And the first year passes...

Well, our little girl turned one on June 28th, and it's hard to believe. I felt, with Josiah, like I had been anticipating the big milestone and thinking about it... But with Abby it really feels like it snuck up on me. We celebrated the big day with a 2-phase party. In the morning we had Abby's little girlfriends over for cupcakes and playtime. (In reality, they were my girlfriends, who happen to also have baby girls around Abby's age, and some of them also have kids Josiah's age.) Two of my friends and their little girls couldn't make it due to sickness and moving into a new house, so all-in-all this "simple" little birthday gathering ended up being 19 guests in our living room! (It was kind of drizzly and we couldn't be outside, as originally planned.) It was a bit chaotic with all the kids running around (more the big kids, than the little ones), but not as crazy as you might expect... Keeva, Nyla, Abby, Sydney, Emily, and Macayla.

Abby's cupcake tower

This was her first cupcake, and she polished it off quite nicely. She was actually pretty non-messy about the whole affair, but clearly enjoyed the new flavor.

Phase 2 of Abby's party was the family supper. Nana, Papa, GG Marshall, Auntie Cheryl, and Uncle Zach all came over for presents, BBQ supper, and strawberry mousse cake!

Cheryl has a crazy story about how she spent the day before Abby's birthday, but with some improvisation, she still managed to pull off this beauty for her little niece's first cake!

Opening presents with the experienced assistance of her big brother.

Abby was learning to put up her hand when someone would ask, "Who's 1, put up your hand?" Then she learned that if she just lifted her hands in the air and cheered, she could get the whole room to cheer with her. She did this about 20 times throughout the evening and still managed to hold us all in the palm of her hand. =)


So, whether we anticipate birthdays or they sneak up on us, they come nonetheless, and it's been a reminder for me to stop and savor this time. Abby is a beautiful little girl. She's healthy and strong. She's an unpredictable eater, but a great sleeper. She's a joker and loves making us laugh. She always laughs when we do, as if she totally understands what's funny. She likes to dance, especially to the music on the weather channel, which Josiah and I check every day. She LOVES animals. Real ones and stuffed ones. She babbles ALL day long. Even in the nursery at church the helpers will comment, "She sure loves to talk, doesn't she?" And it doesn't matter if she knows you or not. If she has something to say, she'll say it to whoever is in earshot, complete with pointing and hand gestures. She gives great kisses and hugs. (Mostly to aforementioned stuffed animals, but also to us, if we ask at the right time.) She likes eyes, and unfortunately tries to stick her finger in everyone's. This has not been so popular with her little girlfriends shown in the above birthday photo... She loves doing whatever Josiah is doing, which some days he loves and some days he doesn't. She's an amazing little girl, and we are so blessed to spend our days with her.

Every night I go into my kids rooms before I go to bed just to check on them. (I wonder how old they'll be before I stop doing that?) Often when I go into Abby's room, one of her chubby little legs will be sticking out through the slats in her crib and she'll be all sprawled out and resting peacefully. And EVERY night my heart warms when I see her face and I think about how glad I am that she's my daughter.