I have a major phobia of commitment.  Not the “til death do us part” type of commitment, but I am terrified of obligations that do not involve my children…in particular, I am referring to my Sayla girl.  Having a special needs/medically fragile child means anything could change in an instant, and then she becomes priority over all.  Therefore, to avoid the immense stress, guilt, and hassle of canceling events and/or prior devotions, I tend to shy away from them all together.  Unfortunately, this causes me to miss out on a lot in life.  I have recognized this about myself and I am slowly working towards remediating the phobia.  So, I decided what could be a better way to kick start this transformation than to host a partayyyyy? While some are getting geared up for all things fall, I am hanging on to summer for dear life, and decided to throw a Bunco Night Summer Soiree.  That’s right, we brought bunco back, and I think it made my mom proud.  I had so much fun planning this event, creating some of the décor, and setting up for my friends to enjoy.

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UPDATE March 2021: Affiliate Links added at end of post.

I kept it together on my son’s first birthday, but on the day of his party, I got a Facebook memory notification (dang you Facebook and your nostalgia) and I became an emotional wreck.  Seeing the picture was a reminder of our long 2-year journey. This journey included an ectopic pregnancy/miscarriage, loss of a Fallopian tube, 4 rounds of failed IUI fertility treatments, and this miracle baby that God gave us naturally when we least expected it. Awesome reminder that His timing is perfect. Patrick “Pax” Stout Parker was born on January 19, 2017.  “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31-1

We are so excited to celebrate our gift from God, and wanted to make his first birthday special.  We were introduced to Little Baby Bum by my sister-in-law, and Pax has been obsessed with this show ever since.  It started out as a YouTube channel that originated in the United Kingdom, and specializes in 3D animation of both traditional nursery rhymes and their own original songs.  It is now available on Netflix and we watch it on the daily (no worries…we limit screen time, for you judgers).  I only thought Little Baby Bum (LBB) appropriate for Pax’s first birthday theme.  Big Mistake!  No one has heard of this epic show, and there are VERY limited party supplies/decor online.  Which means this momma had to DIY errrrthing.  During the whole planning process, I kept repeating “I should have gone with dinosaurs.” But in the end, it all worked out!  The theme was fun, and Pax seemed to really enjoy his party with family and close friends that we refer to as our “Kentucky Family.” Hope you enjoy the photos and short party prep VIDEO!

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