Nathaniel’s 1st Birthday Party – Peter Rabbit Theme

Nathaniel's First Birthday-35We recently celebrated our son’s first birthday. It was a wonderful day to thank God for blessing us with his birth and his health and development for the past year. We had the birthday party on Sunday, February 21st, a few days before his actual birthday on the 23rd, just because it is so much more convenient to get everyone together on the weekend. The weather was absolutely beautiful that day. Since both Sergi and I come from large families, we had a pretty large gathering, even though we only invited our parents and siblings with their families.

I chose to do a Peter Rabbit theme because Nathaniel’s favorite activity of all is to be outside, so I thought a garden inspired party would be fun. Also, Nathaniel does the cutest rabbit impression ever – wrinkling up his nose and showing his cute little teeth, every time we tell him to show us a “zaichik” (Russian work for rabbit).Nathaniel's First Birthday-1-48

Nathaniel's First Birthday-18I tried to choose decorations that were inexpensive, not difficult to put together and I incorporated a lot of the things that we already had around the house.

Most of the books are from Nathaniel’s own library and we bought the bunny at Home Goods, which will now be part of Nathaniel’s nursery.

I ordered the banner from an Etsy shop. It was a downloadable printable, so we just printed it up at a local office supply store and then strung it up with some kitchen twine. Nathaniel's First Birthday-2I printed up one banner for the living room and another one for the sunroom. We placed a rug on the floor of our sunroom, which is right off of the dining room and kitchen, and set up a bunch of Nathaniel’s toys and books all around the perimeter of the room, so that all the babies could play in there. Most of the children at the party were very small, so this was perfect. They had so much fun playing there. We hung some tissue paper pom poms from the ceiling and placed lots of balloons in this room too.

Nathaniel's First Birthday-21I also framed the outfit that Nathaniel wore when we brought him home from the hospital and printed up each of his monthly pictures. It was so cool to see him gradually growing up through his first year of life. I glued those pictures into his baby book the next day:).

Nathaniel's First Birthday-19The Menu:

(I will include links to recipes if I have them on my blog.)

Nathaniel's First Birthday-3Appetizers:

On the way to Florida, my parents stopped by New York City and brought back lots of goodies from Russian stores that we used for the party. Most of the appetizers were from there and also the kvas. It was great to have less cooking that needed to be done and have a chance to enjoy some classic Russian party food.

  • Cold Cuts/Deli from the Russian store, as well as smoked fish and black breadNathaniel's First Birthday-10Nathaniel's First Birthday-1-36

Salads/Sides:

Everyone really enjoyed this salad and even though I made a giant portion of it, almost all of it was gone by the end of the party. It’s very fresh and not as heavy as coleslaw and the fresh corn and cucumbers give it texture and taste just like spring.

A Peter Rabbit themed party had to include cabbage and carrots too:). Nathaniel's First Birthday-1-45

  • Mashed Potatoes

Nathaniel loves mashed potatoes, so I knew that would have to be part of the menu.

Entrees:

 

For the entrees, I chose 2 options that I could make in advance and just reheat. Plus, Nathaniel really loves meatballs and chicken, so both of these were perfect choices.

Desserts:Nathaniel's First Birthday-4

  • Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Of course, it’s only natural to have Carrot Cupcakes as part of the dessert for a Peter Rabbit party too. I used the recipe from Cook’s Country. (I ordered the cupcake toppers on Amazon.)Nathaniel's First Birthday-5

Nathaniel's First Birthday-13This is such an easy cake to make and so delicious too. I love the flavor of the honey cake layers that are so tender.

I used the cake and frosting recipe from the Mandarin Cake, but instead of orange liqueur, I used strawberry liqueur and added homemade strawberry refrigerator jam in between the layers and topped the cake with sliced kiwi, which I brushed with a citrus glaze to keep the fruit glossy and bright.Nathaniel's First Birthday-14

  • Russian Waffle pastriesNathaniel's First Birthday-6
  • Fruit (honeydew melon, strawberries)

Beverages:

  • Berry Pink Lemonade – this was a big hit. It tastes to fresh and summery. The berries and the tart lemons are a perfect combination.Berry Pink Lemonade-1-14
  • Kvas from the Russian store

We put the candle on a cupcake, which Nathaniel’s cousins helped him blow out, and then he really enjoyed digging into his birthday treat. 

Nathaniel's First Birthday-15

Nathaniel's First Birthday-33

Nathaniel's First Birthday-34After opening one gift, he wasn’t interested in any more presents, so next year, we’ll just get him one present, ha ha:).

Nathaniel's First Birthday-1-46After the food and the presents, we enjoyed the beautiful weather in the backyard. We laid out some blankets, gave the babies rides in Nathaniel’s tricycle and some of the adults played volleyball. Since Nathaniel loves to be outside so much, I was really hoping that the weather would be nice enough that we could spend some time out there. It was the perfect conclusion to his party.

It was especially nice to spend time with family and even my parents and sister and her family from New York were able to make it and enjoy a Florida vacation this past week with us.
We are so thankful for the gift of our son and he is such a delight for all of us.
Nathaniel's First Birthday-28

Nathaniel's First Birthday-27

Nathaniel's First Birthday-24We took a lot of videos of the party, so if you’re subscribed to my Youtube channel, you’ll be able to see it soon if you’re interested.

 

Nathaniel's

36 Comments

    • Diana

      Hi Olga, and Happy Birthday to Nathaniel, may God bless him and you too. We celebrated my son’s first birthday too this month, February 1, and his name is Nathan😊😊, we decided on the shorter version, to make it easier for him to spell when he goes to school. Happy Birthday, again.

  • Olga

    Happy Birthday to Nathaniel! God bless him! He is such a cutie! I think he looks more like you! Thank you for sharing with us this happy occasion! Everything looks really nice! You did a great job!

    • olgak7

      Thank you, Olga. The party was so much fun and we enjoyed putting it together. Nathaniel is such a blessing to us and we are so thankful for him.

  • Yaroslav

    Wonderful pictures and such a great boy you have. We can’t wait to try the fluffy honey cake. Thank you 🙂

  • Barbara

    What a wonderful party – lovely. Thank you for sharing – also the food was beautiful to look at.

    p.s. yesterday I made the Teriyaki chicken and it was very tasty. Very! My family has noticed that I am introducing new and fresher flavours into our menu! its all inspired by you and your blog! Thank you again! Barbara

    • olgak7

      Thank you for the kind words, Barbara. We had such a great time at the party.
      I’m also so happy to hear that you enjoyed the teriyaki chicken. I just recently made it too and my whole family loved it.

  • Tzivia

    Omg awwwww how very cute and sweet happy 1 bday Nathaniel may g give you many more bdays until 120 btw Olga also love the decor and presentation Peter rabbit so cool those carrots and parsnips and chicken shashalik kebabs and waffle cakes look really way good

  • Mila

    Olga, you did such a great job hosting the party. Everything looks festive and cheerful but not overdone. Peter Rabbit theme is charming, and so is the birthday boy!

  • Alesia

    Happy Birthday to your son!!! Now, you should put more kids recipes too…It would be great! Thank you for your blog…it helps a lot…:)

  • Terry

    Dear Olga, looked like a perfect birthday party for your precious year old son. Beautiful decorations and lovely food. Please be well my ethnic partner in food and tradition. I pray for your health and all of God’s blessings to come your way. Fala, Terry

  • Larisa

    Happy happy birthday to your baby boy!!!
    He’s adorable and your family is beautiful! May God continue blessing you, bless your health and heal you completely! Thanks SO much for all your delicious recipes 😋😃

  • Valya @ valyastasteofhome.com says

    Happy Birthday to handsome little man!!! I love all the decor and the theme is perfect.

  • Lily

    Everything looked beautiful! Happy birthday to your sweet boy! I was wondering about the highchair banner, did you made it or you bought it?

  • Angela

    Spectacular party for ur little one! Nathaniel is just so handsome! May your little guy live many blessed years with God! God bless u and ur family! <3

  • Mariya

    Olga, your little guy is soooo adorable!! Congratulations to him on his birthday!! I love his “1st birthday” bodysuit, where did u buy it if it’s not a secret? My little boy is about to turn one soon too ;))

    • olgak7

      Thank you so much Mariya. I think he’s adorable too:). But I’m his Mom, so, of course.
      I actually made the body suit myself. I used a plain onsie, cut out a #1 from gray material and sewed it to the top middle of the shirt, cut the “suspenders” out of ribbon and attached it to the onsie, the the bow tie I shaped out of ribbon and sewed onto the onsie as well. I didn’t want to risk ordering one online and it not fitting, since sizes differ so much from one company to another.

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