Samuel's first birthday party

Ok, sorry these pictures are not in order. I have not figured out a way to easily move pictures around in the posts. Samuel turned one on 6/2/09. Rudi and I celebrated with Samuel (just the 3 of us) on 6/3/09 in the AM after Rudi got home from working an overnight. However, since we are on Guam and the time is 14 hours ahead, we were celebrating Samuel's birthday ON his actual birthday in the States.

On 6/7/09, we had a big party for Samuel. This was keeping with a Chamorro tradition of having a huge celebration for the first birthday. Our neighbors said that when they lived in Hawaii, they spent $13,000 on their daughter/granddaughter's 1st birthday party!! Don't worry, we didn't even spend a tiny fraction of that amount, but just wanted to give you an idea... I know it is somewhat ridiculous to have a big party for a one-year-old, but people kept asking us...oooh, he's turning one, are you gonna have a big bash? I guess we didn't feel pressured, but I figured that if we didn't do a party, then Rudi and I would be liable to do nothing at all, which I didn't want either. Plus, it was super-easy to just have it at the pool by our house--I didn't have to clean our house beforehand, which to me, is the hardest part about having an event at your house! And finally, people in our neighborhood, church, and places of work have been SO LOVING toward us and toward Samuel, so we thought it would be fun to treat them to lunch and their kids to a fun afternoon at least.

Here are the details of his party. We had it at the pool area for our condo complex. We had some traditional Filipino and Chamorro food catered, I baked cookies and brownies, and we of course had cake as well. The party was a "truck" theme, since Samuel likes to play with trucks so much. We had a bouncy house near the pool as well. 

Over 100 people from our neighborhood, church, Rudi's work, and my work came. I had fun, but I'm not sure that Samuel did. First, he slept through the first 30 min. Finally, Rudi woke him from his nap so he could join the party, but he was pretty clingy with me the whole time. When it came time for him to do his thing and smash up his cake and eat it, he just poked at the cake a couple times, then cried. I think he was overwhelmed by tons of people singing happy birthday to him and surrounding him. 

Some of Samuel's church friends at his party on 6/7/09

6/7/09

6/7/09

6/7/09: He looks a little scared

a shot of Samuel's party on 6/7/09

Samuel sucking his fingers in the pool on 6/7/09

some food at his party on 6/7/09

Samuel with me and more of his friends on 6/7/09

Samuel and Daddy on 6/7/09

6/7/09: This is as messy as his cake got before he wanted out of his high chair

Samuel as a 1 year old

playing with new truck he got for his first birthday. I'm not sure who like the truck more: Rudi or Samuel

Rudi and Samuel on 6/3/09.  The chocolate cake is a miniature "Cake Canaveral." Rudi's mom always made this cake for his brother's birthdays. So, even though chocolate cake is not the best option for a one-year-old's birthday, it is now "family tradition."

We were able to share this birthday moment with Rudi's mom via Skype. So in a way, she was there to celebrate as well!

Samuel with a destroyed "Cake Canaveral" on 6/3/09. He did a better job with this cake than with the other one.