4, 3, 2, 1!

We had a great Thanksgiving in Arkansas and just returned home from a glorious five days down south where we all traveled together as a family.

But, more on that later.

Just a day before our Thanksgiving trip, we jetted out to Chicago to celebrate Harbor's fourth birthday!

Before sharing pictures, I thought I might walk down memory lane.

Care to join me?

: )

Harbor's 1st Birthday:

We had the party at our newly built home in Arkansas.

I made the invitations, the cake stand, the bunting banner,

the front door hanger, his party hat, his party bags.

You know, the whole first birthday hoopla.

Oh, how I loved that party!

His first birthday party and all the details {and a few tutorial links}can be seen here:

Harbor's 2nd Birthday:

For Harbor's 2nd birthday, we did an airplane theme- it was really fun!

His invites were designed by a precious friend of mine,

I made his cake stand, party bags, "clouds" and hanging planes.

Themed parties are so fun to create, and Harbor was really into airplanes that year.

To see his 2nd birthday party and all the details {and a few tutorial links}, click here:

Harbor's 3rd Birthday:

For Harbor's 3rd birthday, we had a small party for three.

A very small party.

We had moved to Detroit for David's career, I was a new stay at home mommy, and we knew not a soul.

We had the party on Belle Island, off the coast of Windsor, Canada, in the shadow of downtown Detroit.

 It was cold and windy, but I will never, ever forget that first party here alone.

Using the city as a natural backdrop, I kept the decor simple and we just enjoyed the skyline.

To see his 3rd birthday party and all the details, click here:

Harbor's 4th birthday party!

We decided on Chicago for a few reasons:

the day we went was the Festival of Lights for the city,

outdoor ice skating was in full swing,

and the skyline is always so yummy.

We again used the city backdrop, but kept it even more simple by letting

Harbor choose his lunch and dessert {two different places} in the city.

We packed my photography gear, presents, and a few decorations, but

let the day unfold pretty naturally.

It was the easiest party ever. And full of memories.

Happy Birthday, Harbor!