celebrating. fun is knowing how to party. fun is throwing parties for no reason. fun is certainly throwing parties for birthdays. fun is good food, homemade desserts (ok, ok: your cake was from a box), bright red lips, unnecessary decorations, lots of different people, tasty drinks (drinking responsibly of course), and a mixture of silly and thoughtful conversation.
girl, has it been fun.
i love you. love, mama.
read other letters to ramona from the sling diaries series: love, style, exploration, communication, and history.
this post is done in collaboration with sakura bloom. the sling i am wearing is the simple linen in twilight. the beautiful photos are by the unschooled (that’s for you, leigh 😉 ), teenage photographer phenom, luca venter. they were taken in our backyard during ramona’s first birthday party. special thanks to hey! party collective for making it all look so snazzy.
ramona’s first birthday was last sunday, july 15, in our backyard. i knew i wanted to throw a pink & gold baby bash of sorts. my dear and creative and meticulous friends, nicole and christie of hey! party collective, were just the people for the job. they took my basic idea and had so much fun with it, while still keeping things simple. in this case, pictures speak a whole lot louder than words so i’ll let this photos take it away…
the party was a blast — certainly due in part that i had other people doing most of the stuff for me, so i could just soak it all in. ramona really seemed to get that it was for her and delighted in toddling around the yard saying hello to friends and family. with a bit of coaxing she dove into the chocolate birthday cake (and even shared with the other children!) and just generally, was happy and cheerful in her birthday best. it was so so nice for jp and me to celebrate this big day with all the loved ones that have been such champions and fans and advocates of ramona this past year. this party was also a thank you to them. we are incredibly blessed with an amazing village.
shout outs to my event sponsors:
- hey! party collective — event planners who made this party what it was. (if you live in denver, you need to look them up, for reals. they will take care of it all).
- samm sherman of root down and linger — she used her exec pastry chef expertise to lovingly make those pink & gold macarons (rhubarb buttercream amazingness!).
- lashley rhodes — dear friend and photographer extraordinaire
- banners on the cheap who offered me a credit toward their store (with which i ordered the vinyl banner seen in the first photo) in exchange for a link back to their vinyl banner page. they did not ask for a review, favorable or otherwise, so it is my unsolicited opinion that this is a good and affordable company in the event you may need a vinyl banner. their customer service was efficient and courteous, to boot. thank you for seeking me out!
- my parents — who bought all the food and accouterments after enduring the most obnoxious costco run of their life (their daughter was a combination of sleep-deprived and hungover and, in the scheme of helping them out for a party she was throwing, utterly worthless).
thanksgiving at crema.
decorated and tablescaped by my dear and talented friend, nicole of hey! party collective.
26 people (28 if you include the babies), both friends and family, joined us for a feast.
we gorged and still there were silly amounts of leftovers.
i love my life and have much to be thankful for.
my friend nicole puts together the most beautiful events. see glimpses of her wedding here and the beautiful tablescapes she sets up here.
so i was so flattered and excited when she offered to throw me a baby shower. i knew she was good (i’ve told her to quit her day job and do this full-time) but i had no idea how amazing and special she would make this event for me. see for yourself:
table filled with snacks and drinks.
look at those great paper mobiles!
my first macaron! so yummy. i had to stop myself from eating them all.
the spread.
goodie bags filled with salt water taffy!
wishes for the baby (sealed up in an envelope for little bean’s birthday).
if you live in the denver area and are looking for an event planner, lemme know. i’ll get you in touch with nicole!
welcome
