First Birthday Party

Here are some pictures from the actual party. It was a great afternoon. The weather was hot, but not unbearable, the cake was delicious ,and there were lots of fun presents to unwrap. Most importantly, Riley was surrounded by friends and family who love her.

Riley's First Birthday

I read somewhere about a family tradition where the parents take a picture of the kids first thing in the morning each year on their birthdays. What a cool gift to have for your kids when they get ready to leave for college. So, I copied their great idea...adorable early morning mugshot below.TJ and I both stayed home to hang out with the kangaroo for her actual birthday. We went to Powell Gardens, a botanical garden that featuring a "Big Bugs" display where the artist built giant bug sculptures into the plant life. It rained on us and cut our trip short, but we still had a nice time and Riley got to see some geese.
After dinner, we gave her the first of her birthday cakes, and yes, the event was as spectacular as I'd imagined. Once she got her hands in it, and a few bites into her mouth, the rest of it didn't stand a chance. Next stop, the bathtub.

Belly Laughs

So, there's a lot to reflect on as Riley gets ready to turn ONE. There's no way to sum up how I feel about her and about motherhood because it's evolving every second of every day. What I can tell you though, is that my absolute favorite thing in the entire world is that child's belly laugh. Whether I'm trying my best to elicit one by crawling, chasing and tickling her, or when it's out of the blue, just because she's reacting to something new, those laughs trump everything else. The second video features her introduction to the noise poppers you throw on the ground. Not only was she not at all scared, she thought it was hilarious. She is going to be a wild woman. I love it.

Updating

It's been a busy couple weeks, but here are some highlights.
For Bauer's birthday, he always gets an ice cream cone. So, this year, he had his own birthday party the day before, then ice cream on his actual birthday. Yes, it's a rough life. Actually, this year it was custard -- guess that's a Midwest thing. Regardless, as you can see, he's a very happy customer. Riley was fascinated by the whole scene, and since she is almost 1, we figured we'd let her try just a little bite...of TJ's cone of course, not Bauer's...we're certainly not the kind of parents who mix dog germs with baby germs. Her response was priceless...

We spent Father's Day at the STL Zoo, which is a fantastic place. It was extremely hot, so we lasted about 3 1/2 hours and there is still plenty left to see for next time.