Audra's First Birthday Party

Audra's first birthday party was yesterday. It was a small get-together with a few of our local friends and two of my brothers. We started the party at 3 pm to accommodate Audra's nap schedule, so we had some snack foods and a variety of drinks. Here is the setup:

Here is Audra in her outfit. I was worried about how the outfit would look, but I'm actually happy with how it turned out - sans the mess she instantly made with the yogurt-covered pretzel her dad gave her 5 min into the party.

We then did a traditional Vietnamese first party event called a thoi noi. Basically, we laid out 11 items in a half-circle around her and let her pick 3 of them, and those items were supposed to represent her future. Her first pick was the computer mouse, which represents technological wisdom. Next she chose the calculator, which represents business sense. Last, she picked the hairbrush, which represents good looks. Interestingly, she really took her time and thought about each item she wanted and didn't just pick the closest item. 

The other options were: stethoscope : medical, ruler : engineering, clarinet : musical ability, yarn : long life, dollar bill : wealth, vintage camera : artistic ability, soccer ball : athletic, measuring cup : cooking skills. 

Next we opened her gifts from our generous friends. She has shown interest in and played with all of them already. Note that Star Wars was on in the background the entire party - these boys. 

The last major event of the party was the cake smash, which really translates to Audra picks at and eats some cake while everyone stares at her and randomly laughs at her expressions.

She made it through the whole party without a meltdown, so I call it a success.