7/23/11 – Birthday Party Day!

It’s hard to believe, and it breaks my heart to say it, but today was Amelia’s birthday party! How can it be true, how can my teeny tiny baby be turning one?! I just don’t know!

Even though the party didn’t start until 3:00, and Olivia was at my mom’s, we were still running around like chickens with our heads cut off all morning. Seriously, we are never quite prepared enough for our parties, that’s for sure. With a lot of help from our moms, we got all of the tables set up outside, set up the pools, made the food, did our decorating, showered and got ready, just as the guests started arriving. Christian manned the grill all afternoon, and I tried to mingle, snap some pictures and keep the party moving along. We had the typical grillin’ kind of food, cupcakes, cake and ice cream. The pools were not as big of a hit as I’d expected, but they got a little use. The bounce house (our gift to Amelia, since they’re cheaper to buy than to rent, and now we’ll have it forever!) was a hit for a while. We did presents and a piñata. It was a very fun and emotional day. The guests slowly started leaving, and by 9:30 most everyone was gone. We gave the girls a quick bath and put them down to bed, then spent a little time with our friends Dan and Michelle. We chatted for a while and watched a movie…it was nice getting some grown up time and having a chance to catch up with some friends.

The day was long, chaotic and tons of fun. Most of all, exhausting! We had a few no-shows, which is always pretty disappointing, but we were surrounded by a lot of wonderful friends and family members, Amelia received some very cute, very great presents, and all in all, everything was a success. Celebrating the life of a child, there is nothing better!

Here are some pictures from the party. I didn’t get as many as I would’ve liked. Amelia was pretty shy and tired most of the day, so I didn’t want to push her into taking pictures and frustrate her. I got a few good ones though!