(I've posted a lot of pictures for out-of-town family to enjoy. If you want to see them larger, simply double-click on a picture. Thanks for enduring!)
Saturday was the big party, and the day got off to a great start. Clay popped in a James Taylor cd and danced with his girl. It became a family affair as the boy didn't want to be left out. I had a few flashes of the potential future as Clay danced with the girl and I danced with the boy. Mind you, the boy was more interested in spinning circles than anything else. Much to his dismay, Mommy can't go round and round as often as he would like without falling down!
One of those small moments that burn into your brain and you hold close to your heart. Can't you see how much she loves her daddy?
Due to crazy nap schedules, the party was held after dinner. Of course I had to take some pictures of the family before people began arriving. Can you read her shirt? It says, "My heart belongs to Daddy." And the boy is showing off his new jumping skills - as he does ALL the time right now. I was trying to take a picture and he wouldn't stand still! You can't tell, but he is mid-air. And can't you see how much the girl loves her brother? I LOVE IT!
Grannylou, Pop, Uncle Eric, Aunt Kristi, Kadyn and Dylan arrived early to eat dinner and visit before the insanity began. It had been a while since we have all been together so it was a nice prelude to the party. The boys play well together now, and it is so much fun to watch. The birthday girl showed off her walking skills and took an interest in the pictures Kadyn wanted to show Pop. Friends began arriving right on time and the chaos began. We only invited 4 other families (outside of my birth family), but that totaled 14 adults and 10 kids!!! The kids ranged from 11 months to 6 1/2 years old. Our house was full and the carpet was not to be seen. It was great to have so many people we love here, but we wish others could have been here too - although we would have had to change locations because our house was packed! It was hard to capture the kids on camera, but here are some of the adults enjoying each other's company.
Once everyone arrived, we opened presents. The birthday girl was much more interested in this than I thought she would be. She didn't really help unwrap, but she hung close to get a glimpse of her new toys. A fun book, shoes, a doll with buttons and sounds, a stroller, a sippy cup with her name on it, and a personalized hat were all big hits.
On to the cake...it was really a cupcake. She was quite amazed at everyone singing to her, and we expected her to dive right in. She is such a messy eater that we expected cake to be everwhere. She was much more hesitant and never really took a bite. She just examined it - even picked the whole thing up - and then began to let us know she was done. The last picture shows what was left...and shows just how uninterested she was!
It was a wonderful way to cap off the celebration of the blessing this little girl is. I was overwhelmed by the realization of how blessed our little family is with family nearby, so many friends, and so many people to walk along this road of parenthood. What we have here is rare, and we know it. I am humbled by the shower of blessings God continues to give.
She looks so big and yet so tiny in this chair. She was quite proud of herself and enjoyed coloring. After banging the crayons together, she figured out they would mark on the paper. It was a fun "first."
