Brittany Cartwright and Jax Taylor hit it out of the park with their son's 1st birthday party.
The former Vanderpump Rules stars threw Cruz a baseball-themed bash on April 16, complete with a ball pit, a huge balloon display that read "Cruz's Rookie Year," and special appearances from both Mickey Mouse and several Bravolebrities. Take a look at E! News' exclusive photos of the party and we guarantee you'll be asking, "How long did it take to plan this?!"
The answer? Nearly a year, Brittany told E! News. "I've been planning it since he was three months old. I get bored and we were locked down for a lot of time, especially when he was a little baby."
Brittany and Jax welcomed Cruz last April, which is around the time VPR's Stassi Schroeder, Lala Kent and Scheana Shay also gave birth to their first children. Stassi and her husband Beau Clark, along with their daughter, Hartford, were among those in attendance at the party.
Lala and her 13-month-old daughter, Ocean, whose dad is Lala's ex-fiancé Randall Emmett, also showed up to celebrate Cruz's birthday. According to Brittany, the new moms have all "gotten closer" in the past year. "We can bounce things off of each other, you know?" she said. "Especially because my family's not here, I love that I am able to have them and go and do things together with the babies and have playdates and just have people there for support."
Seeing Scheana and her nearly-1-old daughter, Summer is more difficult now that she and her fiancé, Brock Davies, live in San Diego. "She's always welcome and invited to everything," Brittany clarified. "I hate whenever people are like, 'Why isn't Scheana or Summer ever there?' She's just not in town. But I love Scheana and Summer so much, and I just love that we all have each other. It's really awesome."
As for the rest of the Vanderpump Rules cast, "I want the best for everybody," Brittany added. This even includes Jax's former best friend Tom Sandoval, though he admittedly wasn't invited to Cruz's party. "They don't not like each other," she said of Jax and Tom, "but they're just not very close anymore."
Tom Schwartz, on the other hand, was at the birthday bash—as was his ex, Katie Maloney. "We're rallying around both of them, honestly," Brittany said of the recently split couple. "And Katie wants that; she is very open and she loves Tom still. She just she wants it to be very easy. They are still friends and are still hanging out and stuff as well."
To get an inside look at the party, check out the exclusive gallery below.
Brittany Cartwright and Jax Taylor's son, Cruz, turned 1 on April 12, and Mom and Dad went all with his baseball-themed bash. "This is something that we'll always remember for the rest of our lives," Brittany exclusively told E! News. "Like, Cruz might not always remember this but we always will. And it's his first big birthday party with all of his friends. I just want Cruz to have everything he can have. He deserves it."
Jax is "the best father that you could ever ask for," Brittany said. "He just goes above and beyond. I always knew that he would be a good dad but he just took it and ran with it. He makes bottles and changes diapers; He'll wake up with him. I got very, very lucky."
Among the birthday party's many guests were past and present Vanderpump Rules stars Stassi Schroeder, Beau Clark and their 15-month-old daughter, Hartford; Lala Kent and her nearly-1-year-old daughter, Ocean; Katie Maloney, Tom Schwartz, Max Boyens and Dayna Kathan.
Wondering how Micky Mouse fits into the party's baseball theme? It's simple: Cruz is "obsessed" with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
Celebrating Cruz's 1st birthday was bittersweet for Brittany and Jax. As she put it, "It's sad because I look back on pictures and I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, he's not my little baby anymore.' It's just insane how fast they grow, but seeing his little personality come out more and more every day is absolutely amazing."
Guests dined on peanuts, Cracker Jacks, popcorn, hot dogs and other concession stand confections, not to mention birthday cake!
With help from Alpha-Lit Los Angeles, Picnic + Petal, and Glitz and Gather, Brittany and Jax made sure Cruz's party was a grand slam.
(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)