Kaelyn's First Birthday Party

It was a toss up. Let's be real. Blog about Christmas even though it's waaaay over (although the tree IS still up...) or Kaelyn's birthday because she's just so darned cute? Wait, there are other topics? I do still need to blog about my living room stenciled wall. Another time.

For Kaelyn's birthday we invited family over. The agenda was dinner, dessert, presents, Christmas choir concert. I had a goal to have most piles of "stuff" gone. It was way past time. I succeeded. Most of it was gone. :)

Dinner was taco salad, fluffy fruit jello salad, rolls (which I totally failed at.... forgot to set the timer... but they made really good bread crumbs), and.... sparkling cider stuff. Kaelyn doesn't have a favorite meal (yet) so I made what I wanted to. I made the taco meat with ground beef from Mom's cow plus brown rice. I love that ground beef. There is a humongous difference between pasture raised and store bought.

The schedule got pushed so we  didn't really have dessert together. Kaelyn didn't even get hers until the next day. Just wait for the pictures. They're awesome.

I may have been the meanest mommy ever that day because Kaelyn also had a doctor's appointment that morning and I allowed her to get her very first shots ever. Three shots not including the blood work pricks. Kaelyn handled them like a champ though (I did give her medicine before we went). She cried but settled down fairly quickly afterwards. She didn't complain the rest of the day but she did sleep a little longer and was more subdued than normal.

I asked her to smile for the camera.

She got Garfield bandages. The bandaid they put on her finger after the blood work  bit stayed on for about two minutes  before she figured out how to pull it off.

From Mom and Dad, she got a new pair of shoes which are still too big for her.

She actually helped open the box...

And liked the elephant.

I have issues with the lioness. And the elephant isn't finished. Nor does he have a mate. And there's 3 or 4 more sets I still have to make.

Cousins Lilli and Grace gave her octopus toys that we use in the bath. She likes the water squirting out of them.

Cousins Lara and Vivi gave her a book with animals in it. She loves it.

Aunt Kimmi, Uncle Josh, and Grandma gave her an animal puzzle. She carries around the pieces and now knows the sheep says "baaa".

Nana and Papa gave her this big sheep and a shirt to grow into. Can you tell that every knew she loves animals?

Waiting.... waiting....

 

Chocolate cupcake! With cream cheese frosting!

No hesitation. Just go.

 

I told her I was trying to take a picture of he licking the cupcake. She actually obliged.

By now she was completely in love with the frosting and me taking pictures.

It was so hard to narrow down the pictures...

She's so cute in all of them!

A better tongue picture.

 

Now we're getting messy.

 

Surprisingly, she didn't care for the actual cupcake. Come on! It's chocolate!

But chocolate is chocolate.

Love my baby!