Isaac's Dol (Korean First Birthday Party)

Isaac's first birthday party ("dol" or "tol," in Korean) was Saturday! We are so thankful that we were able to share this special day with Isaac, as we weren't sure if he would be home for his birthday. What a wonderful day we had celebrating our son's life with family and friends. We so appreciate all the well-wishes and generous gifts. Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate--near and far!

Now ... on to the party pictures! ;o) BTW, in case you didn't know, in Korean culture, the first birthday is a pretty big deal. :o)

The Birthday Boy and his Family

Isaac with Ah-Pah, Mommy and Nuna! Isaac is wearing the hanbok sent by his foster family in Korea. Kate is wearing a hanbok that Rebekah wore in our wedding (we had four flower girls, all nieces of ours, who wore hanboks). I am wearing the hanbok that I wore in our Korean wedding ceremony. I don't think I have worn it since then because I usually wear my other one. For some reason, I thought this one was really only for weddings, but I asked Tanna's Mom and she said it was OK to wear it anytime.


With Halmoni and Halabaji


Isaac and Mommy in their hanboks

The Invitation

The invitations were a photo template ordered from Etsy. Our friend Helen was so sweet to share the info with me--she had these same invitations for her daughter, Grace. I had them printed as 5x7 photos at Costco. The actual prints turned out a little darker than I would have liked, but it was OK.

The Dol Table and Decorations

The Balloon Lady strikes again! ;o) We used the same woman who decorated for Kate's first birthday. She came out to our house about 8:30 that morning to begin setting up. (The party started at 11 a.m.) We had met with her a few weeks prior to book the date and to select colors and decorations that we liked. She specializes in Korean first birthdays, and my MIL said that she went to Korea to specifically learn how to set up the dol table. She has a notebook (or two) of party photos and displays that she has done, so you can flip through them and tell her what you like.


The balloon lady provided and set up everything for the table, with the exception of the Hello Kitty Korean dolls (which were ours) and the cakes. the The dduk cakes / delicacies are traditional for a Korean first birthday and were provided my my in-laws. (Tanna is going to check with his mom on the details (names, ingredients, etc.))


There also was a balloon arch as you entered the house (as well as some on the mailbox, etc.). This pic was taken after the party, and the balloons were starting to droop a little. I know my SIL Anne (in the photo) is going to love that I posted this picture. LOL!

More Decorations
(Photo Display, Photo Board, Flags, etc.)

Here is the display of Isaac photos--we had this set up in the living room, where the ceremony took place. You can see the doljabee items in the photo as well. :o)


This DIY photo board turned out better than I thought it would (although it still kind of looks like a VBS craft gone wrong). LOL! The kids seemed to really like it, and it was very easy to do. Not perfect by any means, but it was fun.


I just sketched the figure with a pencil and then went over it with some of Kate's markers. Then I cut out the hole for the face. The design at the top consists of two scrapbooking border stickers and then the words printed out from the computer and mounted on scrapbook paper. I meant to add a Korean flag, but I ran out of time.


We incorporated flags--especially the Korean flag--into party elements when we could. The Korean flag was used on the invitations and the favor labels. I had ordered a big Korean flag to display at the party, but discovered a few nights before the party that the design was wrong!

The Ceremony

Tanna's parents' pastor did the ceremony, which was beautiful. We LOVED it, and I was moved to tears more than once. Isaac did very well during the service. He got a little restless (not bad AT ALL) and went to Halmoni for a little bit--but most of the time he stayed in Tanna's arms. Kate did very well also. She was sitting with my family during the ceremony and came over to sit with us toward the end--she looked a little scared.

The pastor's son played the violin and did an excellent job. The hymns were "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" (a family favorite) and "When He Cometh." It was beautiful to hear them being sung in Korean and in English at the same time. (I have written before that one of the most beautiful sounds I have ever heard is people singing to the Lord in different languages simultaneously.)


The Scripture he read for the service was Genesis 18:11-19--the passage referring to Abraham and Sarah's old age and Sarah's laughter at God's promise of a child (Isaac) ... as well as God's promise that Abraham would become a great nation (through his son Isaac).

The pastor also spoke about adoption (which came as a bit of a surprise to us, considering Korean culture's views on adoption--but we were THRILLED to hear his message and LOVED it). The pastor also shared James 1:27: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world" (NIV).


Here is an excerpt of the wonderful message delivered at Isaac's dol. The pastor delivered it in Korean, and then his son (the violinist) translated to English for the English-speaking folks. He was kind enough to e-mail me the English translation yesterday.

"Through Isaac, God’s nation will grow strong, and God’s righteousness will be known. I pray and bless that Isaac Lim will be like Abraham’s Isaac that he will be used for God and His people.

"In order to raise the child in such way, the parents need to be the examples first and raise him with the Word and faith. Specifically, the parents need to teach them well about God with prayers. So through Isaac, this family will be blessed so much more.

"Lastly, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ for overflowing wisdom, knowledge, health, and wealth of Isaac and his parents so that in the last days this family will be used for the Word of God"

With grateful hearts, we say ... Amen.

The Doljabee


After the service, it was time for the doljabee! This is a Korean tradition on a child's first birthday. Items are chosen to represent careers or different paths in life. The items are placed in front of the birthday boy (or girl), and the item that the child touches or picks up first is said to determine what path the child will take in life.

The items we used for Isaac's doljabee (and their respective professions) were a football (athlete), a plane (pilot or world traveler, etc.), a Bible (Christian ministry), stethoscope (physician), pen (writer), necktie (business man), and a globe (world leader or global missions).


We explained the custom and what each item represented. Isaac seemed a little overwhelmed at this point. He started crying when Tanna put him down in front of the items on the table. So Tanna picked him back up and held Isaac until he chose something ...


Isaac chose the stethoscope!


Looks like we may have another doctor on our hands ... or something in the medical profession. Time will tell ...

The Cake Topper and The Cake

I pretty much spent the cake budget on this adorable custom cake topper. I bought it on Etsy, and it is made to order with the little guy's hanbok designed after Isaac's. Isn't it so cute? I think so--but another thing that I love about it is that it is NOT edible. It is made to keep, so it will be a keepsake to remember this special day and weekend.


Here it is on top of Isaac's smash cake--which, by the way, Publix will provide for free (for a first birthday) when you order your cake from there. I love Publix--and their cakes!


To go with the (kind of) flag theme, I decided on a Korean-flag cake--like the one Publix had made for the adoption dinner we attended around this time last year. One of the ladies in the bakery even remembered the cake from last year! Isaac went down for a nap during his party, so we ended up doing the cake-and-candles thing later with just the family.


The sweets table. I originally didn't have the big cake and the cake plates on this table; they were moved there later. This photo was actually taken after the party, so some of the things aren't quite as full as they once were. I just wanted to get a photo of the table setup.


Other table with the flags and flag cake.

The Food

We were so excited that Yumbii, Atlanta's Korean taco truck, was available to cater the party. (This was one of the reasons we decided to have the party at home--though I will say that having the party at a restaurant is a lot easier in terms of party preparation and clean-up. (We had Kate's party at a restaurant.)) ANYWAY ... Everyone LOVED Yumbii! It was a huge hit!


I highly recommend Yumbii for your next catering event!


The Yumbii folks there were so easy to work with, and even came out the day before the party to check out the parking space, etc.


The menu included unlimited tacos as well as a quesadilla per guest.


We also had a large Chick-fil-A nugget tray and some chips as well as some Korean dishes (chop chae, kimchi, etc.), which my MIL prepared. Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo of the Korean food.


A special thank-you to our awesome neighbors, who let the Yumbii truck park in their driveway. Thanks, guys!

The Party Favors

I found these plastic tumbler cups on clearance at Wal-Mart. Guess how much ... you won't believe me ... 25 cents for four! I actually had bought a bunch of tumblers for something like this (or for Operation Christmas Child) at Target for 90 percent off, too. But these worked better for this. (When I find a deal that will work for OCC or for party favors, etc., I buy a lot, much to my husband's dismay.) ANYWAY ... so I saw all these tall green cups that would work perfectly as a party-favor holder. That way, I wouldn't have to buy separate bags or little favor boxes, etc. Plus, the kids could keep the cup as part of the favor.

Inside the cups were a plastic ball (with holes, which was important in the end), a pair of kiddie chopsticks (SO CUTE!) and a box of crayons. I had also bought a bunch of bubbles, but I couldn't get them to fit right. The ball went in the bottom of the cup, with the chopsticks in next, sticking down in the ball's holes. Then the box of crayons (bought for, like, a quarter during back-t0-school sales) went in front, leaning against the chopsticks. Easy-peasy! BTW, the chopsticks were a HUGE hit with the kids--and a nod to Isaac's Korean heritage. I bought them at B Braithwaite, but I also saw them on Amazon and other places, too.



I loved the favor labels on the Little Seouls site, but they cost more than I wanted to spend. I found these at Office Depot and was able to print them out at home using the simple template. I got a Korean-flag image off the Internet and pasted it into the Word document. The little paper ribbon thingies are by Martha Stewart--I bought a whole pack of them at Big Lots for $1. (BTW, have you seen all the cool Martha Stewart craft stuff at Big Lots lately? I have really scored there. I should do a whole post on my fun Big Lots finds ... one day ...) I hadn't planned to use the paper ribbon things for the party when I bought them, but it just happened to work out OK with the favors.

Thanks again to everyone who helped us celebrate!