The Birthday Party...

Adilyn's first birthday party was so much fun! It was a lot of preparation, but it was so worth it in the end. So many family members and friends came out to celebrate with us, it was amazing! I was a little worried about Adilyn's mental status because she failed to take her morning nap before the party. When we first got there, she went to the park area with Mimi and Pops, and they let her swing for a while, which she loves. We ate lunch, and then got into the cake. I kept watching her thinking that any moment might be the moment that she would explode, but she hung in there. She had a fantastic time playing in her cake. I don't know what she liked more - making a mess or her first taste of sugar! Probably a close tie! I was trying to move things along because it was ridiculously hot, and I felt like Adilyn was a ticking time bomb. I wanted to go out on a high note, so we got to the gifts quick. She got a little fussy, but then a toy caught her attention (thank goodness), and she was successfully distracted for the duration. By the end of all the presents, I looked down at her, and even though she had about 10 brand new toys all around her, she was happily playing with a ribbon...again, it's the "non-toys" that make the best toys! =)

Making a mess is so exciting!!!!

All done!

Ahhh...what a day, what a day!

The Little One is 1!!!

So, today was the first day of summer, but even more momentous and exciting was that it was Adilyn's first birthday. The sweet girl slept in until 9:30 this morning, I love that she's a sleeper! Anyway, I thought it was ironic because that was almost exactly what time she was born. Here is a picture of her with a huge smile on her face to greet me this morning!

To celebrate, we took her to ihop (okay, to be honest, since Adilyn just eats yogurt and cereal for breakfast, it was really for Cory and I to celebrate surviving our first year of parenthood!). We just hung out for the rest of the day, but I felt very reflective. Almost every time I would look at her, I was just flooded with memories from throughout the last year. I remembered all those late nights waking up with her. Trying to comfort her when she was sick. Not knowing what in the heck I was doing while I was giving her a bath, or changing her cloths. Driving around aimlessely because I didn't want her to wake up if the car stopped. The first time she smiled at me. The first time she sat up by herself. The first time she laughed. The first time she crawled...so many things have happened this year, I can hardly even keep it straight in my own head! I have loved being Adilyn's mama, and I don't think that I was whole before she came into my life. Stealing the line from Tom Cruise - she has truly completed me. Although, there have been days when I wondered what in the world I had gotten myself into - more often than not the days have been filled with pride, joy, and love for this little person that I get to hang out with forever! She is amazing, and I feel like I am so incredibly lucky because I get to be a part of her life.

Here are some more pictures from her birthday. Her party will be on Saturday, so of course, there will be even more pictures then!

Her gourmet dinner...chicken, peas, cheese, and pears. Who could ask for anything more?

In her pj's... the day coming to an end...we wanted to get her holding the #1 - how symbolic and how ridiculously impossible! So, I had to hold it...you take what you can get with a crazy one year old!