The Party

We celebrated Lillian's birthday today...again. My sister came up, and we had a nice lunch at my parents' house. And, there was cake. Cake makes a party, right? Cake and a crown and party hats...we had those bases covered for sure.

I made her crown last night with Levi critiquing my every design decision. He was up waaaaaay past his bedtime. Although he did not initially agree with my color choices, he did in the end deem it to be pretty.

We were so happy to have Annie join us. Vet school is an all consuming endeavor, so we're thrilled these days when she can break away to spend time with us.

Lillian had no idea what we were doing with the candle and the cake. Of course, Levi was all too happy to help her learn to blow out her candle.

And, both kiddos were thrilled to teach her to unwrap her present.

Of course, it wouldn't be a day with Lillian without a few moments that left us giggling.

She puts a smile on our faces, and we're so glad she's ours!

Happy First Birthday, Sweet Lillian!

And, just like that she went from this

to this...

We celebrated with a quick batch of cupcakes this morning before Stephan headed off for work, but we'll have a proper family party this weekend.

Happy birthday to my beautiful and sweet one year old!

Her adventurous spirit and sweet personality unfold more and more with each passing day.
She can always be found right in the middle of the action.
And, she loves to explore and play.

She keeps us laughing and grinning, and she has her brother and sister wrapped tight around her pinkie finger. I wish they minded me as well as they do her. ;)

She thinks she's as big as they are and protests greatly when not allowed to follow them everywhere.

She is a bright light in our lives.

And, we love her so!

A Whole, Entire Year

A year has passed since Sophia graced us with her arrival.

2:55 pm
7 lbs 13 oz
20 in

If you're into birth stories (especially the homebirth vbac kind) you can read hers here.

The day before her birth we went to the park feeling like we had all the time in the world.

But, not even a whole 24 hours later and she was in our arms...

Those first weeks were so sweet. I can say that now since the memories of milk blisters and afterbirth pains have faded into the background. It's moments like these that have made their way to the forefront...

And, now she's a year old. A whole, entire year. Goodness.

She's independent and spirited.
She's not so into cuddling, but she loves kisses....a lot.
Mama's milk is still her favorite, but she's also pretty crazy about watermelon.
She thinks she's big.
She wrestles with Levi and calls him "Bwu-bwu".
She's such a little daddy's girl.

What can I say? We're totally in love with her.

Happy First Birthday, Sweet Sophia!

A Little Partying

We had a party. It was tiny and lovely. Stephan's mom, my parents, and my sister came over. We put up streamers and balloons, made a last minute "sunshine" cake, and ate some really yummy food. Sophia slept through lunch, and woke up just in time for cake.

She was a tad confused by the flashes and the candle and the singing and by the cupcake...

But, she got over it...

She loved her present. She even looked at it instead of trying to eat it. And, she so reminds me of Levi in this picture. I think it's the serious expression. He always had this look on his face when he was a baby.

A few more days and she really will be a whole year old. I can't believe that a year ago she was in here

Some Sewing And Some Party Planning

I ditched the knitting needles for my sewing machine this week.
It was a nice break.
We're just having a little family party for Sophia's 1st birthday, but that doesn't stop me from party planning. We're going for a sunshine theme, since she has such a (mostly) sunny personality. When it's not sunny it's at least fiery.

Anyway, sunshine theme = a need for a yellow dress which = this*...

And, then I wanted her to have a special birthday crown**. I skipped the sunshine theme for it because I'm thinking we'll use it yearly. That is if I can hold myself back from making a new one every year. This was a fun and easy sew. I could become addicted to crown making. (In fact, she might have a sunshine crown by the time her birthday rolls around.)

I snuck the crown on her as she woke up from a nap. She didn't notice until we passed a mirror. Then she couldn't stop staring at herself and grinning. Normally she freaks over hats, but apparently crowns are cool.

As far as the non-sewn aspects of the party go, I'm thinking something like this for the cake, but made into a sun instead of a sunflower.
(Mom, are you seeing this? ;)...

                                      Source: tinywhitedaisies.tumblr.com via Madeline on Pinterest

And, this is her present...

The girl is in the habit of eating holes through our books. She can reek havoc on a book in just a few seconds...especially now that she has teeth! Hopefully, a wooden book will slow her down a bit.

And, just because I feel like I haven't posted very many pictures of Levi, here's a totally unrelated one...

He's seriously the sweetest boy alive....at least in my humble opinion.

*I used the Prudent Baby's Snappy Toddler Dress pattern. 

**I was just winging it on the crown although I know there's a pattern in a book around here somewhere. I just couldn't remember where. Sigh...mommy brain strikes again.