The Big One

We have been celebrating for days around here.  And this post is going to be really heavy on the pictures, as I think they tell the story of our weekend way better than I could in words.  A little girl only turns one once in her life, you know.  So we did this one up right.  We greeted Annie with a balloon when she woke up Friday morning...

We had a fancy outfit for "school" on Friday...

And a personal escort via stroller to school instead of the standard ride in the car seat...

I had taken the day off from work to prepare for her party, so I was able to pick Annie up from daycare at 1:00 and be with her on her exact first birthday at 1:39 pm.  (Yes, I know, I'm a sap.  But I'm okay with that.).

Then, in the afternoon Annie engaged in a little birthday music on our piano...check out those page turns.  She is clearly a natural...

We wrapped up her birthday with dinner out and a normal bedtime, as there was a big day ahead on Saturday.  Lots of our friends and Annie's came over to our very hot, very not at all shady backyard for a birthday party in the noon sun...in 100 degree heat.  Everyone was so great to brave the heat to celebrate our girl!  We had lots of water toys set up for the babies and the adults tried as best they could to follow the shade as it moved across our backyard.  Eventually, the scorching sun was too much for me and I gave the okay to move the party inside (which I was only resistant to because we simply have no room for 30-plus adults and little ones...but it's a great house, you should buy it!).  Annie handled the singing of Happy Birthday like a champ and seemed relatively unfazed by the sea of smiling faces, watching her eventually get around to digging into her cake.  Truth be told, I think she was really pretty fond of the attention.  I plan to do a more comprehensive (photo-wise) post soon about the party itself, but here are a few snapshots of the fun our baby girl had!

A big, huge, whopping thanks to my mom for helping me plan, prepare for, and execute the best first birthday party I could have asked for.  And much appreciation to my in-laws for traveling in a variety of storms to be here to help us with set up and with the celebration of such a special day.  And many many thanks to our friends who showed us such kindness by caring for our baby girl and joining us to celebrate her.  My heart is full after a weekend like this. 

While there are moments I get a little sad, thinking of how fast time is moving and how unbelievable the changes are that take place in Annie daily, there is so much of me that is so very proud of her independence and growth.  She is truly like a little person now, not just a baby, with a personality as individualized as yours or mine and a spunk and energy that few can keep up with.  And I continue to feel so blessed that we have her, that she is ours.  There is truly no one else like her.  Happy birthday to our baby girl!

A little Then and Now comparison.