Baseball Birthday Bash

So I think it is only fair to preface this post with letting you know that this was actually my son's birthday party! I didn't give a thought to posting it on the blog while the party was going on, so I did fail to capture detail shots, but I will share what I do have.

Being an event planner is a lot of attention to detail, planning ahead, anticipating mishaps, and allotting time to complete every task so that the event is perfect. I am able to accomplish these things with no problem for my clients, but when it is the event of the event planner, something just has to go awry! In my case, I definitely did not allot for enough time to get everything set up on party day. Well, I did, but I did not anticipate that the mood of a one year old would set back my setup. This is when I have to stop and remember that the party is for him, and his well being comes first (I guess I should have hired an event planner for the day... it would have made my life MUCH easier! Haha)!

My son, Augie, turned one at the end of April, and I decided on a baseball themed birthday when he was around 6 months old (you can never start too soon). He loves ALL sports, and anything that allows him to be rowdy and it was baseball season, so it only made rational sense! I invited friends and family to join in the celebration at our home. Some people would prefer not to have their child's party at home. It is a lot of prep work, but for his first birthday I wanted to include as many of our friends and family as possible. So, hosting it at home was the best option.

Ballpark Food

Hot Dog Bar with all of the trimmings so everyone could make them to order. (I made these at home, rather than ordering them from James Coney Island. It was easy to boil them, while working on other food in the kitchen.... okay, so I had my mom helping in the kitchen, and she was in charge of the hot dogs, which made it really easy)!

Cracker Jacks

Peanuts

Big Chew Gum

We did serve real food in addition to ball park food as well as snacks for the kids. Including mini croissant sandwiches, The Best Ham Sandwich, Veggie Tray, Fruit Salad, and Loaded Baked Potato Dip. Here were the recipes for the two most popular dishes!

The Best Ham Sandwich!

Ingredients

·   3 packages sweet Hawaiian rolls (the ones that look like dinner rolls)

·   1 1/2 pounds of  Old Fashioned Ham, chopped 

·   3/4 pound Swiss Cheese , chopped

Spread

• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 3 Tbsp poppy seeds
• 3 Tbsp mustard
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

 

Directions
Mix the spread ingredients together. Spread (using a spatula works best) the spread mixture on the insides of both the tops and bottoms of rolls. Mix together the ham and cheese (both chopped), and sprinkle on the insides of the rolls. Put together tops and bottoms of sandwiches. Cover with aluminum foil, and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Rolls should be golden brown, and the cheese should be melted.

 

Loaded Baked Potato Dip

Ingredients

·   1 (2.1-oz.) package fully cooked bacon slices

·   1 (16-oz.) container sour cream  

·   2 cups (8 oz.) freshly shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

·   1/3 cup sliced fresh chives

·   2 teaspoons hot sauce

·   Garnishes: cooked, crumbled bacon; sliced fresh chives; freshly cracked pepper  

·   Serve with potato chips

Directions

Cook bacon according to package directions until crisp; drain on paper towels. Cool 10 minutes; crumble. Stir together bacon and next 4 ingredients. Cover and chill 1 to 24 hours before serving. Garnish, if desired, and serve.

Drinks for the day included iced down tubs of Coke, Dr. Pepper, and, of course, Capri Sun. For the adults there was iced down tubs of cold beer and margaritas on the rocks, served in Mason Jars.

Cakes

I did have a baseball shaped smash cake for Augie and served cookies and cream cake pops to the guests. The cake pops were perfect because they were small enough for the kids to manage, and delicious! Thank you to Cakes by Leslie!

Extras

I used a lot of printables to add some personalization to the party. You can find inexpensive frames almost anywhere, but my best bet was IKEA! The guests were able to take home cupcakes in a jar to enjoy later as well. We had some old wood in the garage. I used chalk board paint and chalk to decorate the boards. Also, (not pictured), I did the same thing to make a baseball score board. I also added in a children's size table and chairs, covered it with paper (sold like butcher paper by the roll at IKEA, $5), and put Crayons and markers in a bucket.  They went to town coloring on the table! I still have paper leftover, and use it for many art projects. For table centerpieces, I used crinkle paper and foam baseballs to fill blue and red planters. I also dispersed silver outdoor lanters filled with the same for some additional decor.