Lilee's first birthday sort of crept up on us, being so close after the holidays and what was a big whirlwind of a year, and I can't believe we basically have a little toddler on our hands now! A walking, talking one at that!!!
It has been quite a year with this little bundle. She can be high maintenance for half the day then go-with-the-flow the other half, super sweet and cuddly one minute but fighting with all her might the next at diaper changes or when being told "no," giggling and adoring Maelee then loudly talking (screaming) back at any "offense" by big sis... These two girls can both have some night and day tendencies but in very different ways, and it has been so fun to see how unique they each are!
Sweet Lilee Pie - as daddy nicknamed her just after she was born and we both affectionately call her now- truly has brought so much joy to our home and we are already loving this 2nd year. Much of the challenges with sleep and various other "baby" issues are (Lord willing!) behind us and she is in the light bulb phase where each day she seems to understand and process more and more.
We can officially add "mama" and "apple" as frequently used words now and she is pointing at her nose, teeth, and hair when asked. It is adorable. And we seem to have now entered the stage where walking is her preferred mode of transport over crawling. It is all happening a little too fast, but she's so darn cute that we really are enjoying each new development. Now if we can just figure out how to teach her more patience...
But anyhow, onto the slew of pictures from her actual birthday, her big bday bash, and the photo shoot!
January 23rd was like most any other Friday, except we had the fun treat of having Nana &Pop-Pop over for pizza, cake, and presents that evening! Little Lilee tends to crash in the evenings and was definitely fading by the time we brought out the sugar and final presents, but she seemed to enjoy the night...
Pizza is already a favorite food!
Two free cakes (one from friends who didn't need it and the other from our local grocery store!) plus the little banana muffin covered in whip cream for Lilee
Time for gifts!
Admiring another special pearl from Nana & Pop-Pop
So grateful they could be there!
I think it's safe to assume she's thinking, "What's that???!!!"
Happy Birthday, dear Lilee!!!
Not so sure...
Ooh, fun to play with!!!
Sorta tasty...
She wasn't overly impressed with the muffin...er, cake.
She didn't spit it out but had more fun playing with it than eating it!
Happy girl!
(yes, our little "toddle-er" is all over the place now!)
(yes, our little "toddle-er" is all over the place now!)
More pics from birthday night:
The next week was even more full of excitement as my brother flew in from Japan for an 8 day visit!!! It was so great to have him here and Maelee was pretty much beside herself each time she saw him. He was very patient with her and indulged her goofiness so she is missing him dearly! We wanted to take advantage of his visit by planning Lilee's birthday bash around it so we went up to DE to have a sweet celebration with family on the 31st. Bless sweet Too-daddy's and especially Too-Mom's hearts for putting up with the crazinesss! It was a full house but we loved getting to share her special day with everyone.
Sweet times with TD one we arrived
And some with Uncle Dan, too!
The cake made by an older sister of one of Maelee's classmates before Nana's skilled hands fixed it up...
And the beautiful butterfly cake after!
We didn't end up eating one of the cakes from the weekend before so thanks to the freezer, it worked great on top!
Maelee was especially thrilled that cousins Mason & Lane could be there!
Pin the dots on the butterfly!
She was so excited to participate :)
More sweet gifts!
Loved having both the adoring Pop-Pop AND Uncle Dan join in the celebration!
Priceless smiles...
Aaand... crash!
Thankfully some singing perked her back up!
This one loved the cake!
And once again, this one wasn't too sure...
But it was fun to play with!
The night ended with the escape of a balloon and the hysterics that followed.
Including Mason's matter-of-fact solution of how to get it down:
"Just use your imagination!"
To which Maelee responded:
"No, that won't work..."
Slideshow from DE celebration:
What a special night to get to have so many sweet family join in this big milestone for our little Lilee! I'll get another post up soon with more pics from January into February and more sweet times having Uncle Dan here. This normally dreary time of year has ended up being pretty awesome this year for us so far!
And finally, a few more shots from our little "1 Yr Photo Shoot" with this sweet girl...
Our little butterfly
Cute expressions...
Sweet toes
And gotta love the tush shots!
I mean, those are pretty precious bloomers, are they not???
Fun with "Buddy," the bunny made by Mee-Maw:)
And she just can't stay still!!!
Once again, it has been quite a year. This little girl has so much personality and spunk, and so much sweetness and love. And we are so grateful!
